7 Feet Dancing Cactus

Dancing cactus Currently the trending toy. Its very cute and kids like it very very much. I plan to build a giant one, actually i plan for 6 feet but at lost it completed with 7 feet. It take me lot of errors while build but come out fine. Let travel with me in the creation with errors also noted.

1) 12V DC motor with gear box.

2) Wooden boards from scrap.

3) 3/4" PVC Pipe - 1 No.

4) 1 1/4" Flexible light weight pvc hose - 7 feet.

5) Hula Hoop - 1 No Kids Size.

6) Cloth for cactus.

7) Cotton and Sponges to fill.

8) Wooden Screws.

9) Computer SMPS.

10) Arduino UNO.

11) Ultrasonic Sensor HC-SR04 or Motion sensor.

12) 5V Relay module.

1) I have 4" board. So cut it in to following sizes.

a) 6" X 4" - 2Nos - Base side

b) Acrylic sheet - 1No motor base.( Replace with a another wood sheet after broken)

c) 1 feet X 4" - 2Nos. Top to hole the pipe

d) X 4" - 1No Center Piece

d) X 4" - 1No Top Piece

2) Gather the pieces and use ling screws to join.

1) Before Join mark the center of the motor holding piece, Center piece and Top piece. Use a 3/4" hole saw bit to put a smooth home on all the three boards.

2) Check it with the 3/4" PVC pipe.

3) Mark the holding screws hole for motor by adjust the shaft to the center. drill the hole and fit the motor.

1) Mark the portion want the screw with pencil then drill it and join using ling screws (use 1/2" Screws).

2) First join the center piece, Then the Top piece and last the bottom piece.

1) After join the motor holding piece and put a hole for stand the motor holding piece broken, Its mid night found a wood sheet from previous project, Remove the wood sheet and cut as per required size and fit it.

2) check the straight using PVC pipe from top to bottom for free movement also.

1) Cut Small pieces for 3/4" pvc pipe and open the pipe. Cut a portion and insert one inside one to close the pipe.

2) Use Quick fix while insert each pipe.

3) If dia near to motor shaft add one more and try to press with the shaft if it hold tight then the mission competed.

4) I never use screws to tight with shaft because if more load then at least the motor will spare.

Test the Motor Runniing with 5V and 12V supplies direct from SMPS.

1) First failure method want to bend a pipe 'S' Spahe for dancing. I take 3/4" Pvc pipe, as per my friend asked me to fill sand inside the pipe and heat and bend it works fine.

2) I never got sand at that time so i use water to fill the pipe and heat it to bend one bend is ok, but during second bend it broken and water spilled. So check for alternate up to tow days.

1) My daughter love hula hoop very much she has 2 Nos of hula hoop yellow and red, With out knowing her i broken it and use for my project, she is very very angry over me for that (still now when she see it).

2) Cut he hula hoop half and bend it as per the drawing the the ground. Use fire to bend the font and last portion to make it straight.

3) Cut the ends and insert it in to 3/4" pvc pipe so its straight. Screw the pipes. Now the required shape is ready and its also stand straight.

1) Now insert the one side of pvc pipe in the bend pipe, into the base stand and check the rotation.

2) Due to height is very high while rotation it move all sides and cause nearly to fall.

1) After one day of searching a suitable piece to hold it top. It want t rotate, plan for bearing like arrangement. Finally from the scrap bag found a Key chain.

2) Its has a rotating joint. Join the keychain base with the pipe. Its correct to hook in the top.

1) Insert the hose into the bend pipe and tear the base, screw two sides in to the wooden base.

1) Hang the top ring straight to the bottom in the ceiling.

Test with smps supply and found in 5V it never rotate, Only in 12V it rotate. I want to calculate the amps because i use a potentiometer to control voltage but it burns. So remove the potentimeter and give direct 12V and found ok. the hose move with out rotate.

1) I got a new plain color saree from mom. But its not green cactus in color, i search through net and found this color cactus also in the world.

2) Fold the saree on time and lie it on the ground.

3) Draw 10" parallel line on the center of the saree, Then draw the out line of the cactus using Pencil.

4) Stitch the line two times to make it string.

5) Cut the balance cloth piece. Now the cactus skin is ready.

Stitch the pvc hose in the top of the cactus skin.

1) Fill the body with sponge it take more time and body pain.

2) Rotate sponge around the flexible hose and fille the Cactus, Don't dump more sponge or cotton it increase the weight.

3) For Cactus hand use a 1 1/4" Hose from left hand to right hand, then fill the hand with sponge. Now the cactus ready.

Its very cute and very light weight, Soft and shinny. I take some photos with the semi finished cactus.

1) For Eyes i found a medium size plastic ball in my home. Cut the ball in to two half and stitch it with thread on four sides of the ball.

2) Cut red sheet for mouth and and paste it on the head.

Filled cactus have Buffy eyes and smiling face.

1) Lie down the cactus and insert the pipe though the hose.

2) Rescrew the screws remove between hose and base.

3) Now the Cacutus is fully ready want to decorate it and add circuit.

Its very nice to see it runnnung. See the trial video.

Some Happy Selfie

Download the Arduino Code from here

1) I created the code both for Ultrasonic and also for motion detector, Comment the unuse code in the program.

2) Connection details

a) In power supply is given from 12V Smps Supply

b) Ultrasonic powder supply is taken from arduino 5V and Ground, Trigger is set to D2 and Echo in D3.

c) Relay is connect to D8 and power supply from 5V and Gnd.

d) Motion Detector is power connected to arduino 5V and Ground, and Digital pin is connected to D9.

3) Its very simple setup. I also make a provision for bluetooth connection for future development for voice.

4) Currently i use Ultrasonic Sensor.

5) First i plan to use motor shield but when i see the potentiometer burn due to over current i use relay module to drive.

1) Arduino and Relays are packed in a plastic box.

2) Ultrasonic sensor is placed in a tower created using PVC pipes.

1) After Completion and make it stand some times due to over load the motor stuck. Check and found the problem due to the head load to the body. So put two hole on both sides in the hose and shift the weight to the top as shown in the picture. Now the motor is very very free to rotate.

2) Put the cactus in to a large Bucket and cover it with foam sheet. Now its is ready for action.

Its another nice experience to work in this project. Lot of works day by day almost 1 week. Some failures due to hard pressing and over current. Some new work make a wooden stand is study in this project. But at the last time of contest very rush in finishing it.

Thank you for going through my project.

Lot more to enjoy...............Don't forgot to comment and encourage me friends.