[Wisecracker] likes how the Amazon Echo Dot works, but he doesn’t like how they sound or how they resemble hockey pucks. A little 3D printing, though, and he transformed the Dot into a credible Death Star. That doesn’t sound very friendly, we guess, so he calls it Alex-Star.
What makes it work is the Death Star’s “superlaser” — the weapon operated by a console that looks suspiciously like some studio video equipment — happens to be about the size and shape of a two-inch speaker. [Wisecracker] added a slot to let the sound out of the second speaker. You can see the thing in action in the video below.
The 3D files are on Thingiverse. The electronics part of this is pretty trivial. A pair of Amazon speakers tear down easily with a hair dryer to soften the hot glue. [Wisecracker] used translucent plastic and then painted most of it. He left the base unpainted so the blue LED from the Echo Dot could shine through.
If you are too old for Star Wars, you might prefer the HAL 9000 version. Or, if you don’t want Amazon listening in, you could do something simpler without being online.
Bummer , the video appears to be no more
Is this the missing video?
https://youtu.be/x2O0ZpPJnFA
Updated video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2O0ZpPJnFA
Thanks Commenteers! I updated the link in the article.
“Alex-Star, turn on the sprinklers.”
“Alex-star, turn on the trash compactor in the kitchen level”
Missing a golden opportunity if they don’t.
I would have called it “the Doth Star”.
I saw a video on how to smooth out 3D prints, I feel like this project can use this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xFUNFG-UKE