Build Instructions

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• 1

  Step 1: Gather Required Tools

  Alright, you've decided to dive in and give building your own Snow Scraper a shot. Excellent, well your in for a treat. It will challenge your skills at times but fear not as you have the Tinker Gnomes to assist you every step of the way.

  First off, lets start by gathering all the necessary tools and supplies needed for the project. Having everything nearby will make assembly much smoother. So go on and grab:

  1. Soldering iron & solder – only needed for connecting wires to the WS2812 LED ring and making 2-to-1 header wires.
  2. Small screwdriver – used to secure components to the enclosure.
  3. Wire cutters/strippers – for trimming or cleaning up jumper wires.
  4. Heat shrink tubing & heat source – e.g., a heat gun, lighter, or the side of your soldering iron (be careful not to scorch the tubing).
  5. Hot glue gun – used to secure the WS2812 LED ring inside the enclosure and to hold the bottom plate in place.
  6. 3D printer (or online service) – to produce the custom enclosure.
  7. Computer with microSD card writer – to flash Raspberry Pi OS and configure setup.
  8. (Optional)3rd Hand / Helping Hand tool – holds wires steady while soldering.
• 2

  Step 2: 3D Printing the Enclosure

  1. Download the STL file.
  2. Recommended settings:
  3. Material: PLA or PETG
  4. Layer height: 0.2 mm
  5. Infill: 20%
  6. Supports: Yes (for LCD cutout)
• 3

  Step 3: Wiring the Electronics Part 1

  Prepare the Shared Jumpers

  You’ll need three shared jumpers to connect both the LCD and touch controller to the Pi’s SPI pins. If possible, match color of wire to wiring diagram to make things simpler

  1. Cut the end off one jumper wire.
  2. Cut another jumper wire in half.
  3. Strip the ends of all three wires.
  4. Twist the three stripped ends together. Start by twisting the two shorter wires together then twist those around the third longer wire.
  5. Solder them together by holding the wider tip of the iron beneath the twisted wires to heat them. Be patient, this will take a minute or two. After sufficient heat has been applied begin to apply solder on the joint until it starts to seep in. Once it is saturated remove the iron and let it cool.

  1. Slide heat shrink tubing over the solder joint and shrink it to insulate and protect.

  Repeat until you have three of these shared jumper leads.

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