The Ruiz Brothers of Adafruit are at it again with another fascinating 3D printing project: the 3D printed Crickit Paddle Wheel Boat. This water rover even has an underwater camera mount, so you can capture footage at your end of the summer pool party!
As we enter into the final stretch of the summer, it’s time to soak up the sun and enjoy a refreshing swim to cool down from the heat. Pool parties are a great way to make memories with the friends and family, and now you can also capture your underwater moments with a 3D printed Crickit Paddle Wheel Boat.
Designed by the Ruiz Brothers from Adafruit, this unique water bot makes use of 3D printing, some electronic components and a pool noodle (which keeps the paddle wheel boat afloat). It also has a tripod mount so you can utilize underwater photography with a GoPro camera.
Powered by an Adafruit CRICKIT and Circuit Playground Express, this 3D printed boat also resembles an actual cricket with its googly eyes, especially if you decide to utilize a green pool noodle. Needless to say, this buoyant little critter will keep everyone entertained while you lounge poolside.
Want to take a dive into this project? Let’s take a look at what you need in order to put the Crickit Paddle Wheel Boat together.
3D Printed Crickit Paddle Wheel Boat: What You Need
The STL files for the Crickit Paddle Wheel Boat are available to download via Thingiverse. 3D printed parts include the pool noodle enclosure, wheel props, and enclosures for both the electronics and motors. When printing the watertight mounts for the motors and components, the Ruiz Brothers suggest using NinjaFlex filament.
There are also a handful of electronic components that go into the assembly of the Paddle Wheel Boat. Here’s a checklist of what you need:
If you’re unfamiliar with the Adafruit CRICKIT and Circuit Playground Express, there are a number of resources and tutorials available on the project’s page. Once the parts are 3D printed or acquired and your up to speed with using MakeCode, it’s time to start building the Crickit Paddle Wheel Boat.
There’s a modest amount of soldering to connect the circuitry, but the Ruiz Brothers spell everything out in a simple diagram and instructions. After the connections are made, the next step is to setup the Circuit Playground Express with MakeCode, a programming editor that is both block based and text editor and runs in the Google Chrome web browser.
The assembly process seems to require an ample amount of time, but again, the Ruiz Brothers do a terrific job with their instructions, including photos and GIFs for every step of the way. All in all, this project is ideal for ambitious beginners and seasoned makers that want a fun way to make a splash at the next poolside gathering!
If you want to build the Crickit Paddle Wheel Boat, you can find the full step by step process for the circuitry, coding and assembly on the Adafruit website.
Source: Adafruit
Website: LINK
