Spooktacular Candy Bowl

Get ready to spook and delight with my latest creation—an Arduino-powered Frankenstein head candy bowl! This DIY simple animatronic project combines the charm of Frankenstein's iconic visage with the magic of technology. Using Arduino and servos, I've brought this candy bowl to life, making its eyebrows and mouth animate with expressions of anger when someone reaches for a treat.

I've stitched together detailed drawings, circuits, and templates, so you can electrify your Halloween decor without a lightning storm. From bolts to circuits, it's all here to make your haunted festivities a hit.

Oh, and before you bolt out of here, don't forget to subscribe my channel....

So, Now what are you waiting for lets build this awesome project.

Don't have time to read the tutorial? Watch my YouTube video for a step-by-step visual guide on "The Ultimate Trick-or-Treat Surprise: DIY Simple Animatronic Scary Candy Bowl! "

Materials required for the build :

• Cardboard roll [ 6.5 cm diameter/Pringles container...]
• 3mm Foam board
• Glass bowl
• Arduino nano
• HC-SR04 Ultrasonic sensor
• 3 x Servos
• LEDs [white & red ]
• 9 volt battery or 7 to 12 volt power supply
• DC power jack connector for the power supply
• Rocker switch
• Acrylic paint
• White glue
• Paper tape

Tools required for the build :

• Craft knife
• Glue gun
• Sand paper[220 Grit]
• Soldering iron / wires

Using the template provided below, the design is traced out onto the cardboard roll, and the traced sections are removed using a craft knife. Now the face of Frankenstein is cut out from a 3mm foam board [ Sand paper is used to smooth out the edges of the cutouts] and glued onto the cardboard using white glue. You might need to temporarily wrap paper tape around the face template to ensure it is completely adhered to the contours of the cardboard roll. Once the glue has dried, we can remove the paper tape.

A 3-cm long cylinder is cut out of the remaining cardboard roll and is fashioned as indicated in the pictures. This will now serve as the Frankenstein's mouthpiece.

The holder for the mouthpiece servo is made from 3 mm foam board and affixed to the cardboard roll (approximately 4.8-5 cm from the cardboard roll's base). Now that we've completed the basic framework, we can paint our creation with acrylic paint before attaching the electronic components. We're giving Frankenstein a makeover!

Go to step 1 for templates.

Ultrasonic sensors, switches, servos, etc. are fixed to the cardboard roll using a glue gun, as shown in the pictures. The wires and connectors are then tucked inside the cardboard roll and secured with the lid. Later, the mouthpiece and eyebrows are attached to it. Initially, I powered it with a 9-volt battery, but it only lasted a few hours, so I switched to a power supply [ The recommended power supply range is 7 to 12 volts; I used a 12 volt power supply in this example ].

Please refer to the Tinker cad file located in the supplies section for the wiring and Arduino code.

Now we'll attach the glass bowl to the lid. To do so, we'll first cut a circular section from the lid with a craft knife, and then glue the bowl in place with a glue gun.

Without its distinguishing teeth, the mouthpiece is incomplete. We will now use white glue to attach the tooth cutouts to the mouthpiece. With this we've brought our candy bowl to life, making its eyebrows and mouth animate with expressions of anger when someone dares to snatch a treat. It's like Frankenstein himself is guarding the goodies, throwing some 'hangry' vibes into the mix.

You can also experiment with other faces for the candy bowl, like a Jack-o'-lantern or a skull face.

Congratulations! You've brought Frankenstein to life, and you didn't even need a lightning storm! Now, let's hope your candy bowl doesn't have a 'shocking' personality.

And if you enjoyed this monstrous DIY journey, don't forget to subscribe my channel for more electrifying projects and 'shockingly' good content.

Thanks for joining the electrifying fun!