Hack your own Steampunk Arduino/LCD name badge
Making the Brass Frame
Brass and copper flat-stock and tubing are mainstays of Steampunk construction. You can find all manner of 12-inch lengths and longer at a hobby store. The frame for the badge was made of thin-wall 3/16-inch brass tubing. It was easy to cut with a standard copper pipe cutter. I didn't measure anything; just eyeballing it to size worked fine. Lightweight, plated steel picture frame hangers made great attachment points for a two-clasp lanyard.
Soldering and Assembly
All the wiring for the boards and electrical connections were done with a 15W soldering iron. Soldering the brass frame needed a little more heat from a 100W Weller soldering gun. The biggest problem was that the surface tension of the solder would move parts out of position. Some kind of a custom jig to hold parts in position will probably be in the cards for future Steampunk-themed devices using the brass tubing.
The LCD and Arduino were suspended from the brass frame with more 22-gauge wire stripped of its insulation. You could also add additional brass tabs to the frame to mount the modules with tiny brass bolts.
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