HackSpace_-_October_2019

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A major part of the build involves crafting the helmets

using a combination of 3D printing, vacuum forming,

and sanding. Nathan has covered this aspect in great

detail, and also goes out of his way to explain the

principles behind the vacuum forming process and how

you can build your own vacuum former.

The two helmets are visualised differently and

therefore use different electronics. The silver Thomas

helmet with a scrolling marquee LED uses an Adafruit

Pro Trinket, and is controlled from a smartphone over

Bluetooth. The scrolling effect is created using four

MAX7219 dot-matrix modules linked together. The

helmet also has LEDs around the ears and are

controlled by another Trinket. Similarly, the other gold

Guy helmet uses several LEDs controlled via the

Parallax Propeller microcontroller. The project is one of

the more difficult ones to replicate, but three people

have already done so on Instructables.

RUN THE GAUNTLET

We aren’t sure if Michael Darby is a fan of French

electronic music, but by the time he came out of the

theatre after watching Infinity War he knew he had to

make the Infinity Gauntlet (hsmag.cc/Xxqf0N). Initially,

Michael just wanted the gauntlet to be an aesthetic

only project that you could wear on Halloween. But

then he decided to use the glove to wreak Thanos-like

havoc by eradicating half the artificial life he’d created

in an earlier project (hsmag.cc/KCgJnh).

He started with a pretty standard Thanos Gauntlet

that’s available in most costume shops, which he

then activated using an Arduino Pro Mini, some

different coloured LEDs, a couple of buttons, and a

bunch of other electronics. The finished product lights

up just like the real thing, and unfortunately for the

artificial life forms in his other project, does pretty

much the same damage.

Costume designer Sarah James has another idea of

lighting up the night. The key ingredient in her Light Up

Costume (hsmag.cc/aazOsx) is electroluminescent

(EL) wire. She used green wires of different thickness;

a 4 mm thick wire for the body and a 2.2 mm thick wire

for the gloves. In her Instructables, she shares her

design process, which involved creating a mock-up

with rope, before hand-sewing the EL wire.

If you want something more extravagant,

here’s an impressive colour-sensing

chameleon costume (hsmag.cc/PNGwHi).

It was made with about 600 LEDs, and

required over two dozen lithium-ion battery

packs. The suit has a colour sensor in one of

the hands. When it touches any coloured

surface, an Arduino changes all the LEDs in the

suit to match that colour.

The suit is fabricated with foam by Klay Jones

who does this for a living (Partybot Designs).

Besides detailed instructions, his Instructable has

lots of useful information and advice for anyone

interested in this fabricating foam. The project is a

major undertaking, from constructing the suit to wiring

and powering the electronics. But one look at Klay’s

videos of the finished product is enough to compel

anyone to put in the effort.

The eyes on

the suit are just

large bowls

layered with

clear resin

to give them

additional

strength

HE’S REPLICATED THE

TWO HELMETS WORN

BY DAFT PUNK

If you only have

time to build one,

Nathan suggests

you replicate the

silver Thomas

helmet, which is

easier because

it doesn’t require

vacuum forming

Michael didn’t tuck

the components

inside the glove,

and we feel this

adds another

dimension of

wickedness to

the gauntlet