Decorative Glowing Heart

When I started this project looking inspiration, I noticed Valentines day right around the corner so I thought I could create a really cool gift. This is my first project of this variety so I tried to go with something fun and unique. Even though some setbacks put me past Valentines day, I got to try something new and show my love of crafts.

Here are some material lists and suggested prerequisites for this project so it goes smoothly. I am still very new to this so I am still figuring out what works best. Some materials may be substituted for others as I likely didn't choose the best options. keep that in mind when going through the supplies list and instructions to see if there in anything you think you should swap out.

 Start printing the model.

Considering how long printing can take, it seems sensible to start it asap. I have my CAD model saved here to take in a few formats. Feel free to put it straight into some slicing software for printing or adjust it to your liking. You should only need 1 successful print of each. The marking outline is optional, but it may be quite helpful when cutting the acrylic. Get those stls printing and let's continue.

We first need to download and set up the Arduino IDE. Once we get that set up, we will need to both add the board and (potentially) download some drivers to help send the code to the board as well as download a library for the LED strip.

Here is the Adafruit site’s page on the board, it can be quite helpful to learn more about the board https://learn.adafruit.com/introducting-itsy-bitsy-32u4/ 

 Follow the guide on this page It will guide you through installing both the IDE and the board into it. Keep in mind we only need the Adafruit AVR Boards Package. https://learn.adafruit.com/introducting-itsy-bitsy-32u4/arduino-ide-setup 

After adding the url, navigate to the next page and finish their process on installing the board.

If you are on Windows, myself included, you will need to download the drivers with the link on the page. Go through the installer and install the drivers for the itsy-bitsy board/32u4 boards.

Nice. Hopefully when you plug it into your computer, it gets recognized.

Now under tools, select the Adafruit Itsy-Bitsy 32u4 3V, and you are ready to get and send code at it. You can try the blink commands, but the base code I used is here if you want to speed up the process. Keep in mind the pin numbers, we will need to solder wire to them. You can send your code with the upload button in the top left corner. If something goes wrong, the IDE will tell you, otherwise use the specific blink command to check the board or upload my program, the board will simply take the code and not do anything. Note that you may want to adjust NUMPIXELS after cutting the led strip later on in the project if some of the end lights are not lighting up or problems with the strip are occurring. I found 37 to be my sweet spot but yours may be slightly off.

We now will need to solder 3 pins for the LED strip, its power, ground, and signal wire.

The pins you will need to solder will be pins

5o- Your power to the strip, located on the same side as the previous solders.

G- Your ground/ negative to the strip, located on the opposite end from the micro usb port.

11- The signal pin, others can work (check pin schematics) but i used this one, located next to the other solders

If you are using jumper cables, you should be able to freely adjust the pins into the matching LED strip connector.

If you are using wiring, cut the very end of the 3 wire connector on the LED, strip the insulation of the ends of them, and insert and solder into their respective pins

Red = Power -> 5o

Green = Signal -> 11

White = Ground/ -> G

Finish your solders and that step is done.

However, when I first attempted this project, I tried soldering a small battery pack on it. I struggled to make it work, so while it will be present in photos of the project, I will not be giving instructions on what I did and will instead recommend using the usb and battery pack.

Once your prints are finished, take your circuit board. You will want to cut off the tips of the pins sticking out of the bottom of the board and then glue the board on the recess in the bottom piece. Line it up so that you can both access the usb from the hole in the back while still having enough space in the center for your led wires.* Note that the usb cable I suggested has a 90 degree angle, either put your board sideways or find a different cable. Your top print and bottom should be able to click together.

We next will need to start the set up the (sort of) infinity mirror of the project. Take your acrylic and use the marker outline to mark your acrylic and use your preferred cutting method to pare it down until it fits into the heart and against the indented recess on the front side. If it doesn’t fit or has blemishes, you can sand or cut down the sides to help smooth it out.

Now take your led strip cut short the end with prongs in it and take the longer remaining strip with the female 3 prong head. Insert the led strip with the leds first facing inward so that their flat back rides along the walls of the heart. follow along the inner edges until you made a full loop, continue pulling more of the strip through right until the wire is about to be seen through. mark at the end of the strip where the leds extend past the heart shaped loop of leds you made. Then remove the strip and cut at the marking you made along the copper indents.

Now remove the backing on the remaining strip which supposedly has an adherent, mine did not so I had to superglue, you likely will as well. Push your led strip back into the heart from the bottom, superglue the back of the strip if you have to, and line it along the inside wall making its full loop. Hold it while the glue/ adherent dries and add extra glue to any critical spots that won't stick. Now plug back in the led strip to the board, plug it in and make sure it works.

Next will be the film application and cutting part. I did a somewhat poor job cutting and applying the film, partially due to the materials I chose (sorry). But try your best to make it as neat as possible by thoroughly cleaning the parts and avoiding indenting the film. The better you do, the clearer the infinity mirror effect can be shown. If you want a clearer effect, try watching some example videos or cutting and using glass hearts for better application.

Clean your acrylic heart and wipe it with the cloth from the application kit (microfiber cloth) to remove any grime. Then take the heart piece and apply your application solution to one of the sides you cleaned. If you feel uncertain about the process, this video goes into depth on the topic and explains how to apply it. She uses windows, but it should work mostly fine.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv_jBA1pQB0&t=45s 

Place on the film. *Make sure you place the darker see-through side facing down if you want to have the film on the inside of the heart. just make sure that whichever way the acrylic goes in, the darker side faces outwards towards you.

Smooth out the film and cut the edges the best you can with the included blade around the heart so a little bit of film is over the edge. Let it sit for a few minutes and it should be ready.

Now repeat this step with the heart back on the smaller side or use your own mirror backing. unfortunately, the film doesn't stick as well on PLA so it may not hold on tight, you may use a little extra adhesive like glue, or use a different mirror option. Just make sure that the side facing you when applying is more reflective/ isn't the darker side.

Push in the heart pieces with the film on them, being careful that the side with the inner indentation has the acrylic heart pushed in against the indent with the darker film side facing out. Check if the films are the correct way by putting both sides in and turning on the lights. If you are worried or are dealing with the parts falling out, then lightly apply some superglue to the outside after you are certain that the film is set to a satisfactory degree.

Finally, charge your battery pack, plug in the usb and connect it to the board with the micro usb. You are done, congratulations. Hopefully my instructions were manageable despite some of my unorthodox methods.

Thank you for reading and or completing my project.