Mini Levitating Planter

Hi! Thanks for checking out my instructables! Today I am going to show you how to make a smaller version of my Levitaing Planter. I really liked how my last levitaing planter turned out, but the only problem was that it was too big to fit on my desk. Therefore, I made a smaller version! I designed it in Fusion 360 and 3D
printed the planter and the base, and it turned out pretty great! Let me show you how I made it:

First of all, you need to gather all the parts used in this project.

Here is a list of the materials and tools I used:

Materials:

• Magnetic Levitation Module
• White (Or the color of your choice) PLA or ABS (I used PLA)
• 4pcs x M3*6mm

Tools:

• 3D printer (or you could get someone to print it for you at shapeways or 3D hubs)
• Screwdriver
• Soldering iron

(If enough people request it, I could start making a kit with everything included to make your own)

The next step is to make the planter!

You could either design your own, or you could use my files linked below.

To design it, I first looked at some photos of small planters online, and found a simple one I liked. I wanted it to be kind of similar to my last one with simple geometry, but you could design yours just the way you want it to look like. I used Fusion 360, which is a great free cad software, but you could use the one you prefer.

When i was done, I created the base. I wanted that one to be simple too, so it's just a cylinder.

I have published all of the files free to download at Thingiverse.

Link here:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3754748

After you have printed out all the parts (I
recommend 0.15 in layer hight with 10% infill for the Planter and 0.2 with 20% infill for the base parts) it's time to test it! Take the magnet and drop it into the planter. It should be a snug fit, so it stays in place, but I recommend using some drops of super glue to really secure it. Then, it's over to the magnetic base. Solder the red positive wire to the middle pin of the barrel jack, and the black negative wire to the negative pin. (This is just temporarily, it needs to come of later) Plug it all in, and test! I recommend to use cardboard or an other soft material between the base and the planter when testing, so the magnet doesn't brake if the planter falls down. Take the planter and slowly lower it in the middle of the magnetic base. You should feel the planter trying to push out to the sides, but find a spot in the middle where it holds still. Continue to lower it until the planter supports it self. It's now floating!

Now that you have tested that everything functions as expected, it's time to assemble it. Desolder the power wire, and thread it through the hole of the base, and solder it back on. After that, it is time to fix the magnetic levitation base to the 3d printed base. I used some short M3x6mm screws that I had laying around. Screw the 4 screws into it's corresponding holes of the base, and thighten them slightly. Be carefull so that you don't thighten them to hard, because that could damage the base. Last part is to lower the top onto the base, and you are done!

The very last thing to do, is to add a plant! I got mine from Ikea, and it fits pretty well. Remember to not make it too heavy though. Except from that, you are free to choose whatever plant you want.

You should now have a working levitating planter! How cool isn't that!?

Show it to friends and family, and I am sure they are going to be amazed. If you make your own, or have any questions, please leave a comment below!

Any questions?

Ask in the Discord Channel, or send me a message:)

If you liked this project and want more, please consider supporting me on Patreon!