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The Hacksmith: Creating a Mandalorian Carbonite Control Panel

2021-08-19 | By The Hacksmith

License: See Original Project

This project was created by Engineering Superheroes of Hackmith Industries.

DO NOT ATTEMPT to Re-Create

In the Star Wars universe, bounty hunters have an effective and innovative solution for transporting their prisoners. Rather than using handcuffs on a bounty and worrying about their potential escape, hunters can simply freeze them in carbonite and throw them on a shelf for extended periods of time.

Carbonite freezing was first seen in The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, introducing viewers to a bounty hunters’ process for utilizing carbonite to freeze their prisoners. In this film, Boba Fett freezes Han Solo in carbonite on Bespin to bring in a bounty placed on him by Jabba the Hutt.

In The Mandalorian, the titular character also freezes his bounties in carbonite for transport. Carbonite freezing is essential to Mandalorian bounty hunters, so Hacksmith Industries’ Mandalorian armor and gadget set wouldn’t be complete without a carbonite freezing chamber. See how this project was made in the video below!

 

To catch up on the Mandalorian Hacksmith series, check out past projects on Maker.io:

How Does it Work?

Because it’s impossible to freeze a person without killing them, this carbonite chamber does not have a live occupant. Instead, James was captured in 3D, and a robotic arm carved his likeness into foam. The foam was coated in a rubber polymer and spray-painted over to resemble carbonite. The Hacksmith added a control panel to the side of the chamber to add more life to the project. An Arduino Pro Mini controls the LEDs and 7 segment display. While the Carbonite chamber doesn’t share its Mandalorian project counterparts’ usability, it gives an aesthetic backdrop to go with the armor set.

Schematic and BOM

 

More Star Wars Projects on Maker.io

Want to see more Star Wars creations from Hacksmith Industries on Maker.io? Be sure to check them out at the links below!

Have questions or comments? Continue the conversation on TechForum, DigiKey's online community and technical resource.