"Let me not think of my work as a stepping stone to something else and if it is let me become fascinated with the shape of the stone." - Ze Frank

Outline:

• Wiring
  • Test fit control board
  • Drilled routing holes
  • Cut/Solder wires
  • Final installation
• Assembly
  • Frame rebulid
  • Chalice/Top remounting
• Chalice
  • Dice pile creation

Log:

Finally in the home stretch. I decided that the first thing I would do is put the bottom half together to get a feel for how I wanted to route the wiring and to make sure the paint job looked alright.

I realized that I would have to store the Feather Huzzah in the very bottom as I wanted it to be seated on top of a breadboard and provide a solid and unobtrusive location for providing power. With this I'd have to find a way to route the wires up through the trophy without them being seen. I started by hollowing out the mid-tier platform of plaster. After realizing I had some wiggle room in the columns where I could drill and run wire through them, my plan became clear.

My initial wiring seemed to work wonderfully. I mounted the micro-controller in the base and loosely assembled the entire setup. With the wiring and lighting working now, my next task was to mount the top level (the original mounting bracket wouldn't work any longer with my new planned topper). I decided that I would go with Gorilla glue and some hot glue for areas that weren't flush with the support frame. (Note: I learned that Gorilla glue is moisture cured, which I never knew, I almost gave up on it before washing my hands and realizing it got significantly more sticky, then I read the instructions.)

My next step was to mock up the "dice pile" I wanted to top the whole thing with. This step went a lot smoother than I expected.

Once I was satisfied with the look of the dice pile it was ready to start gluing them in. I pulled each layer off and started filling the bottom layer with hot glue. I patch filled larger spaces which ended up giving a great look to how it diffused the light shining from below it. Once all the glue dried I was able to see the "final product" for the first time.

Next up is to work on the lighting effects and any other features I might need. The bonus of using the feather is I can upload a sketch to it through the same way I provide 5v power.