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Bubblepunk: Wearable Bubble Machine Hacking

Hack the new wave of bubble blasters that are self-contained and use peristaltic pumps! You can WEAR your bubble machines!

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There is a new wave of bubble blasters that are self-contained and use peristaltic pumps! No big dipping baths that make mess everywhere. You can take a $9 kid's toy and hack it to run for HOURS! We have also included open-source files we designed so you can 3D print or laser cut holsters that make these Bubble Blasters portable and even WEARABLE!


This basic guide will get you started hacking your own bubble machines quickly and easily. Not much electrical experience needed!


We also published a full zine with even more info and designs about hacking bubble machines for fun, celebrations, and science! Get it for free at: dinalab.net/bubblepunk (We have included several pages from our zine in this

Stay tuned for even more Bubblepunk how-to's , videos, experiments, stickers, and workshops!

(And everything Bubblepunk is 100% OPEN SOURCE! Newest files are also here https://github.com/Digital-Naturalism-Laboratories/BubblePunk )

This basic guide will get you started hacking your own bubble machines quickly and easily. Not much electrical experience needed!

We also published a full zine with even more info and designs about hacking bubble machines for fun, celebrations, and science! Get it for free at: dinalab.net/bubblepunk

(We have included several pages from our zine in this Stay tuned for even more Bubblepunk how-to's , videos, experiments, stickers, and workshops! (And everything Bubblepunk is 100% OPEN SOURCE!

Newest files are also here https://github.com/Digital-Naturalism-Laboratories/BubblePunk )

Designed and tested in the rainforest on the Panama Canal.

Supplies

The basics are quite simple and everything can be made for under $50.


Bubble Blaster ($6-$10)

  • Needs to be the new kind that have peristaltic pumps and a "bubble nipple" (more on that in the next step and in the zine)
  • (You can find them easily online, but i don't feel like posting direct links to big billionaire corporations)

USB Battery Pack

  • The batteries that have a dedicated on-off switch are the best, because some have an auto-shuttoff when not being powered.
  • Small battery packs are usually more than enough! The blasters consume about 700mA so a small 5,000 mAh battery can last about 7 hours!

Old USB cable

  • We are going to chop off its end, so make sure it's not your favorite USB cable
  • Any cable with a normal end (Type A) that you can plug into your battery pack will work!

Old Bottle

  • This will be the storage tank for your bubble juice!
  • Any watertight bottle with a lid we can drill some holes on will work
  • Long and thin are easier to make wearable!
  • Long and flat (like dish soap bottles) are fantastic!
  • They run at about 500mL/hour

Bubble Solution

  • There's several recipes shared in the bubblepunk zine! (excerpt included here in the pics)
  • My favorite recipe just needs: Water + Dish Soap + Water based lube (Propylene glycol)

Bubble Module Holsters

  • 1
    Choose Your Bubble Blaster

    The best common bubble blaster i have found is the one generically labeled "Super Bubble Dinosaur Gun" that often sells for $9. They seem the most well made for the price ("Snow Princess" seems to have slightly better construction, BUT costs $20!). So i have built many designs around it. In general they all contain a main bubble module that you can follow the steps and attach a new battery pack and bubble tank to! I have also made designs for a 3 pack of bubble blasters you can get at Costco/pricesmart and the Snow Princess Bubble modules! More to come probably! If you find a bubble blaster you like, please contribute open designs to our github!

    If you want to nerd out about the subtle differences between different cheap kids' toys I created some VERY THOROUGH reviews of different bubble blasters on our youtube channel:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpurBx8GYRQ&t=5s

    If anyone finds a way to purchase just the bubble modules (like off aliexpress or something), let me know!

  • 2
    Disassemble

    With many of the bubble blasters, disassembly is really easy! You just unscrew all the screws you see and the toy comes apart in two!

    The Dinosaur bubbler even comes with a tiny screwdriver to open the battery compartment, but all the screws can be taken out with it!

  • 3
    Extract Bubble Module

    Once the toy is open, you can pull all the guts out from the plastic casing. So all you should have left is just the bubble module and some wires and tubes dangling out of it!

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