When it comes to choosing a body for your robot, the possibilities are endless—but that doesn’t mean the decision is easy! You’re always working within constraints: size, material, interior volume, shape, and a dozen other factors that can make or break your build.
For this project, I knew my enclosure needed to tick three essential boxes:
- Interior space large enough to house an ESP8266 on a half-length breadboard
- A secure closure system to keep everything safely contained
- Sturdy construction that could support the weight and attachment of limbs and a head
With these requirements in mind, I started my hunt. And like Goldilocks testing out the three bears’ porridge, I tried out three different enclosures:
Option 1: Cookie Tin – Too large! While spacious, it would require building a custom closing mechanism from scratch.
Option 2: Vitamin Container – Too small! The breadboard wouldn’t fit without serious modifications.
Option 3: Computer Speaker – Just right! Plus, it came with a bonus: a working speaker and power connector already built in.
I ruled out the cookie tin pretty quickly. The bot would’ve been top-heavy and unstable, and securing that lid would’ve eaten up more time than I wanted to invest in this phase.
The vitamin container was more tempting, though. I spent some time experimenting with it—could I make this work? I’d need to convert the interior into a single compartment for the protoboard and drill mounting holes for a spine connecting the head to the pelvis. I even salvaged parts from an old router and printer, pulling out their circuit boards and rigging up a metal conduit to run between the head and pelvis sections. But mounting that chest compartment? That was going to require some serious crafting skills.
I decided to shelve this approach for a future build—maybe one where I have more time to get creative with custom fabrication.
That left the speaker box, and honestly, it was perfect. The compartment was exactly the right size for my protoboard, the lid opened and closed easily, and the box itself was substantial enough to serve as both the chest and pelvis of my robot. Sometimes the best solution is the one that just works!
Coming up next: I’ll walk you through how I selected the head and started planning which features to animate.
What about you? Have you ever repurposed unexpected objects for your maker projects? What’s the most creative enclosure you’ve used? Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear about your “just right” moments!
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