Protect Your Arduino!

InstaMorph is a special crafting thermoplastic designed to heat up so that it can be manipulated like modeling clay. Once it cools, it hardens into place. Later, it can be reheated to be manipulated again.

You can see find out more here:

https://www.instamorph.com/

This was part of an Instructables Build Night with our Hackerspace:

https://www.knoxmakers.org/about

In this tutorial, we will show you a couple different ways to can try to use InstaMorph to protect your Arduino, RaspberryPi, and other electronic projects from the elements and normal wear and tear.

Thanks to Knox Makers member Tobby Ryan for this tutorial!

• InstaMorph
• Arduino, RaspberryPi, or another open electronics project
• Digital induction warmer (or a heat gun)
• Tongs
• Plastic cooking spoon
• Olive oil

There are a few different methods for heating up your InstaMorph.

You can use our tutorial for a digital induction warmer here.

We also created a tutorial for using a heat gun here.

Additionally, InstaMorph has alternative methods and other suggestions for more advanced projects here.

This is an important step.

After your InstaMorph is hot enough (clear and sticking together nicely), you will want to quickly flatten it out.

If you need to use a spoon, you can. Just remember to coat it and the table or surface with olive oil so the InstaMorph will not stick to your work area or tools.

If you need to reheat the InstaMorph, that's OK.

Once you have gotten the InstaMorph to an even, thin, and flat shape, you can move on.

Now you can trim it to size. If the InstaMorph is too hard to cut with scissors, do not force it. You can cause the scissors to slip and accidentally cut you instead of the sheet of InstaMorph.

Just reheat if needed.

Make sure the trimmed piece fits onto the back of your electronics project nicely.

If it does, heat it back up (away from your electronics, please!)

Then, stick it onto your electronics project for decent protection against the elements.

You can also take a gob of InstaMorph and carefully mash it around wires for a stress relief!