Santa Claus Automata That Reacts to Music

Looking for a fun and creative way to add some pizzazz to your holiday decorations? In this tutorial, I will show you how to make a Santa Claus automata with LED lights that react to music and sound. Imagine a dancing Santa Claus that lights up in sync with your favorite holiday tunes - it's a sight to behold! With reference to this project, you can also make Halloween decorations. This project is perfect for anyone who wants to add a unique and interactive touch to their holiday decorations.

So, grab your tools and get ready to create a one-of-a-kind decoration that will be the talk of the town!

Don't have time to read the tutorial? Watch my YouTube video for a step-by-step visual guide

Materials required :

• Foam board
• Ice cream Container
• Glitter Tape
• Hollow plastic shaft [ I've used a pen cap here. ]
• Acrylic Paint
• Super Glue
• White Glue
• Paper Clip
• Cotton Swab
• Glitter Glue
• Disposable Bottle

Circuits Components :

• 9 Volt battery
• Geared DC Motor
• 100k Trimmer
• BC 557 Transistor
• Two BC547 Transistor
• IRFZ44
• 470 Ohm
• 1K Ohm
• 1M Ohm
• 220 Ohm
• Three 10K Ohm
• 103 Capacitor
• 104 Capacitor
• Electret Mic
• 10uF Electrolyte Capacitor
• LEDs
• Toggle Switch

Tools required :

• Craft knife / Blades
• Soldering Iron
• Scissors

First, we'll take an ice cream container and modify it so that our geared dc motor can be attached to it. A hollow shaft is required as a coupler to connect the geared motor with the foam board cutouts; in this example, I'm utilizing a pen cap for this function. After taking the relevant readings of the container, we can begin creating the automata in Fusion 360.

Once we've finished the design, we can trace it onto the foam board and cut out the patterns. The diameter of the foam disc used here is about 7cm. To enhance the surface area of contact, the tip of the cam has been extended by attaching tiny bits of foam board, as seen in the image. As illustrated in the photos, we may now attach the cuts with reference to the designed model. We'll be utilizing a paper clip to make the joints that connect the automaton's linkages.

Attach the remaining template components as indicated in the photographs. To strengthen the pocked holes, we shall use cotton swab stems. To restore our automata's cam follower, we will use a little plastic piece from a disposable bottle, as seen in the image.

As seen in the photographs attached, we will now connect the cutouts of waving Santa and the Christmas trees.

With reference to the circuit diagram attached, we will solder the components. We'll use the soldering iron to make a hole for the microphone. The 100k trimmer is used to adjust the rpm of the DC motor.

We will construct a case out of foam board to house the 9-volt battery and attach it to the container.

Now, solder the LED lights with appropriate resistor [220 ohm for Green, Yellow / 330 ohm for Red] values onto the circuit and connect it to the container as indicated in the photographs. With a soldering iron, we will also make numerous holes in the automata's disc so that light may enter through the holes and illuminate the automata. Next we'll paint it and cover the battery box with glitter tape.

Now we will cover the automata with glitter glue with this our automata is complete.

I hope that this instructable has inspired you to try your hand at creating your own automata, or to experiment with combining technology and art in new and exciting ways. The possibilities are endless, and there's no limit to what you can create with a little imagination and ingenuity.

If you enjoyed this instructable, please consider liking and subscribing to my channel for more creative projects and tutorials.

Thank you again for reading, and happy creating!