Mario the Magician's Magical Lapel Flower

Contributors: Dia

Put it Together!

1. The first thing you need to do is upload the drivers needed to operate your Pro- Micro. The process is painless. All the info is in the quickstart guide.

2. Upload the sketch. (The code can be found here)

3. Solder ground to ground and positive to RAW. Be sure to solder it to RAW and not to VCC, or you will fry your board! Also, keep your wires kind of tight, because this makes for a snug fit in the end.

4. Clip the female part of your servo cable, and solder red to positive, dark brown to negative, and light brown to pin 10.

5. Clip your flower to the desired size. I clipped mine to about 4 inches in length. Depending on how thick the wire is that holds the flower, drill a matching hole through your servo arm.

6. Push the stem through the drilled hole and bend it down. I used a pair of pliers to press it down.

7. Use a piece of shrink tubing to really secure the flower to the servo arm.

8. Cut the cardboard to fit on top of the servo. Hot glue it down. Hot glue two magnets to the cardboard. Cut out a second piece of cardboard, with holes for the magnets to poke through, and hot glue it on top of the first piece of cardboard. Cover the magnets and cardboard with a piece of masking tape.

9. Glue a piece of velcro to the other side of the servo.

10. Cut out a rectangle of cardboard that will fit the Pro-Micro and power supply. Same as the flower… glue two pieces of cardboard together, with holes in one of the pieces of cardboard for two magnets to poke through. Make sure the spacing of the magnets matches the spacing of the ones on the servo so they can connect.

11. Now is a good time to decide which side of your hoodie you want your flower on. The on/off switch should be closest to your zipper, so you can turn it on without fumbling deep into your hoodie. Mine is on my left “lapel.” Hot glue the Pro-Micro and power supply first. No need for a lot of glue! I am always cautious when hot gluing electronics. Next, glue the tiny battery down, and you are complete!

12. I finished my project by painting the cardboard and tape with black acryclic paint.

13. You need to find a sweet spot on your hoodie for the flower, where you can fold over your zipper and cover the servo. Use the circuit as a guide. Connect the magnets so you can slide the servo without having to hold it. Once you find that spot, clip a small opening in the fabric of your hoodie, so the servo wire can slide through. Take a smaller piece of velcro, and place it on the edge of the servo. Put some hot glue on the small piece, fold your hoodie over to the servoʼs edge, and press down so the glue sticks. Connect your servo wire to the circuit. Before screwing the servo arm to the servo, turn it so the servo arm is all the way down to a wilted flower position.