The force is strong with these Arduino Star Wars projects
Hokey religions and ancient weapons might not be a match for a good blaster, but Arduino Star Wars projects certainly are. To celebrate May the 4th (also known as Star Wars Day), we’ve put together a list of inspired builds from a galaxy far, far away that you can make yourself.
[Updated for Star Wars Day 2022.]
A Star Wars Mouse Droid of Your Very Own
This super cute build from a galaxy far, far away gives a distinct steampunk vibe to the Empire’s beloved mouse droid! An RC car chassis drives the vacuum-formed case, while a pair of Arduinos control the VFD, sound output, and the movable antenna dish on top.
Motion Sensing Lightsaber Game Controller
This DIY video game controller lets you swing, clash, hack and slash with a lightsaber-style device. Complete with motion sensing and a thumb-stick , there’s even a gyroscope and accelerometer built-in for additional controls.
DIY Prop-Perfect R2-D2 Robot
The awesome team at I Like To Make Stuff turned their expert maker hands to building their very own astro mech droid, which is indistinguishable from the R2-D2 unit that Kenny Baker rode around the deserts of Tatooine.
Miniature Star Wars Arcade Lets You Blow Up The Death Star On The Go
This miniaturized, working version of Atari’s classic Star Wars arcade game recreates the classic (standing version of the) coin-op cab beautifully. The 3D printed homage to the vector display game is the perfect option if you can’t fit a full size cab in your living room. Or even if you can.
So I Fixed a Broken Hasbro Lightsaber
It’s a rite of passage for every Jedi to build their own lightsaber. That goes for Arduino Jedi, too.
Alan Wang expertly upcycled a broken lightsaber toy by adding a Nano, an MP3 player module and a NeoPixel ring. The result is a Jedi weapon that’s far superior to the original toy.
Star Wars Mouse Droid with Hidden Payload
One of the first droids we meet in Star Wars is a mouse droid. The quirky little bots that zoom about the floor of the Death Star, getting under Stormtrooper’s feet.
They never actually appear to do all that much. But this zippy little droid by PotentPrintables has a hidden LED matrix that lets it deliver messages. And lots of terrible Star Wars puns, of course.
Imperial March on a Toaster
If you’re looking for sci-fi toasters, Red Dwarf is usually the first choice. But this hilarious video from Device Orchestra brings the dark side to your devices.
An Arduino controls the electromagnet in this toaster to turn it into a tuneful buzzer. Accompanied by toothbrushes and a typewriter, we get the immortal Imperial March played by droids.
Mini Arduino Star Wars Shoot ‘Em Up
A game that’s as simple as it is small and cute (like R2!), all run on a Nano on a breadboard.
And just consider how its graphics are comparable to those of the Death Star’s display as it moves into range of Yavin. Talk about human-cyborg relations!
Build a Life-Size BB8 Droid (Phone Controlled)
It was a pretty big deal when it turned out Lucasfilm built an actual droid for Star Wars Episode VII. It would have been easier to make BB8 in CGI. But we’re glad they went the practical route, as the cool ball droid has inspired a lot of makers.
Not least of them being Angelo, who built his very own amazing life-size BB8 using Arduino.
Recreating the Death Star Trench Run Scene with LEGO
As much as Wani Kim’s recreation of the iconic trench run is an incredible feat of LEGO engineering, it wouldn’t be complete without Arduino. The whole diorama is embedded with a galaxy-full of LEDs, bringing the scene to life.
That’s no moon. It’s an Arduino project!
Laser Shooting Game (Star Wars)
As Han told us, there’s no match for having a good blaster at your side. Ismail took that quite literally, and built a Star Wars laser shooting range that lets you take out those pesky Stormtroopers with a homemade blaster.
Arduino-Based Lightsaber with Light and Sound Effects
A great lightsaber build isn’t just about the colorful blade. It’s about the audio combinations, and the lighting effects when the blade makes contact. Bring all these things together, like Mad Gyver did, and you have an elegant weapon, of a more civilized age.
Prank Your Friends with Talking Darth Vader
Perfect for Halloween, as well as Star Wars Day, this motion activated Darth Vader head is just as creepy as its inspiration. It can be programmed with as many voice clips as you like, and wouldn’t it make a great option for a dark side Alexa?
Droid Build D-O
To be honest, D-O didn’t get nearly as much screen time or plot involvement as he deserved. But the latest addition to the growing line-up of Star Wars droids has been lovingly recreated by Matt Denton using a MKR WiFi 1010. No bad motivators here!
We want to hear about your Arduino Star Wars projects, so tell us all about them in the comments. May the force be with you!