Harry Potter Golden Snitch Motorized Wing Ring

This is just a quick build for those Harry Potter Quidditch fans out there. Based on same technology found in the Motorized Quidditch Golden Snitch,

This is a smaller version that can be worn as a ring. So yeah, Go Ravenclaw!

Craft your own Harry Potter Quidditch Golden Snitch to wear on your finger. Capture the magic when it's wings rotate with a sleight of hand on your command. Conjure up one today.

This is a great first project for the little crafting wizards out there.

CAUTION: The object itself and contents contain small parts and are not to be taken internally.

For this basic wearable tech project, you will need:

Two small cellphone vibration motors, 3 volts DC. They are relatively inexpensive in multiple lots on 3bay, get a bunch to have a Harry Potter build party.

A tilt sensor switch. This is an electronic component that is essentially a small can with a metal bead that moves around on the inside. Tilt the can so the metal bead falls to the bottom to make contact with the two leads to close the switch and complete the circuit. https://www.adafruit.com/product/173

Coin cell battery holder

CR2032 3 volt lithium coin cell battery - same one for LED throwies

Bit of thin wire - I just used a small length from some ethernet CAT6 cable I salvaged (they have 8 individual wires bundled in each one, may be solid or stranded core)

Soldering tools and skills. Learn to solder. Soldering iron and anything it touches is very hot, be careful.

Glue

Thin cardboard or paper

Gold metallic paint - acrylic is easier cleanup

Gelled 3D fabric paint for adding details. The bottle it comes in has a neat needle shaped applicator tip to make fine lines. You could probably gel your own acrylic paint with cornstarch and squeeze out of a cut corner of a plastic bag like piping cake frosting.

You can use any ring to serve as the base for our electronics.

I didn't have one so I just made one by rolling up a length of cardstock about 1 inch wide around my finger to fit.

Apply glue and roll it up. After the glue sticks, you can compress the ring to get out the lumps and any air bubbles. Burnish the edges so they will be nice and crisp. Shape it so it is round and let dry overnight. If you are doing this with paper, you need several layers to build up a thickness to equal rigid thin cardboard.

This is just a basic circuit.

The two motors, each powered by 3 volts, will be wired in parallel to use the single 3 volt coin cell battery. No need to worry about polarity unless you are stickler for which way the motors turn.

The motors have a rubber shroud which is removed so we can glue to it easier.

Pair up the sets of leads from the motors and solder to an extension wire.

Since the battery holder is a bit bulky, I wanted to place it under the ring so it would be inside the hand to hide it.

The tilt switch was best placed with one lead soldered to one of the battery holder tabs.

You can then complete the circuit by soldering one wire to the free terminal of the battery holder and the other wire to the free lead of the tilt switch.

I used masking tape to build up the T-structure to align the motors and stiffened up the wire leads so it would act as a support for the "flying" golden snitch.

Test as you go along to make sure you didn't break any of the fragile thin wire connections.

I wadded up some paper to make a ball shape around the motors. I also insulated all over with masking tape. It would also provide a paintable surface for the completed object.

Coat all over with glue to further prime the surface and to smooth out any minor imperfections.

Let dry completely.

Mark out your designs on the snitch with a marker.

Use the 3D fabric paint to draw on the details. This is the same technique to make some fabulous geeky bling rings. You may need a second application to thicken up the details or to give it greater height since some detail will be lost with the thick acrylic paint that covers it. Let dry completely.

Go all over with a thin prime coat of your acrylic paint. Since it is water based, it does not stick well to the glossy smooth dried 3D fabric paint. You may need two or more coats of the gold metallic paint to get even coverage.

Glue the ring to the top of the battery holder.

The final detail is to add some wings to the tips of the motors.

Since these are tiny motors and already have a tiny offset weight semi/permanently attached to the shaft(the off balance spinning makes the vibration), they don't really have any extra power to move any additional attachment. Make sure to thoroughly scrape away any excess paint or glue near the motor shaft or else the motor will bind and not spin.

Use lightweight tape to form a pair of gossamer like wings. Shape and cut the feathers with a pair of sharp scissors.

Use a new battery for best effect.

You can wear the ring with the Golden Snitch levitated above your hand or turn it around so it looks like you have it in the palm of your hand. Yes, it can look like you are chasing it around the room.

Have fun and amaze others with it.