Are you ready for Halloween?? Are you looking for costume ideas? Perhaps a DIY costume that will light up your night? Need some DIY decorations and special effects, perhaps? We have the tools and resources you need to create your own unique, spook-tacular, terror-ific, Halloween celebration!!
Always dreamed of being Thor and having your own Mjolnir? Check out this video and then read up on fingerprint scanners in Fundamentals of Applied Electromagnetics to see how the Thor’s DIY hammer is created! Visit instructables for more superhero LED wearables!
Maybe a light saber is more your style? makezine.com has several DIY lightsabers (10 DIY Lightsabers from Padawan to Jedi Master!).
Want a costume that really will light up the night, but not sure how to get started with creating wearable tech for your own costume? We have Lilypad in our Tool Library! Lilypad is a set of sewable electronic pieces which will help you build soft interactive textiles and Make : Wearable Electronics will help you learn the skills you need! Once you get the hang of it – you can make your own light-up dress like the one Lupita Nyong’o wore at a Star Wars© promotional event!
Perhaps you are going dressed as a “social butterfly.” What could be better than a dress with butterflies that actually flap their wings? If you are interested in wearable tech that utilizes motors, both Make: Wearable Electronics and Making Things Move: DIY Mechanisms for Inventors, Hobbyists, and Artists can help you learn to do just that!
Want a classic scary pumpkin for your Halloween get-together? How about one that lights up? Electronic Projects for Dummies will help you create the perfect scary pumpkins! You’ll have 2 pumpkins – one which transmits an infrared beam and the second one lights up and plays a prerecorded message or sound. When someone walks between the two pumpkins and breaks the plane of the infrared beam, the 2nd pumpkin will light up and emit that evil laugh! The chapter, Scary Pumpkins, takes you through the process, step-by-step, complete with schematics, photos (some in color), parts list and detailed instructions!
Are you into paper projects? Learn to make a light-up paper cat with Paper Inventions : Machines That Move, Drawings That Light Up, Wearables and Structures You Can Cut, Fold, and Roll. The perfect time of year to make a black cat (or several!) to light up your Halloween party walls! It uses very few materials – construction paper, permanent marker, copper or aluminum foil tape, CR2032 coin battery, LED and a small binder clip!
How about a hologram of a ghoul? We have Holography Projects for the Evil Genius. It is a DIY resource which includes step-by-step instructions, helpful illustrations, a list of required, easy-to-find components (and a list of sources!). It not only helps you create – and customize – your own hologram, you’ll also master the latest tools and techniques!
Pepper’s Ghost is a special effects technique used when creating transparent and ghostly images! It was popularized in the 1800s by John Pepper, and has been used in theaters and haunted houses since then! The Pepper’s Ghost shown in the above photo was created in the Engineering Electronics Shop using the Universal laser and scrap materials. Stop by the Engineering Library and check it out! The images in our Pepper’s Ghost move and rotate through several images. While our Pepper’s Ghost uses a laptop, a computer or special equipment isn’t needed! If you are interested in a more elaborate hologram, How It’s Made : Season 1 & 2 (disc 1) will explain how a hologram is created from the beginning to end. And makezine has complete instructions on how to make a spooky ghost for your party!
When you are in the library to check out Pepper’s Ghost, check out our exhibit on the paranormal! Our blog about the exhibit will tell you about ghosts, extraterrestrials, Bigfoot, and more!!
Let us help you with your Halloween fun this year!!
Bwhahahaha!
Resources:
Ulaby, Fawwaz T. 2015. Fundamentals of applied electromagnetics. Boston : Pearson Education, Inc. Engineering Library QC760 .U49 2015
Boysen, Earl. 2006. Electronic projects for dummies. 2006. Hoboken, NJ : Wiley. Engineering Library TK7819 .M38 2006
Ceceri, Kathy. 2015. Paper Inventions : Machines That Move, Drawings That Light Up, Wearables and Structures You Can Cut, Fold, and Roll. San Francisco, CA : Maker Media. Engineering Library TT870 .C54 2015
Hartman, Kate. 2014. Make : Wearable electronics. Sebastopol, CA : Maker Media. Engineering Library QA76.592 .H37 2014
Lilypad. Programming & Circuits. Lichtenberger Engineering Library. Tool Library.
Roberts, Dustyn. 2011. Making things move : DIY mechanisms for inventors, hobbyists, and artists. New York : McGraw-Hill. Engineering Library TJ147 .R56 2011
Harper, Gavin D.J. 2010. Holography projects for the evil genius. New York : McGraw-Hill. Engineering Library TA1542 .H37 2010
Engineering Electronics Shop. Engineering Technology Center.
Laard, Yves Martin, director. 2010. How it’s made. Seasons 1 and 2. Silver Spring, Md : Discovery Communications. Engineering Library Video Record 37144 DVD
Cox, James, Guest Blogger. Sept. 29, 2017. New Exhibit Explores the Paranormal. University of Iowa Lichtenberger Engineering Library.
watchmeflyy. Superhero LED Wearables. instructables.com Date accessed: October 13, 2017
10 DIY Lightsabers from Padawan to Jedi Master. makezine. Date accessed: October 13, 2017
Lupita Nyong’o wore a light-up dress programmed by young women, and it was stunning. December 4, 2015. Upworthy. Cloud Tiger Media, Inc.
DIY Hacks & How To’s: Pepper’s Ghost Illusion. Make. makezine.com Date Accessed: October 13, 2017