Bird Puppet

This is a working bird animatronic with a speaker, LCD, and moving head and wings

Arduino: 

ATmega 2560 

20 Male-Female Wires 

Speaker: 

uxcell 0.25W speaker 

(a15071300ux0165) 

LCD: 

Sunfounder 1602 LCD  

Trimmer 10k Breadboard Potentiometer 

Equipment: 

• Chicken Wire 
• Pliers 
• Ruler 
• Paper Mache Mix 
• Water 
• Newspaper or Towel 
• Bowl or Pot 
• Tape 

1.     Open Atmel Studio, click create a new project, then enter a name of your choice and save it in a destination you will remember. Click next and select the Atmega 2560 device. Enter the code in the first image

2.     Once Main.c is entered, the .h and .c Files will need to be created. In the “Solution Explorer” tab right click on the name project, click add, and then new item. Select .c File and name it whatever you would like.

3.     Enter the code in the second and third image into the .c

4.     Repeat the following action for the .h and enter the code in the fourth image into your new .h file.

5.     After all the code is written, go to the “File” tab and save the project

6.     Follow the Below Pinout to connect the stepper motor to your Micro Controller

For all 3 Motors connect the + to 5V and the – to ground

Wing Stepper Motor:

MOTOR IN1: PL0

MOTOR IN2: PL1

MOTOR IN3: PL2

MOTOR IN4: PL3

Head/Beak Stepper Motor:

MOTOR IN1: PA0

MOTOR IN2: PA1

MOTOR IN3: PA2

MOTOR IN4: PA3

1. The Main.c program from the mechanical system will already have the USART code. The only thing needed is the .c and .h files shown in picture 1. In the “Solution Explorer” tab, right-click on the name project, add, and then new item. Select .c File and name it whatever you would like.
2.  Repeat the following action for the .h and enter the code in the second image into your new .h file. 
3. After all the code is written, go to the “File” tab and save the project
4. Follow the Below Pinout to connect the LCD to your Micro Controller

VSS : Ground

VDD: 5V

VE: Middle Pin of Potentiometer (One of the outer pins of potentiometer goes to ground other goes to 5V)

RS: Pin D0

RW: Pin D1

EN: Pin D2

D:0-D:7 : PORTL 0-7

A: 5V

1. K: Ground

1. Since the project target is to make a bird-like sound, we will be utilizing Pulse Width Modulation feature from Arduino 2560 to produce a 7800 HZ square wave to drive the speaker.

2. Connect Speaker gnd(Ground) [Black Wire] to Arduino 2560’s gnd pin. Connect Speaker 5v (Signal)[Red Wire] to Arduino 2560’s 11 pin (OCR1A). This is a simple connection.

3. Add C code from above picture to your Main.c file. It uses inverting mode and 9-bit counting flag.

4. Build project and upload .hex file to Arduino 2560. You should hear a vivid high frequency       bird sound.

1. To build the legs, the first step is to make a circular leg piece. I cut out a 3in by 4.5in piece. Then wrap the piece around something circular, I used my fingers and interlocked the ends. The resulting cylinder should be 1.5in diameter and 3in tall. I used a 2in piece of extra wire to go through both sides and twisted the wire to connect the pieces better. We will use this method to connect wires a lot. I used the extra wire at the top, bottom, and middle to make sure it could be secure. Then we needed to make the feet. Cut out a 2in by 3in piece. Cut one of the short ends into 3rds and pull it apart to make 3 claws. To attach the feet to the leg we will use the extra wire method mentioned earlier. You can use as many connections as needed to secure it in place. Then to give the feet some volume, I added a wire connected from the tip of the feet to about half an inch up on the leg. I did the same for the back of the foot, with only one in the middle. Repeat the process for the other leg. The result is shown above.
2. Cut out a 4in by 16.5in piece of wire frame. Then every 4in fold the piece at a 90-degree angle to make a box. To connect the box using the wire twisting method. It should look like the image above.
3. To connect the wings to the body, use the extra wire method. I connected them on the last ring below the top of the body. Do not make the connection too tight, as we want the wings to be able to rotate up and down.
4. Then cut out 2x4in by 4.5in pieces and attach one to one of the sides, this will be the bottom, we will save the other one for the top. The next step is to make the wings. Cut out a 4in by 5in piece. Fold the piece in half, and attach the open ends together. Use the wire cutters to shape the bottom of the wing, I cut the front at a 45-degree angle for about half an inch, and the back at a 60-degree angle for one inch up the side. You may need to add extra wires to make sure they are still connected. The result is shown above. Repeat this process to make the other wing. 
5. We need to make a cage for the motors to sit in. To do this take a 5x5 piece and wrap it around the motors as tight as possible. The motors should be placed back to back as shown above.
6. Then attach this motor cage to the top part we cut out earlier and saved. It should go right in the middle, with the motor sticking through the top as shown above.  
7. To make the head, cut out a 4in by 4in piece. Then take something cylindrical, I used a medicine bottle, and push the piece down on top, wrapping the edges around as shown above. 
8. Add in some extra connections to make sure it will hold its shape and the head frame is halfway done. The next step is to make the two beaks. To make the beak, cut a 2in x 3in piece. Take the piece and wrap it around the tip of your pinky finger to make a cone-shape. Add in some extra wire to secure it in that shape, then press the pointed end flat to make it into a triangle. Attach one piece halfway up the head and secure it so it cannot move. Attach the second piece below it, only connecting the bottom of the piece. This makes it so the piece can rotate up and down. The final result is shown above.We need a way to make the head connect to the motor. To do this take a piece of wireframe about 2in by 2in. Roll the piece up as shown above.
9. Connect this piece to the bottom of the frame across the middle as shown

To do the paper mache, get a large pot or bowl to make the mix. Follow the instructions on the packaging to make the mix. Once it feels like dough, start applying it to the wings, head, feet, and only the sides of the body. On the legs, leave a little bit of room at the top so you can attach them to the body later on. You need to be able to access the body so we can add in the rest of the paper mache after those parts are in. It will take about 24 hours to dry. 

NOTE: We do not recommend using paper mache, using fabric is a much easier option. It can be applied using wire to hold it in place and the overall appearance will look better.

The Next step is to take a long piece of string, at least 2 feet as you can always cut it shorter. Wrap the middle around the axle of the bottom motor and put a piece of tape around it. Place the Arduino on the bottom of the board with the port facing backward. Line up the LCD screen along the front and cut out a space for it to sit in. You can add an extra wire around the screen to help secure it. Push all the wires down careful to not pull anything out. Then take the motor and top piece and place it on top with the strings hanging over the top toward the wings. Tie the string to the end of the wings and use tape to help secure it. Then use the extra wire method to secure the top to the body.

Next, we need to connect the head. To do this, take a piece about 4x3in and roll it up as tight as possible. Take the top edge and insert it into the crossing piece on the head. Then using pliers pull apart some of the wire to make a spot to attach to the motor. Make a 90-degree angle between the open part and the head so it sits upright. Place the neck over the motor piece and use pliers to hold it tight to the piece.

Next up attach the legs. Place them under the body to find where they need to go to balance the body. Use the wire method to secure the legs to the bottom of the body. Plug it in and watch your bird come to life!