Harry Potter HAPOMAGMG Self Stirring Mug, Metal, 450mililiters

Product Information

For this I salvaged some cables with 2-way header connectors from a scrap PC (they are used to connect the PC front panel to the mainboard). Cut the cable to around 70mm length (connector included) then strip and tin with solder as shown in the photos provided. Fix the motor assembly to the main enclosure, it sits on the shelf supports and superglues in place.

Now that you have the electronics, lights, motor and battery all prepped we are ready to assemble. Included is an exploded diagram of the assembly pieces, you should be able to work out how it all goes together by following the images, but I'll take you through it step by step as well. I printed all of my 3d parts using 50% infill and a 0.1 layer height, but you will get away with a lower infill and a greater layer height. As long as the water tanks remain water tight you will be fine, there is no physical stress placed on any of the parts when in use. Note that Stirring action three consists of two pieces, the round plate and the arm. The slotted section of the arm sits in the pin located at the front of the enclosure, while the hole fits onto the round plate's pin. First you'll want to fix the step motor to the motor assembly plate, this is done using the M3 screws and nuts. We have to start somewhere so it might just as well be where the magic truly happens, the electronics. This is divided into three main parts, the LEDs, the stepper motor and the circuit. I'll walk you through the three parts individually then we'll bring them all together at the end.For this step you just need to follow the guide in photo three, it connects four PICAXE pins to the Motor Driver header cable that you made in the last step. It uses the following pin configuration: The circuits are fitted to either side of the main enclosure, there are pilot holes to enable the PCB's to be screw mounted, but I opted to use hot-melt glue to secure mine. For the lighting we are using a SMD 5050 light strip. These are really versatile light strips that are bright, offer RGB colour and can be cut to the desired length. As water is also used in this project I'd recommend getting the waterproof ones. The strips often come in kits that include a controller, you can put that to one side for another day as we don't need it, ours will be driven by a PICAXE microcontroller.

As you'll see in one of the photos I connected my motor power in parallel with the power input on the circuit, but you could also wire the +5v at the switch side and ground it to the battery box if you prefer. As the motor requires more current than the microcontroller is able to handle we need to connect the ULN2003 directly to our power source. You may have noticed that the motor is rated at 5-12v and our battery source is only providing 4.5v, don't worry, it's more than enough to drive the motor. The Cauldron is made up of four main elements, the Stirring Action (we'll be using a stepper motor for this), the Lighting (LED strip lighting) and the visual Fog Effect (here we'll be using dry ice, more on this later) ohh and of course the Cauldron (ideally a witchy type one but you can use anything you can get your hands on, I hear saucepans are all the rage amongst muggles!).

To create the stirring effect we are using a stepper motor, I've opted for the 28BYH-48. These motors are manufactured in large volumes so they are so cheap they're practically giving them away. They are known for missing the occasional step so not great for high precision tasks, but they are small and provide a lot of torque thanks to its 64:1 gear reduction ratio. You can read more about this motor here. The motor is commonly supplied with a ULN2003 driver, which is perfect for using with our PICAXE. The motor control is covered in more detail in the next step when we program the PICAXE.

Drop your completed assembly inside the cauldron and switch-on. To secure it in place I used some self-adhesive velcro strips, this stops the assembly sliding around when the cauldron is moved. With the release of J.K. Rowling's The Cursed Child and the recent Harry Potter themed Wizarding contest here on Instructables, there has never been a better time to create my first Harry Potter themed project. All I needed was an inspirational idea. Note: Dry ice is extremely cold and can be dangerous, please take all necessary precautions when handling and using, for more information read the dry ice safety information on DryIceInfo.com.The complete code for the PICAXE is provided below, copy and paste this to the PICAXE Editor software and program your chip. If you are new to PICAXE I'd recommend you invest some time in familiarising yourself with it. It's really straight forward and it will revolutionise your projects, opening the door to a whole new world of possibilities. Programming them is easy and PICAXE provide comprehensive instructions and manuals, find out more here. start0:

The cables can been hidden in the battery recess below the motor assembly, I used a cable tie with a self-adhesive tie mount to keep them in place. If you're in the UK I'd recommend RS Components, I guess that over the pond Digi-Key are pretty good too. This Instructable uses an etched copper PCB (layouts are provided in the Ible) but feel free to use stripboard. If you've never etched your own PCB before why not give it a go, there are plenty of helpful Instructables. I'd recommend DIY Customized Circuit Board by ASCAS. Now here comes the fun part, the circuit. To complete this step you will undertake the following tasks:Note: When handling the dry ice always use insulated gloves, it's -80°C (-176°F) and has the potential to cause frost bite.