MakerMeetup #176: Colorful Toys before the (not so) white holidays

Last Meetup in 2025, exactly one week before the holidays. In a contemplative meetup with rather small group of people we had some colorful toys and lightings presented this month. Christmas-time can start.

We had some LED matrices on the table in a more compact version, which we had also featured at an earlier meetup this year. The LEDs are individually addressable, so you can display different kinds of patterns.

Jan from 'Freie Maker Aachen' made a name plate circuit boad badge. Which not just looks absolutely stunning but also has some LED built on for the little extra lighting effect. We know your name Jan and we guess with this nobody will forget it rather quickly. (feel free to check the QR code in the picture to get the badges blueprint and make your own ;) )

 Martin brought us a few things today. A board game in which you have to bring your pieces to the opponent’s base by shifting the platforms, the all-time classic Connect Four game, and last but not least, a colorful armadillo printed from a single spool of filament that is very flexible. It is not just pretty to look at; it is also nice to see how it cuddles with you when you put it on your hand.

Birgit came to the meetup with some nice little toys. One was a lithophane picture: you light up a thin plate of translucent material with an image on it and get contrast due to its varying thickness. Second, she designed a die where you press the top plate and the result is displayed on an LED matrix. There were also two kinds of boxes: card boxes in a colorful design and a storage box that really stands out because of its fully printed wood-pattern lid. The last thing she brought was a wind-up car, with all parts made of filament.

A small christmas ball for the tree.