Snowy Village animatronics: what to order
Drafted 30 Sept 2026 for COM11 Sprints 5–7, the animatronic Snowy Village (Santa flying over, a walking snowman, opening doors). Prices are rough Canadian estimates from typical 2025–26 hobby-electronics pricing. Check them with your supplier: Elmwood Electronics, PiShop.ca, RobotShop, Amazon.ca or Brilliant Labs.
Tick items as they are ordered; your ticks are remembered in this browser only.
What the school already has
| Machine | Job in this project |
|---|
| Emblaser 2 laser cutter | Building walls, roofs and bases in 3 mm plywood or MDF with tab-and-slot joints; frosted acrylic windows |
| Bambu Lab H2C + AMS 2 Pro | Multi-colour mechanism parts: cams, gears, crank arms, servo horns, motor mounts, trees |
| Flashforge Adventurer 5M | Second FDM printer for bulk parts and reprints |
| Elegoo resin printer | Small detailed figures (Santa and sleigh, snowman, villagers), printed under supervision |
| Cricut / Silhouette | Window frames, signs, vinyl trim, paper details |
Recommended board: micro:bit v2
One per scene, plus spares. It offers block coding in MakeCode with Python as a step up, a built-in speaker, and 3 V logic that is very safe for students, and Brilliant Labs supports it in Atlantic Canada. An Arduino Nano is a fine alternative if you prefer C++, but micro:bit gets every student coding quickly.
Per scene kit: order 5 (four teams plus one spare)
| Ordered | Item | Qty per kit | Rough cost each | Used for |
|---|
| micro:bit v2 (Go pack: USB cable + AAA battery holder) | 1 | $25–30 | Brain of the scene |
| Servo/motor driver board for micro:bit (for example DFRobot micro:bit Driver Expansion Board or Kitronik Simple Servo board) | 1 | $20–30 | Runs servos and a DC motor from a proper supply |
| Micro servo SG90 or MG90S (metal gear lasts longer) | 3 | $4–8 | Doors, arms, a waving villager |
| N20 geared DC motor, 6 V, 30–60 rpm | 1 | $8–12 | Santa flying round on an arm; cam for a walking snowman |
| Warm-white LEDs (5 mm or pre-wired) + 100 Ω resistors | 10 | $0.20–1 | Windows, street lamps |
| Short WS2812B (NeoPixel) strip, 10–15 LEDs | 1 | $8–12 | Colour effects: fireplace flicker, aurora sky |
| DFPlayer Mini MP3 module + microSD + 3 W 4 Ω mini speaker | 1 | $10–15 | Music and sound effects (the built-in speaker is quiet) |
| 5 V 2–3 A USB power supply + USB breakout or barrel adapter | 1 | $12–18 | Keeps everything low-voltage |
| Jumper wires, 22 AWG solid hookup wire, heat-shrink, crocodile clips | 1 set | $15 | Wiring |
Rough cost per scene kit is $130–200. Five kits come to about $650–1,000.
Shared workshop items
| Ordered | Item | Qty | Rough cost | Notes |
|---|
| Temperature-controlled soldering stations (for example Pinecil or Hakko FX-888D) | 2–4 | $40–150 each | Only after the Maker Licence test |
| Fume extractor fans | 2 | $40–70 | One per soldering station pair |
| Lead-free solder, brass tip cleaners, helping hands, silicone mats | set | $60 | |
| Safety glasses | class set | $3 each | |
| Music wire / 2 mm steel rod, M2/M3 screws and nuts | set | $30 | Santa’s flying arm, pivots |
| Matte PLA, white and light grey (paintable) | 3–4 × 1 kg | $25–35 each | Paints well after light sanding and primer |
| Standard grey resin + nitrile gloves + IPA for washing | 1 L + boxes | $40–60 | Resin handled by staff or trained students only, ventilated |
| Acrylic paints, brushes, primer | set | $50 | Spray primer only outdoors or in a ventilated area |
| 3 mm plywood / MDF sheets (Emblaser size) + frosted acrylic | 20 + 5 | $3–8 each | Walls, bases, windows |
Scenes students can choose from (each team builds one)
| Scene | Mechanism | Parts |
|---|
| Santa flying over the village | Slow motor turning a long wire arm; the sleigh is resin-printed | N20 motor, printed hub, steel rod |
| Walking or bobbing snowman | Cam and follower under the base lift the figure | N20 motor, printed cam, follower rod |
| Doors that open and close | Servo with a printed linkage | SG90 servo, printed horn and link |
| Skaters on the pond | Rotating turntable under frosted acrylic | N20 motor, printed gear pair |
Every scene also gets window lights and one sound cue. The design work happens in Build It True (COM11 Sprint 4).
Safety gates (what students must pass first)
Maker Licence 1 (simulator): circuit basics, polarity, why 5 V only, and soldering safety. Passed online before anyone touches a hot tool.
Maker Licence 2 (observed): a teacher watches the student solder and check one practice joint.
Resin: handled by the teacher or specifically trained students only, with gloves and ventilation.
Source: collaboration/snowy-village-animatronics/KIT_LIST.md · Learning Studio