Make A Wand!
Once you’ve assembled your wand’s electronic “guts,” you should put it in something roughly wand-shaped – that’ll make it a lot easier to cast spells. 🙂 For simplicity’s sake, let’s call what you put your wand’s electronic guts in a “wand shell.”
You can make your own wand shell. In fact, we encourage it! We made our first wand out of the cardboard core from a toilet paper roll and the clear tube from an M&M candy cane.
…But some folks like 3D-printed stuff. For those of you who do, here’s an assortment of free-to-use 3D-printable wand shells.
“Blocky (v1)” – Snap-together case
This lightweight case features posts to mount the microcontroller+battery bundle, dedicated slots for the power button and the speaker, and an opening to connect a micro USB cable to the microcontroller without popping the case open.
Note that the wand handle and shaft are separate pieces, and each has two pieces (two handle pieces, two wand shaft pieces). It all fits together without glue, though the wand shaft likes a little clear cello-tape to help it stay shut.
More futuristic than magical, but that might be your kind of thing…
Click here to access the Blocky (v1) shaft and handle models on TinkerCAD.
“Blocky (v2)” – Super-slim snap-together case
Like Blocky v1, but significantly slimmer. Still in four pieces. The shaft still likes a little cello-tape to help it stay together.
Click here to access the Blocky (v2) shaft and handle models in TinkerCAD.
Phoenix Feather (by Neal Tibrewala)
This ultra-sleek design consists of four pieces. The main handle, shown in red, houses the main components and switch. The core holds the switch in place. The shaft of the wand should be printed in a clear material, and must be printed twice. The two halves fit together around the LED strip. Finally, the phoenix logo end cap keeps it all intact.
This model is designed in Fusion 360, and you can see the source here.
.STL models can be downloaded here.
Unicorn Hair
This sturdy wand design has a one-piece wand shaft that friction-fits into the neck of a partially-tapered one-piece handle. The electronics attach to a plastic “skeleton” which fits nicely inside the wand shell. A simple friction-fit cap pops on the end of the handle to keep the insides in; you gotta pop that cap off to connect micro USB to the HUZZAH32.
We call this design Unicorn Hair because that’s what we named the plastic skeleton core in the center of the wand.
Click here to access the Unicorn Hair model on TinkerCAD.
Decorative Rings for Unicorn Hair wands
Just for fun: These are rings you can clip onto the shaft of your Unicorn Hair wand.
Click here to access the decorative rings for Unicorn Hair wands on TinkerCAD.