Make a Glowing Musical LED Hockey Puck with 3D Printing and Circuit Playground

Introducing the LED Hockey Puck

If you're a hockey fan and enjoy tinkering with electronics, creating an LED hockey puck is a fun weekend project! With the help of a 3D printer and some basic electronic components, you can make a hockey puck that lights up and plays sounds. In this guide, we'll walk through the steps for designing and assembling your own musical, illuminated hockey puck.

The Parts You'll Need

To make your LED hockey puck, you'll need the following components:

• A 3D printer - Any consumer-level 3D printer like the Prusa printers will work.
• PLA plastic filament - For printing the puck.
• A Circuit Playground Express board - This provides the brains and LEDs.
• A battery pack - A small lithium polymer battery will give several hours of use.
• Basic electronic components - A slide switch, wire, and soldering equipment.

The full part list with links to buy the components is provided later in this guide. Having these parts on hand will make assembling your hockey puck a breeze.

Designing the 3D Printed Enclosure

The first step is to design the 3D printed enclosure that will house the electronics inside the hockey puck. Creating this 3D model requires CAD software or an online 3D modeling tool.

Some things to keep in mind when designing the enclosure:

• It must be the size of a standard hockey puck - 1 inch thick and 3 inches in diameter.
• There needs to be a cavity inside to fit the Circuit Playground board.
• You'll need a spot to install the slide switch.
• Consider adding some indentation on the sides for grip.

Once your 3D model is ready, export it in .STL format and slice it for 3D printing using Cura or your preferred slicer. Print the enclosure using PLA filament. Install some polyurethane fill in the switch opening for a water-tight seal.

Assembling the Circuitry

With the 3D printed enclosure complete, it's time to wire up the electronics that will make the LED hockey puck come alive!

Here are the steps for the circuit assembly:

1. Solder wires to the JST battery port on the Circuit Playground Express board.
2. Connect the slide switch to the board using 3 wires.
3. Install the battery pack and connect the JST cable.
4. Program the board lighting effects and audio (covered next).
5. Install the Circuit Playground board into the 3D printed enclosure.
6. Seal up the enclosure and install the polyurethane around the slide switch.

With careful soldering and routing of the wires, everything will fit nicely within the puck enclosure. Polarity protection on the JST connector prevents issues when installing the battery.

Programming the Hockey Puck

The Circuit Playground Express board uses the Arduino programming framework which makes coding straightforward. Here are some of the features you can add in your program:

• Color cycling - Fade between hues for a cool lighting effect.
• Sound effects - Have the puck play hockey sounds and cheers.
• Motion activation - Use the accelerometer to trigger actions when moved.
• Sleep mode - Conserve battery by turning off when inactive.

The program is written on your computer and uploaded to the Circuit Playground over USB. Some basic coding background is helpful, but there are plenty of Arduino examples available online to reference.

With your custom program installed, the hockey puck will spring to life with your creative lighting and sound effects whenever you flip the switch!

Finishing Touches

With all the electronics installed and programmed, there are just a few finishing touches to add:

• Paint or vinyl wrap the puck enclosure in your team colors.
• Consider adding some texture to the surface for better grip.
• Install padding inside the puck to protect the components.
• Close up the enclosure securely using glue or screws.

Some extra padding inside will help if the puck gets knocked around during play. Screws or acrylic glue will hold everything in place inside the enclosure.

Once complete, power up your LED hockey puck and enjoy the glowing, musical fun! Impress your hockey buds with this homemade techy puck.

Full Parts and Tools List

Here is the complete list of everything you need to make the LED hockey puck:

Electronic components

• Circuit Playground Express board
• 150mAh lithium polymer battery
• Slide switch
• JST connector cable
• 22AWG stranded wire
• Soldering iron, solder, and supplies

For 3D printing

• PLA filament
• Polyurethane resin for sealing

Other supplies

• Acrylic paint, vinyl wrap, and tape for enclosure
• Foam padding material
• Screws or acrylic glue

With these components and tools gathered, you'll be ready to build a unique LED hockey puck that will liven up any game of street hockey. The 3D printing and LED programming make this an educational weekend project. Let us know how your LED hockey puck creations turn out!

FAQs

What kind of 3D printer do I need?

You need a basic consumer-level 3D printer like the Prusa i3 that is capable of printing with PLA filament. The puck enclosure does not require very high resolution.

Where do I get the electronic components?

The main electronic components like the Circuit Playground and lithium polymer battery can be purchased from Adafruit or Amazon. Other generic parts like wire and switches are available from electronics distributors.

How long will the battery last?

The 150mAh battery will give a few hours of use depending on the brightness settings. You can tweak the software code to have a sleep mode that conserves battery life when not in active play.

Is any coding experience required?

Some basic Arduino coding experience is helpful but not required. There are many Circuit Playground examples online you can reference. The Arduino IDE also makes loading programs very straightforward.

Can I make a rechargeable puck?

Yes, you can integrate a lithium ion rechargeable battery instead of disposable ones. This would require a charging port accessible from the outside of the enclosure.