With All Hallow’s Eve looming close, makers have the potential to create some amazing costumes we’ll remember for the rest of the year. If you’re a fan of the hugely addict-*cough* popular game Minecraft, perhaps you’ve considered cosplaying as your favorite character skin, but lacked the appropriate props. [Graham Kitteridge] and his friends have decided to pay homage to the game by making their own light-up Minecraft swords.
These swords use 3D-printed and laser-cut parts, designed so as to hide the electronics for the lights and range finder in the hilt. Range finder? Oh, yes, the sword uses an Arduino Uno-based board to support NewPixels LEDs and a 433Mhz radio transmitter and receiver for ranged detection of other nearby swords that — when they are detected — will trigger the sword to glow. Kind of like the sword Sting, but for friendlies.
All of the files for the parts are available on the project’s Thingverse page and the board setup can be purchased here. If you want to have some fun controlling the real world from inside Minecraft, check out how this fan uses it to turn on lamps in their home.
Friends? What is that?
This may be a case of the nerd calling a nerd a nerd, but there may be nothing more nerdy than what this nerd nerded together.
http://www.raybendici.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/nerds1.jpg
NEEEEEEEEEERDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I find this kind of behavior a bit peculiar for my taste but hey, if it makes them happy, why not?
That board actually is pretty well priced, even under-priced I’d say, for a (guessing) small volume production run…
Keen to know what the profit margin is with all that PCB area and what looks like a P’n’P component placement…
Idea for an expansion – Have each sword with a different coloured hilt, and your sword glows the colour of the nearby one. So you know who in particular is nearby.
Even if you don’t alter the colour of the hilt, it’d work, you’d just have to remember each person’s colour. Also a little vibration motor would be nice.
Wow, a dweeb detector!
“lights up when nearby friends” Has yet to see it light up…
Really though this is another great example of a builder who gets the spirit of diy engineering.