Ghost Themed Headphone Stand

Greetings everyone and welcome back.

Here's something useful: A headphone stand themed around Ghost from PACMAN.

The entire thing was modeled in Fusion360, then we made the LED PCB, 3D printed all the parts, and assembled the model. The Ghost Headphone Stand was designed to resemble the Ghost from Pacman. In addition, we placed a few LEDs within the ghost's eye that glow.

Let us get started with the build since this post is about the project's construction procedure.

Materials Required

These were the materials used in this build:

• Custom PCB (Provided by seeed studio)
• XIAO ESP32 S3
• RGB LED 5050 Package
• 1 Ohms 1206 Resistor
• 3D-printed components

3D Design

In order to create the project's 3D design, we first imported a ghost image into Fusion360, adjusted its size to our liking, and then began modeling the area surrounding it to give it shape.

We included a backside LED PCB and modeled eyes into the design. The EYE portion was built with two separate sections, each with its own LED; when the LED glows, one of the squares in each eye illuminates, mimicking the pupil of the eye.

Furthermore, we incorporated a PCB design from an earlier project; the XIAO Breakout PCB was utilized and modeled in the Ghost Headphone Stand.

https://www.hackster.io/Arnov_Sharma_makes/super-nintendo-entertainment-system-controller-xl-fe1108

Following design completion, we 3D printed every component, using gray PLA for the main body and lid and white PLA for the eyes.

PCB Design

The project's PCB design was a straightforward LED PCB with two 5050 Package SMD RGB LEDs connected to each other via a 1 Ohm 1206 Package resistor with a GND pin.

Since the two LEDs' anodes are connected to two CON3 ports, we can activate the R, G, or B lights by connecting a positive signal to either or all of the CON3 pins.

For the PCB Layout and board design, we used measurements from the CAD drawing and placed the led in the correct position. The board was subsequently sent to Seeed Fusion for samples.

Seeed Fusion PCB Service

For this project, we are using one square small PCB along with an XIAO ESP32 S3 DEV board, both provided by Seeed Studio.

An order was placed for a white soldermask with black silkscreen.

The quality was super good considering the rate, which was also pretty low.

Seeed Fusion offers one-stop prototyping for PCB manufacture and PCB assembly, and as a result, they produce superior-quality PCBs and fast-turnkey PCBA within 7 working days.

Seeed Studio Fusion PCB Assembly Service takes care of the entire fabrication process, from PCB manufacturing, parts sourcing, assembly, and testing services, so you can be sure that they are getting a quality product.

After gauging market interest and verifying a working prototype, Seeed Propagate Service can help you bring the product to market with professional guidance and a strong network of connections.

PCB Assembly

• Using a solderpaste syringe, we first add solderpaste (we are using normal SnPb 63/37 solderpaste) to the pads of each component in the PCB assembly process.
• The 5050 package LED and 1206 package resistor are then installed in their proper locations on both PCBs.

Hotplate Reflow Process

In order to heat the PCB to the solder paste melting temperature, we carefully lift the board and place it on an SMT hotplate. Solder paste melts, and components are attached to their pads as soon as the board reaches the solder paste's melting temperature.

This board is being reflowed utilizing a previously completed PCB hotplate project; for further information, see this article.

https://www.hackster.io/Arnov_Sharma_makes/pcb-hotplate-slightly-bigger-edition-6a8ed8

Testing Process

In order to test the LED connection of Boath boards, we use a multimeter that is set to the diode checking mode. We first connect the multimeter's GND probe with the GND CON1 pad of the PCB. Next, we connect the positive probe to each LED's anode CON3 header pin individually. When all LEDs glow, it indicates that the soldering of the LED to its pad was successful.

Assembly Process

• In order to assemble the 3D-printed eye part, first the PCB is added. Two M2 screws are used for each part.
• Then, we insert both eyes into the eye sockets of the main body and secure them there with hot glue.
• We now replace it with an XIAO breakout board by screwing in two M3 washer-type screws.

Wiring Process

• Regarding the wiring, we used the provided wiring schematic to add all of the I/O pins together.
• The GND of the XIAO is connected to the GND of both LED PCBs.
• The XIAO DEV Board's D5 is linked to the RED anode of the first LED on both boards.
• In a similar manner, D6 of the XIAO DEV Board is linked to the RED anode of the second LED on both boards.

Final Assembly

The lid is placed on the back side of the main body when the wiring is finished. Because the lid was 3D printed with zero tolerance, it fits the main body precisely and does not require any screws or glue.

CODE

Here's the code that was used, and its essentially a dual-blink sketch that changes the state of two LEDs alternatively.

int led1Pin = D0;
int led2Pin = D1;

// Set up the initial state of the LEDs
void setup() {
  pinMode(led1Pin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(led2Pin, OUTPUT);
}

// Blink the LEDs one after the other
void loop() {
  // Blink LED 1
  digitalWrite(led1Pin, HIGH);
  delay(1000); // 1000 milliseconds (1 seconds) on
  digitalWrite(led1Pin, LOW);
  delay(1000); // 1000 milliseconds (1 seconds) off

  // Blink LED 2
  digitalWrite(led2Pin, HIGH);
  delay(1000); // 1000 milliseconds (1 seconds) on
  digitalWrite(led2Pin, LOW);
  delay(1000); // 1000 milliseconds (1 seconds) off
}

Result

This is how this easy project turned out: a headphone stand that resembles a ghost from Packman. then mounted the stand on a wall using the keyhole on the back, and then hooked in a USB Type C cable to the XIAO DEV Board to power the glowing eyes.

We finished this project by attaching headphones to the stand.

Overall, this project was successful; however, it is now lacking onboard batteries. This will be added in a later version of the project, so be sure to check that out.

This project is complete, and all the files are available. Let me know if you need additional information about this project.

Thanks to Seeed Studio for supporting this project. You guys can check them out if you need great PCB and stencil service for less cost and great quality.

And I'll be back with a new project pretty soon!