Ahh, graduation – whether your grad knows exactly what’s next or is still figuring things out, we have a feeling they’d appreciate a fun project to tinker with. Read below for some of our favorite projects and products for 3D printing, wearables, and a few things in between!
From the Adafruit Shop
Books
Depending on your grad they might prefer to read up a bit before selecting the perfect project to try their hand at.
The 3D Printing Handbook – by 3D Hubs
3D Hubs has published what may be the bible for 3D printing. The 3D Printing Handbook is intended for all skill levels, and it’s an essential book for makers wanting to dip their toes in the ever-growing pool of 3D printing design and application.
The wealth of practical advice and guidelines come from first-hand experience from machine operators and industry experts. This tome is seriously chock-full of straightforward advice and mesmerizing full-page photographs.
If ever you need an incredibly maker-motivating pep talk, look no further than the great forward by Tony Fadell, creator of the iPod and founder of Nest. Read more
The Book of Cosplay Lights – Getting Started with LEDs – by Svetlana Quindt @KamuiCosplay
Svetlana Quindt (best known as @KamuiCosplay) is an accomplished cosplayer and author from Germany who uses her powers for the greater good, endowing the cosplay community with LED knowledge! Her guides are chock full of infectious enthusiasm and adorable Corgis, making it very easy for anyone to shine. Read more
Getting Started with Adafruit FLORA Book Pack
Pickup a copy of Getting Started with Adafruit FLORA and then hit the ground running with everything that you need to become an Adafruit FLORA supreme being!
This pack is perfect for somebody interested in the wide world of wearable electronics and Adafruit’s tiny FLORA board.
This is the most beginner-friendly way to create wearable projects of your own. Using the book as your sensei and the products as your weapons, you’ll learn how to plan your wearable circuits, sew with electronics, and write programs that run on the FLORA to control the electronics. The FLORA family includes an assortment of sensors, as well as RGB LEDs that let you add lighting to your wearable projects! Read more
Filament
3D Printing is an epic way to achieve that perfect, custom goal, so why not take it to the next level with equally epic filament?
Proto-Pasta – 1.75mm 500g Conductive PLA Filament
It’d be Fusilli not to buy this filament! Pici up this filament today! Did we tagliatelle you enough about this filament yet? Are these puns Spirali-ng out of control?
Sorry! We had to get that out of our system. Proto-pasta is conductive PLA filament from ProtoPlant. It’s a great way to make something with an LED, touch sensor, or some other electronics through your 3D printer. The filament is great for low-voltage circuitry. A great way to think of it is that anything you can run through a 1K resistor should work witht his filament. Not all 3D printers can use flexible filament, so make sure your 3D printer is comptaible before purchasing. Read more
NinjaFlex – 1.75mm Diameter – Glow in the Dark – 0.5 Kg
Looking beyond ABS? Tired of PLA? Open a world of possibilities, limited only by your imagination. NinjaFlex, a cutting-edge filament for 3D printers, is a specially formulated thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) that produces flexible prints with elastic properties. Patent pending technology allows for smooth feeding and clean, high-quality printed parts.
NinjaFlex’s unique flexibility and smooth feeding characteristics enable you to create in ways you never thought possible. This is the 1.75mm diameter version and it comes in a glow in the dark neon color! Read more
PLA/PHA Filament for 3D Printers – 1.75mm Diameter – 1KG – Glowfill
This PLA/PHA 1.75mm Glowfill 1Kg spool is a great basic material for 3D printers. 1.75MM diameter, PLA/PHA filament works with any of the printers in our shop that can use 1.75mm filament.
It’s always a good idea to check what diameter and filament type your printers can handle before purchasing! Read more
Proto-Pasta – 1.75mm Magnetic Iron Filament
Pici up this filament today! It’d be Fusilli not to buy this filament! We can’t tagliatelle you enough about this filament. Are these puns Spirali-ng out of control?
Sorry! We had to get that out of our system. This Proto-Pasta Magnetic Iron Filament from ProtoPlant opens up a new world of fun, rustic looking 3-D printed creations. This filament behaves similarly to iron – even to the point of rusting – making it a great choice for costumes and props.
Since this filament behaves similarly to iron, it’s actually “ferromagnetic” as opposed to magnetic. This means that magnets will stick to items printed with this filament but 3D Printed items will not behave as magnets. And, of course, even though it has the word “Pasta” in the name, its not for eating. Read more
PLA/PHA bronzeFill for 3D Printers – 1.75mm Diameter – 750g
This PLA/PHA bronzeFill blend 1.75mm 750g spool from colorFabb is a great material for 3D printers. This amazing one of a kind filament will allow you to print with actual bronze at home! Straight from the printer parts look almost laser sintered with a matte finish but with a bit of sanding and polishing the bronze particles will start to shine and shimmer unlike any 3D printing filament you have seen before. The weight of the material is something special, about 3x heavier then regular PLA filament.
This filament has been tested successfully on a wide variety of printers, working well on both heated and non-heated build platforms. For those users printing on a cold build platform colorFabb advises applying blue painter’s tape to the build area. – The rough surface of the tape will provide enough adhesion for the first layer to stick and print almost without any warping. Read more
Proto-pasta – 2.85mm Diameter – Magnetic Rustable Iron Filament – 500g
Pici up this filament today! It’d be Fusilli not to buy this filament! We can’t tagliatelle you enough about this filament. Are these puns Spirali-ng out of control?
Sorry! We had to get that out of our system. Proto-pasta’s fun packaging makes us hungry for Italian food. If you’re hankering for unusual and unique material filaments, we’ve got a new spool of noodles for you!
This Proto-pasta 2.85mm Diameter 500g Filament in Magnetic & Rustable Iron opens up a new world of 3D-printed fun with electronics!
Proto-pasta Conductive PLA is an FFF/FDM filament, so now you can print circuit assembles with touch or light sensors or LEDs to your gamut of 3D printed creations!
Since this filament behaves similarly to iron, it’s actually ferromagnetic, as opposed to magnetic. This means that magnets will stick to items printed with this filament, but 3D printed projects will not behave as magnets.
This filament behaves similarly to iron – even to the point of rusting – making it a fantastic choice for costumes and props, so you can achieve that beautiful, aged appearance. Read more
Boards
Adafruit GEMMA M0 – Miniature wearable electronic platform
The Adafruit Gemma M0 is a super small microcontroller board, with just enough built-in to create many simple projects. It may look small and cute: round, about the size of a quarter, with friendly alligator-clip sew pads. But do not be fooled! The Gemma M0 is incredibly powerful! We’ve taken the same form factor we used for the original ATtiny85-based Gemma and gave it an upgrade. The Gemma M0 has swapped out the lightweight ATtiny85 for a ATSAMD21E18 powerhouse.
The Gemma M0 will super-charge your wearables! It’s just as small, and it’s easier to use, so you can do more. Read more and check out the original GEMMA here!
FLORA – Wearable electronic platform: Arduino-compatible – v3
FLORA is Adafruit’s fully-featured wearable electronics platform. It’s a round, sewable, Arduino-compatible microcontroller designed to empower amazing wearables projects. FLORA comes with Adafruit’s support, tutorials and projects. Check out dozens of FLORA tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System, with more added all the time!
The FLORA is small (1.75″ diameter, weighing 4.4 grams). The FLORA family also has the best stainless steel threads, sensors, GPS modules and chainable LED NeoPixels, perfect accessories for the FLORA main board. Read more
Circuit Playground Express
Circuit Playground Express is the next step towards a perfect introduction to electronics and programming. We’ve taken the original Circuit Playground Classic and made it even better! Not only did we pack even more sensors in, we also made it even easier to program.
Start your journey with Microsoft MakeCode block-based or Javascript programming. Then, you can use the same board to try CircuitPython, with the Python interpreter running right on the Express. As you progress, you can advance to using Arduino IDE, which has full support of all the hardware down to the low level, so you can make powerful projects.You can even use code.org CS Discoveries to learn all about coding right in your browser! Read more and check out the Circuit Playground!
Adafruit Trinket M0 – for use with CircuitPython & Arduino IDE
The Adafruit Trinket M0 may be small, but do not be fooled by its size! It’s a tiny microcontroller board, built around the Atmel ATSAMD21, a little chip with a lot of power. We wanted to design a microcontroller board that was small enough to fit into any project, and low cost enough to use without hesitation. Perfect for when you don’t want to give up your expensive dev-board and you aren’t willing to take apart the project you worked so hard to design. It’s our lowest-cost CircuitPython programmable board!
We’ve taken the same form factor we used for the original ATtiny85-based Trinket and gave it an upgrade. The Trinket M0 has swapped out the lightweight ATtiny85 for a ATSAMD21E18 powerhouse. It’s just as small, and it’s easier to use, so you can do more. Read more and check out the original Trinket
Adafruit Audio FX Sound Board + 2x2W Amp – WAV/OGG Trigger -16MB
Would you like to add audio/sound effects to your next project, without an Arduino+Shield? Or maybe you don’t even know how to use microcontrollers, you just want to make a sound play whenever you press a button. What about something that has to be small and portable? You are probably feeling a little frustrated: it’s been very hard to find a simple, low cost audio effects trigger that is easy to use and does not require any programming
UNTIL NOW! Read more
Adafruit Feather M0 Basic Proto – ATSAMD21 Cortex M0
Feather is the new development board from Adafruit, and like its namesake it is thin, light, and lets you fly! We designed Feather to be a new standard for portable microcontroller cores.
This is the Feather M0 Basic Proto, it has a bunch of prototyping space built right in. We have other boards in the Feather family, check’em out here! Read more
Adafruit Feather M0 Adalogger
Feather is the new development board from Adafruit, and like its namesake it is thin, light, and lets you fly! We designed Feather to be a new standard for portable microcontroller cores.
This is the Adafruit Feather M0 Adalogger – our take on an ‘all-in-one’ Cortex M0 datalogger (or data-reader) with built in USB and battery charging. Its an Adafruit Feather M0 with a microSD holder ready to rock! We have other boards in the Feather family, check’em out here and read more
Kits
EL wire starter pack
A little bundle to get you started! This project pack contains:
- 2.5 meters (over 8 ft) of high-brightness, long-life EL wire. 2.5 meters is the maximum amount for the pocket driver – it is cut and soldered so it’s ready to go!
- Pocket EL inverter runs on 2 AA Alkaline or rechargeable batteries (not included)
- 2 inches of heat shink, both 1/8″ and 1/4″ for protecting the EL wire after soldering if you end up wanting to change the wire up
- 2 inches of copper tape, used when soldering EL wire
- 2 inches of foam tape, we use this to pad the inside of the inverter to quiet it down
Gemma Starter Pack
Get started with Adafruit GEMMA with this lovely starter kit! Included is everything you need to make a basic project. There’s a GEMMA board, four sewable bright RGB pixels, a battery holder and batteries, 2-ply conductive thread, alligator clips to help you test out your circuit, and a USB cable for programming GEMMA. Read more
FLORA GPS Starter Pack
Get started with the fabulous Adafruit Flora platform with this lovely starter kit. Included are plenty of parts to make a few different fun projects! There’s a Flora motherboard, a GPS module that can also perform location datalogging, eight ultra-bright chainable RGB pixels, a battery holder and batteries, two types of our high quality stainless steel thread, alligator clips to help you test out your parts, a USB cable for reprogramming the Flora, and some parts to make a wearable remote control (or TV-B-Gone!): NPN transistors, long range IR LEDs, and matching resistors. Read more
Pimoroni MINI.MU Glove Kit – without micro:bit
The MINI.MU is MI.MU’s make-it-yourself musical glove for young engineers. It’s a collaboration between Grammy Award-winning musician-goddess Imogen Heap, creative technologist and children’s author Helen Leigh, Pimoroni, and the MI.MU glove team. This kit uses the micro:bit to create a friendly, simple and fun crafty code experience.
These gloves are a simplified, kid-friendly version of Imogen’s more advanced MiMu gloves, used in her performances Read more
Trinket-Powered NeoPixel Goggle Kit Pack
One of the most popular Trinket projects now has its own kit pack! Make your very own programmable NeoPixel goggles with 2 x 16 LED rings and an Adafruit Trinket. It even comes with a rechargeable LiPoly battery and charger. It’s a great easy build and when you’re done you’ll have the coolest accessory. Read more
Circuit Playground Express Advanced Pack
Circuit Playground Express is the next step towards a perfect introduction to electronics and programming. We’ve taken the original Circuit Playground Classic and made it even better! Not only did we pack even more sensors in, we also made it even easier to program. You can now start your journey with Microsoft MakeCode block-based or Javascript programming. If you’re in a classroom following Code.org’s CS Discoveries curriculum, you can use the Express by updating the firmware. You can use the same board to try CircuitPython, with the Python interpreter running right on the Express. As you progress, you can advance to using Arduino IDE, which has full support of all the hardware down to the low level, so you can make powerful projects.
Because you can program the same board in 3 different ways – the Express has great value and re-usability. From beginners to experts, Circuit Playground Express has something for everyone. If you are looking for our original, Arduino-only Circuit Playground, check out the Circuit Playground Classic. Read more
Accessories
NEOPIXELS
What’s better for your project than rings, strips, boards and sticks of pulsing, colorful miniature LEDs? We can’t think of much else – and that’s why we carry a complete line of the Adafruit original NeoPixels.
These popular products are chainable from one to the next so you can power and program a long line of NeoPixels together to form an endless (or almost endless) string of 5050 LEDs. Plus, with our NeoPixel Uberguide, wonderfully written NeoPixel library for Arduino and our diverse range of Learn System projects, its never been easier to both find a project and program it to glow or spin or flash as quickly, slowly, and vibrantly as you want. Read more
RFID/NFC Nail Stickers – 5 Pack with White LEDs
You’re at New York’s hottest cyberpunk club is Near Field Commune(ication), and it’s got everything, Adabot & the Circuit Playground, Collin’s wondrous, mind-blowing, heart-stirring Pulse Room, and more! And you are dressed to the cyber-nine’s, with wearable LEDs, EL tape, and a full manicure set of glittering RFID/NFC Nail Stickers! Read more
Flexible Silicone Neon-Like LED Strip
Here at Adafruit we love discovering new and exotic glowing things. Like moths to the flame, we were intrigued by these fresh Flexible Silicone Neon-Like LED Strips! They look a lot like neon, but without the need for expensive transformers, glass tubing or inert gasses.
Super flexible and bendy, they feature a single-color non-addressable LED strip with a solid chunk of translucent silicone rubber as a diffuser. They look incredible, and super easy to use and are a great way to make your projects light up!
The silicone makes for a strong, durable weather-proof casing. They’re not for dunking underwater or long-term outdoor exposure but they seem durable enough for projects that have to survive the outdoors, like costumes, bike lighting or festival decorations. Read more
EL WIRE/TAPE/PANEL
EL Wire, tapes, and panels are a great way to make your project light up – whether you’re making a Tron Messenger Bag or a Glowing Hoodie. These easy to use wires and panels come in a variety of colors and shapes. Check out our EL Wire or EL Panel Starter Packs to get a good idea of the variety Adafruit offers or go straight to the EL Wire/Tape/Panel Section of the Learn System if you can’t wait to get started! Read more
PRINTinZ Skin
The PRINTinZ Skin is a peel and stick surface for 3D printer beds made from the same durable material as the outer layers of the Plate. It’s the perfect option for those who prefer printing on a non-flexible printer bed. Printinz Skins can hold up to plenty of scraping and sanding and retain their adhesion properties indefinitely. See the PRINTinZ Skin for Micro 3D and Ultimaker
Conductive Thread, Fabric, Ribbon, etc.
We have a wide range of conductive threads, fabrics, ribbons, cords, velostat, tape, velcro…this list could go on and on!
From the Adafruit Learning System
3D Printed Cosplay
Keyblade 3D Kit
This easy-to-build kit features parts with screw-threaded ends. It’s also easy to take apart and break down, making it great for transport. Each part is printed in a specific color. Parts are designed to 3D print without any support material. Best suited for large printers with minimum build volume of 250mm x 210mm x 210mm. Download the files and 3D print your own keyblade! Read more
Prop-Maker Keyblade
In this project we’re building a Prop Maker Keyblade! Keyblades are sword like weapons featured in the Kingdom Hearts video game series. This design features the Adafruit Prop-Maker FeatherWing and NeoPixel LEDs to create a unique prop with motion activated sound effects. All of the parts are 3D printed and the electronics are from Adafruit. Read more
Capacitive Touch Unicorn Horn
Legends agree that Unicorn horns have magical healing and purification properties. Unicorns do this naturally — as soon as their horn encounters scummy pond water or a festering wound, the horn’s magic kicks in and does its thing. How cool is Nature? For a cosplay Unicorn, it’s not quite as intuitive to invoke the horn’s magic. This horn solves that problem with another kind of magic: capacitive touch. Read more
Simple LED Unicorn Horn
It’s unicorn season! Last year we 3D printed a unicorn horn, this year we made it simpler! Redesigned in Fusion 360, this unicorn horn features a spiral design and tabs for sewing onto garments such as hats, hoodies and other headware. This unicorn horn lights up and features a UV Purple LED, so it’s magical as it is whimsical. Read more
Animatronic Glowing Medusa Headdress
Your looks will turn them all to stone, and your snakes will writhe in delight and delicious decadence. The glow from your serpentine hair will only be eclipsed by the toothsome grin you wear as you fill your statue garden with wonders wrought from your deadly gaze.
This is not a step-by-step guide, rather an overview of how I used Crickit and Circuit Playground to create this costume. The Crickit is so easy to use that it’s a great first foray into the world of animatronics and servos.
I used MakeCode’s drag-and-drop editor to create the code that runs the servos and the lights, so it’s easy to learn and customize even if you’re not a coder. Read more
Princess Peach LED Crown
Use a Gemma M0 and a couple of LEDs to make this Princess Peach / Bowsette inspired crown! Use Circuit Python to fade the 10mm LEDs inside the translucent filament to illuminate this magical mushroom inspired crown. Read more
Overwatch Prop Gun: Licio’s Blaster
This guide is a work in progress for printing and assembling the Overwatch Lucio blaster as well as connecting the electronics. Part 1 and Part 2 of this series show how the circuits are created. Read more
3D Printed Wearables
EL Stick Figure
In this project we’re making a light up stick figure costume! We used EL wire to create a simple glowing skeleton. EL Wire is a flexible and comes in different colors!
A creepy skull mask is cut from glow in the dark vinyl and felt to complete this easy but spooky costume! Read more
Cast a 3D Printed Necklace in Metal
3d printing jewelry at home can be a lot of fun, but most home 3d printers will only print in various plastics. There are plenty of commercial services available that will print in metal or other fancy filaments, but they can be expensive. This guide details one method of designing and printing your jewelry on your home printer, then making a silicone mold and casting the part in pewter. You can reuse the mold over and over, enabling you to make multiple metal parts for much less money than buying one from a 3d printing service. Read more
Crystal Glow Knuckles
This wearable LED glow ring is a great way to get started with the Pro Trinket. It has a LiPo power source, 3 NeoPixel LED’s, and a power backpack to charge passively via USB. All the printed components can be generated in a single build without support material. Read more
MP3 Feather – Gordon Cole
In this project we’ll build an MP3 Player based on the Feather M0 with a Music Maker wing. It plays a wide range of audio formats like such as MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, MIDI, FLAC, WAV (PCM and ADPCM)! It also features a removable SD card for storage! Its portable and easy to power with the Feathers built in rechargeable circuit. The tiny size is perfect for installing inside small areas or as a wearable! Read more
LED Eyes
In this project we’ll use our small LED sequins to add lights to our face. These small LEDs are connected to a coin cell breakout board with a build-in on and off switch. We 3d printed a small enclosure and clip to attach the whole circuit to apparel!
This super easy project is great for Halloween or any character with glowing body parts. Perfect for cosplay events or even for safe night riding! Read more
NeoPixel Bracelet
Are you looking for an awesome blinky project? Do you like the idea of wearing RGB light spectrum on your wrists? Well, we have a project for you! This project is great for anyone that’s getting started with electronics and 3D printing. This guide walks through the whole process of building this project so you can follow along step by step. The wiring, circuit diagram and code used in this project can easily be adapted for making other projects. Read more
Magnetic Shoelaces
In this project we’ll show you how to 3d print your own magnetic shoe lace closures. This can be really useful for anyone with dexterity problems, or if you just want to make tying your shoes a whole lot easier. Read more
Cosplay
NeoPixie Dust Bag with Circuit Playground Express
How can your fairy costume be complete without a glowing pixie dust bag?! It sparkles and blinks, and you can squeeze the touch sensor wire to change the colors on the beautifully twinkling NeoPixel ring! This fun, sophisticated-looking prop is easy to build with absolutely no soldering required. Read more
Sparkle Skirt Playground
Finally, a skirt that does everything. This skirt uses the amazing Circuit Playground board and stranded neopixels to create a versatile garment with loads of features. Read more
Dauntless Dotstar Guantlets
In a world where darkness runs rampant.. Where villains conspire and criminals run the streets…
One Maker has emerged to repel the dark. Gauntlets ablaze, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and making our neighborhoods safe again. Dauntless. Dotstar. Gauntlets. They’re counting on you. What are you waiting for? Read more
Steven Universe Cosplay Shirt and Gem
Make yourself a Steven Universe costume that will light up the world. This guide will show you how to make your own extra-sparkly handmade star T-shirt and Steven’s gem. When you get all excited, the gem will light up and sparkle! It attaches to your body under the shirt, so you can flash your sparkly gem at bystanders and get them excited too. Read more
Clockwork Goggles
Goggles are a great accessory for dressing up your costume — be it for Halloween or cosplay. There are many styles and genres which can be enhanced by goggles, including cypberpunk, steampunk, dieselpunk, Burning Man, mad science, and clockwork, to name a few.
This year, our daughter decided to be a “steampunk girl” for Halloween! So, we decided to dress up her prop costume goggles with some LED rings animated with a sort of clockwork ticking pattern. Read more
Wearables
NeoPixel NanoRing
Create a delicate ring of NeoPixels attached to a Gemma bracelet. Program your ring in Arduino, CircuitPython, or with MakeCode Maker & then protect your NeoPixels by encasing them in resin. Read more
ISS Pin
A Particle Photon microcontroller and an Adafruit Neopixel ring combine to make a pin that’s fit for NASA fans. It displays an orbiting white blip when idle and then turns blue, white, red and multicolor when the ISS flies by. The code takes advantage of the Photon’s Wi-Fi capability and uses IFTTT (If This Then That), a free site that makes connecting IoT devices as easy as a few clicks. This project was inspired by my first NASA Space Apps Challenge project created with friend Brooks Zurn Rampersad–the ISS Orbit Skirt. That’s enough history…on to the parts! Read more
Rx Snapchat Spectacles for DIY and STEM
I use a lot of cameras. Cameras come in a variety of sizes because they’re needed for a variety of situations.
Need a tiny camera to fit in a tiny space? You can buy one from the Adafruit shop. Need a rugged camera to put on a mountain bike? GoPro and other producers have them in spades. Have the room for a larger tripod mounted one? Buy a DSLR.
But what if you wanted a camera attached to your head? Obviously you’d want hardware from a social media company!
………. Wait… what? Read more
Circuit Playground Class Scheduler
My son’s middle school class schedule is kind of complex. In fact, it sounds kind of like the beginning of a word problem: His math class occurs first period on Monday and Tuesday, but is at third period on Wednesday, and fifth period on Thursday and Friday…
In order for him to keep track of which class happens when on each day, we decided to create an electronic schedule reminder using Circuit Playground!
Read more
Gemma Firewalker Lite Sneakers
Build your own flashy footwear! This project is a major upgrade to our popular Firewalker Sneakers tutorial, but this time using GEMMA and a vibration sensor to trigger animations on the LED strip encircling the soles of your new favorite sneakers.
GEMMA didn’t exist yet when we first made the Firewalkers! Read more
Buzzing Mindfulness Bracelet
Build yourself a buzzing bracelet for subtle haptic feedback as time passes! It’s great for reminding yourself to get up and walk away from your desk for a few minutes each hour, or just as a way to have a new awareness of how the perception of passing time varies based on what you’re doing.
You’ll whip up a vibrating motor circuit using a transistor, resistor, and diode, and use GEMMA to control the frequency of vibration in between low-power microcontroller naps. The circuit lives inside a linked leather/rubber bracelet, but you could build it into whatever you please. This project involves some precision soldering, but is otherwise quite easy! Read more
