A Note on Capacitors (Please read)

During my build I did not include a capacitor across the Neopixel power and ground wire, this was a mistake, please include one in your circuit to stop premature Neopixel failure. Please also include a resistor on the Neopixel signal line. Info on how to do this here.

Soldering

ALERT! Please pay attention to the orientation of the LEDs, there should be arrows printed on the Neopixels.

Thisis is a big job! Ok now you need to solder the LEDs together, you can save some time here by using a reel of LEDs (144 LEDs per meter) rather than individual ones like I did. Strip the multicore cable and use the smaller wires to connect the LEDs.

Solder the LEDs to make a string that can then be woven through incisions made in the dome. Make sure the cables connecting them are long enough to let you do the weaving. Each segment and servo should have 2 incisions about 1cm long to allow the light string to go in and then out again.

It is a good idea to break this job into three parts, the front part of the dome, servo portion (middle) and rear part of the dome.Test each individually before moving on to the next string. Once each is working you can solder a connection to make one long string.

Front Lights

These are the lights for the non-moving segments on the front of the headdress. Use 3 single lights then 5 double lights and then 3 again.

Servo Lights

These lights run along the top and back of the servos, my build uses two lights on top of the servos and one on the back although I think the original has 3 on the top.

Rear Lights

In the pictures, these are made from a reel of RGBs rather than individual ones. I recommend using these strip lights for simplicity.

Once these parts are installed solder a connection together so you have one long string.

Eyes

The eyes use a strip of the RGB LEDs. Each eye is made from 11 lights. They are mounted on a piece of foamboard glued to the edge of the foam dome. The front uses the same opaque plastic as in the blades. Each eye has power, signal and ground wires. They are connected in parallel with the main light circuitry. Mount a strip of opaque plastic in front of the lights to distort the light.