Crafting a Tinker Totem Egg with RGB LEDs for the Festival using ESP32

Craft project with ESP32 for the festival: Tinker totem egg with RGB LEDs

In order to not get lost at the festival, it is important to have a distinctive signpost for your group. The Fusion Festival, known as the German version of Burning Man, is famous for its festival totems. These totems are works of art and handicrafts that are taken to the dance floor to help your group find each other, as cell phone reception is usually unreliable.

This article focuses on developing your own festival totem. The process begins a few weeks before the event with a central idea – the totem should react to music with light. The final result is a 3D printed egg with a laser cut wooden skeleton, LED chains, and electronics inside. The totem flashes and flickers to the beat of the music, can be controlled by moving or stamping the staff, and spreads a good mood wherever it goes.

The shell of the egg is made up of three vertically stacked 3D printed parts. The middle component is designed for fast printing in spiral vase mode. Inside this middle section, a glued skeleton made of laser-cut wood is used for stabilization. The wooden skeleton is positively connected to the middle part and screwed to the base and lid. A wooden plate is clamped inside the skeleton to serve as a carrier for the electronics. The overall concept is shown in an exploded view.

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Overall, the article emphasizes the importance of having a distinctive festival totem to help your group stay together and enjoy the festivities without getting lost.

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