Legend of Zelda Rupee Nightlight (N64 Edition)

by mportatoes in Circuits > LEDs

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Legend of Zelda Rupee Nightlight (N64 Edition)

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I made this specifically for the Instructables Rainbow contest. As with my other projects, I'm a giant Legend of Zelda nerd (Original Rupee Nightlight, Majora's Mask). With the positive feedback from the Instructables community, I decided to build upon the nightlight idea and added all of the rupees from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask (N64) in order of value. Makes a cool, colorful addition to your gaming prop collection. Link would be ecstatic to see all of these in one place.

Supplies

  • 3D Printer (I used an AnyCubic i3 Mega)
  • Black PLA filament(Case)
  • Clear PLA filament (Rupees)
  • Yellow PLA filament (Tri Force)
  • Programmable LEDs e.g. WS2812's
  • 1 Slide Switch
  • 1 MicroUSB header
  • 1 Attiny85
  • Ardiuno or TinyAVR programmer
  • Jumper Wires
  • 1 Prototyping Board
  • Soldering gun & solder

Print the Case

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Used the attached .stl file to print the case. I would rotate it on its side to stand straight up. Should take a couple of hours. Recommended settings:

  • 20% infill
  • No Support or Adhesion
  • .2 layer height

Program the ATTINY85

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While we are waiting on the print to finish, we can go ahead and program our microcontroller to display our rupee colors. Use the attached .ino file in your Arduino IDE. I used a TinyAVR programmer from Flashtree (yes, it is a knock off on Amazon but works well) and used the settings in the screenshot. You can also do this with a regular Arduino. Before uploading make sure you choose "Burn Bootloader". After it completes, choose the upload option. If you are missing the attiny libraries, there's a great write-up here. If you are missing the NeoPixel libraries, go to Sketch > Include Libaries > Manage Libraries and search for Adafruit's neopixel library.

Downloads

Connect All the Things

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We'll need to solder everything together on the prototype board to bring our print to life. I'd recommend doing things in this order:

  • MicroUSB header
  • on/off switch (this is optional but provides nice functionality)
  • microcontroller
  • LEDs

Make sure to give yourself enough of a copper lead on the wires you are cutting. This will make things much easier to solder and connect.

The attached fritzing diagram shows how everything is connected but may seem a bit confusing by the pictures. The prototype board has through-holes so we can connect things over/under on the board. Most of the soldering will take place on the bottom of the board (see pictures). We can actually connect common components with a solder line. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, you could try to squeeze a mini-breadboard in the base.

Downloads

Print and Attach the Triforce Pieces

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You can use the attached .stl file for printing the triforce pieces. I'd recommend applying superglue to make them stick.


Print Settings:

  • 20% Infill
  • No Support or Adhesion
  • .2 layer height

Print the Rupees

You can grab the file from here for printing. Leave the settings the same. You'll need seven of them.

Superglue the Rupees

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I added a thin bit of superglue around the base of the rupee and inserted into the case holes. It will be a snug fit!

Attach the LEDs to the Base

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The pictures show me doing this before adding the rupees (previous step) for demo purposes. I took electrical tape and used that to attach the LEDs inside the case and then tested everything to show what it looks like. You could use a different tape or evnr glue - the issue with that is if you burn an LED, it could be a tough time trying to take off the strip.


After you get that done, you can secure the protoyping board by super-gluing or taping it to the case. One thing I want to add to the case print is a small area with sides to secure the board.