⚔️ The Orb
Turn the controller into a diffuse ball of light you cradle in an open palm. Same game — keep it dead still — but now it glows like a held star.
This page is a WIP and deploys continuously for quick reference and feedback. Prices and parts move fast.
The concept
An orb is the controller wearing a body: an AtomS3R brain + a coiled 29-LED flex strip lighting up a frosted translucent sphere stuffed with fiberfill. The fill scatters 29 point-LEDs into one even, cloud-lit ball, so the whole surface reads as the game state from any angle — breathing blue + in play, rising bar as you drift, hard-strobing X when you're out. The IMU still lives at the center, rigidly cradled so any real jostle reaches the sensor.
Hardware pivot: the M5Stack ATOM Matrix (current prototype) is EOL / out of stock. The orb is built on the M5Stack AtomS3R (BMI270 IMU, ESP32-S3, Grove, USB-C). Firmware needs an AtomS3R + BMI270 port — in progress. Only board_config.h changes.
Shopping list — M5Stack
Shopping list — Amazon / hardware
| Material | Why |
|---|
| Slim ~2500mAh USB-C power bank ×3 | Real runtime (the 200mAh base is short) |
| Translucent PETG filament | Track B printed shells |
| 80mm clear fillable ornaments, 10-pack | Track A craft-ornament shells |
| Frosted-glass spray + matte clear | Diffuser + haze on clear ornaments |
| Silicone O-rings | Seals the two-hemisphere seam |
| Self-fusing silicone tape | Weather-seals the USB / power entry |
| Fiberfill (polyfill) | Interior light diffuser |
| Silica-gel packets | Kills interior condensation |
| VHB tape · hot glue · M2 screws | Cradle mounting, no-solder assembly |
| Hardware subtotal | ~$100 |
All-in ~$228 for 4 sets
Enough for 3 orbs + spares
Two build tracks
Track A — frosted craft ornament (tonight)
An 80mm clear fillable ornament, hit with frosted-glass spray, split at its factory seam. Drop in the cradled AtomS3R + coiled strip + fiberfill and close it. A same-night proof of the light and the game — not weatherproof.
~25 min / unit Parts on hand
Track B — printed PETG orb (the real one)
Two printed translucent-PETG hemispheres with an O-ring seam and an integrated cradle. Frosted shell doubles as diffuser and rain barrier. This is the version that survives an outdoor round.
~25–30 min / unit Needs the printer
Fabrication verdict — 3D printer only
Only the
3D printer earns its cost: it makes both the
cradle and the
sphere, and PETG prints translucent for free diffusion.
| Tool | Verdict |
|---|
| 3D printer | Buy — cradle + sphere, translucent |
| Aluminum mill | Skip — opaque, blocks the light |
| Pottery wheel | Skip — opaque and heavy |
No-solder assembly
- The SK6812 flex strip is Grove — it plugs straight into the AtomS3R's Grove port. No soldering.
- Coil the 29-LED strip in a loose ball inside the sphere; pack fiberfill around it to scatter the light evenly.
- Cradle the AtomS3R rigidly at center (VHB / hot glue / M2) so a real hit transfers to the IMU — a floppy mount eats the signal.
- Stack the Atomic Battery Base, then run a slim USB-C power bank for a full session of runtime.
Waterproofing
- Two-hemisphere sphere sealed at the equator with a silicone O-ring in the seam.
- Frosted shell = diffuser + rain barrier in one part.
- Wrap the USB / power entry in self-fusing silicone tape.
- Toss a silica-gel packet inside to fight condensation.
Bench-test dry first. Track A ornaments are a light/game proof, not weather-rated — only the printed Track B orb is.
Time estimate
~12–18 man-hours all-in for 3 orbs, including the AtomS3R + BMI270 firmware port and the CAD for the cradle and sphere. Per-unit assembly is only ~25–30 min once the design is set; the hours live in firmware and CAD.
Other references