Project Inspiration
In the classic story Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein pulls a switch, similar to the one below, bringing his gruesome creation (Frankenstein’s Monster) to life. Although it is not entirely clear what exact model switch/lever he used, it probably looked something like this:
The design concept of the lever is pretty simple: there is a central handle on a hinge that can complete one of two different circuits. Not only is this project great for learning how basic switches work, but it can also help visualize various narrative aspects like mood and setting by bringing objects of the fictional world into real life.
The Prompt
Using Makey Makey, create a lever that connects two circuits in a way similar to the Frankenstein switch.
Try the prompt out in your space! Tweet us with photos at #DHFMakes.
Project Walkthrough
My switch was made from a combination of chipboard and tin foil, and a paperclip. This writeup contains the steps for the final, low-tech solution. Before starting, I evaluated and gathered my materials. I decided to make my prototype as simple as possible, and so I used consistent materials throughout the project.
Supplies Needed
- Chipboard
- EMT Scissors
- Marker
- Tin foil
- Paper clip
- Makey Makey – One Makey Makey is included as part of the ticket price for the Makey Makey for Educators Workshop
- One screw, any size
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Project Steps
This is an outline of the steps I took creating my solution to the prompt. This is a guide that you can follow if you want to recreate my switch. However, I’d encourage you to create your own solution and share it with us!
Cutting the Chipboard
I first started with chipboard, a marker, and scissors. The first part of the project is to cut out the pieces needed to make a lever.
Outlining the Base
The first pieces I cut were two half-circles. These two half-circles are the base of the hinge. The image illustrates how the half-circles were made.
Cutting the Circles
Cut out both of the half-circles.
Marking the Center
Mark the center of each half-circle with a dot. This is where the screw will be inserted. Make sure to mark the same place on each circle!
Testing the Screw
Once the centers are marked, insert the screw into the mark and puncture the center to create a hole. Repeat this for each half-circle.
Check Your Progress
Place the screw within the center of each half-circle.
Mounting on the Base
Once inserting the screw through both of the half-circles, place them on a piece of chipboard. This acts as the base for the entire switch.
Hot Glue the Base
I then hot glued the two circles in place, leaving the screw in as a method of holding them together. Once the hot glue dried, remove the screw.
Check Your Progress
Once the glue dries and the half-circles are firmly attached to the base, remove the screw. After this step, it’s time to make the lever handle.
Mark the Shaft
The lever handle requires two components: a long shaft and a handle. The shaft is first. To make the shaft, draw a long, thin, rectangular shape that can fit between the two half-circles. One end should be rounded to allow for rotation.
Cutting the Shaft
Once I marked the shaft, I cut it out. At this point I realized that I needed to make the shaft thicker. I traced the shape and cut out five identical pieces.
Check Your Progress
At this point there should be five identical shaft pieces. Make sure that they’re as similar as possible or else it may be difficult to stack them.
Combine the Shaft Pieces
Glue all the pieces together so that they form a stack. This made the shaft thicker while maintaining the general shape outline.
Marking the Center
Once the shafts are stacked and glued, mark the center of the rounded edge with a dot. This is where the next hole will be made.
Insert the Screw
Using the same screw as earlier, push it through the dot on the chipboard. Twist the screw all the way through the stack of chipboard. Since this is the same screw, the hole should be the same size as the hole in the half-circle base.
Check Your Progress
The screw should be firmly inserted through the center of the rounded edge of the shaft. The next step is to add the handle!
Attaching the Handle
I made the handle to add to the non-rounded end of the shaft. I cut out some small, rectangular pieces of chipboard. Mine ended up being roughly the same length as the shaft, but you should experiment. Arrange the handle so that it’s perpendicular with the shaft. This is the part of the handle that you’ll grip with your hand, so I recommend making it comfortable to grip.
Check Your Progress
At this point you should, the handle should be attached to the non-rounded edge of the shaft. Make sure that this is comfortable for you! With the handle attached, the moving part of the lever is complete.
Attaching the Shaft to the Base
Once you’ve assembled the shaft, check to make sure that the shaft can be inserted between the two half-circles in the base. Go ahead and test this out and make any necessary tweaks before moving forward.
Inserting the Paperclip
Once you’ve tested that the shaft sits in the base, connect them together with the paperclip. Straighten a paperclip and insert it all the way through the holes of the base and the shaft.
Bending the Paperclip
Once the paperclip is inserted through the base and shaft, bend and trim it so that it is snuggly held in place. Make sure to get a secure, tight fit and fold back the paperclip enough so that it doesn’t touch the chipboard square.
Preparing the Foil
Next, I needed to make the lever conductive. The entire handle is covered in aluminum foil. Cut enough foil so that it’ll be able to wrap the handle.
Covering the Handle
Next, cover the whole handle in aluminum foil. Make sure that the foil covers the sides of the handle as well as the top and front.
Creating Conductive Pads
After covering the handle in foil, you need to create conductive pads for the handle to touch. These pads are placed on the larger chipboard base. Touching the handle to each of these pads completes the circuit and triggers the Makey Makey.
Wiring the Handle
The last two steps are to connect the Makey Makey! The user will be interacting with the foil handle to move it, so the handle is connected to Earth on the Makey Makey. This limits the mobility when I went directly to Earth. Instead, I suggest connecting the paperclip to Earth with one alligator clip, and then using a second alligator clip to connect the paperclip to the handle. Each pad connects to the left or right arrow.
Wiring the Pads
The last step is to wire each of the pads. Connect one pad to the left arrow and the other to the right arrow of the Makey Makey. By wiring it this way, touching the handle to the pads is the equivalent of touching the left and right arrow keys on the computer.
Conclusions
This is my solution to the challenge prompt. You can use this as a guide and follow along to recreate my switch, or you can use this as a launching point to create your own solution. The Makey Makey is a great tool for building creative confidence through problem solving, and we love seeing other solutions to these prompts!
Remember, my switch utilized the left and right arrow keys of the Makey Makey. You can alter this to meet the needs of your project. For example, you can connect the Makey Makey to a Scratch project and customize the pad wiring to fit the game.
Try this project at your learning space and let us know what you come up with! Use the hashtag #DHFMakes to show us your projects!
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