Pieces of Koco: Star Locator

My mid-term project for my physical computing project was lots of fun. The concept: a tent that had little lights under the a layer of fabric. When you touched the walls you could "light up" stars and create your own constellations.

At the time I had a tent set up in my apartment. I slept in there sometimes, my friends came over and slept in there sometimes. Later, I turned it into a womb. Anyway, I made a model, and tent panels out of shower curtains. I did all the circuit stuff, but couldn't get the sensors to work properly. Like many of my physical computing projects, it never worked as I hoped.

These materials and left over pieces of this project have a bit of a sad history. I was sorting through all the panels, the LEDs, the circuits I had spent hours soldering, the patterns for the tent model, and the sketches I had made for the design, and I just started crying. I loved making this, I still think it was a fun idea, but all these things represent a lot of failure, a whole era of creative projects that just never worked... so, it's time to let these things go.

The pattern, made from paper, I recycled. I dumped the model with all the electronic bits. I will probably make envelopes out of the enlarged star locator maps and show curtain panels. As for the original Edmund Scientific star locator (and instruction book), I'd like the next chapter in their history to be more positive, much better, and brighter. Maybe I'll take up star gazing.


The Star Locator will be listed on Philadelphia's freecycle network. Freecycle, as they state on their site, is all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. I like that.

OR maybe you are reading this now and you want to star gaze. Maybe you want to make a star tent. Maybe you just want to attach better memories. BUT, maybe you don't live in Philly. I can mail it to you. Email me: koco(at)misskoco.com

The Star Locator is part of Pieces of Koco.