Turned my junk bin into a tiny cyclist on a board

I spent a solid winter working on a miniature automaton that looked like a little rover, and I think I struggled with the same scale stuff you’re talking about. When I started, I tried to mount the main power source on top, but the thing imediately tipped sideways. It was surprisingly hard to get the weight distribution right when you are working with tiny parts.

I ended up moving the central battery pack down into the chassis, using some thicker wire to keep the connection from flexing. I found that using 0805 chip resistors instead of leaded ones helped keep the profile lower and made the whole thing look cleaner, even if it made the soldering a bit more of a precision task than the big through-hole stuff. It’s really satisfying seeing old junk come back to life and look like something artistic. Even if the thing doesn’t do anything, the act of putting it together is the fun part.

I was working on something similar last month, but I took a diffrent approach to the mounting. While perfboard is simple, I found myself wanting something that looked a bit more integrated, less like a science project placed on a stand. I used a small piece of cut acrylic to create a sort of internal frame first. It allowed me to route the wiring underneath everything instead of having all the component leads hanging outside and making the whole piece look messy. It gave it a much cleaner profile. My main hesitation, though, wasn't the scale itself, but the power delivery. When you are working with such tiny components, especally if you plan on adding more than just a simple LED, you have to be very careful about the current draw. I started with a single 3.7-volt source, but realized the power drops were affecting the brightness and stability of the signals. I swapped it out for a dedicated regulated supply to make sure the tiny circuits stayed consistent. It’s funny how small things like component choice can make a big difference in the final look and function. I found that using smaller thru-hole resistors relly kept the bulk down when assembling the frame for the tiny hitch on the back. It’s satisfying once you get past the initial fiddly stage of finding the right footprint for everything.

I'd push back on the 0805 suggestion in the first reply. For a little figure like this the leaded parts are the whole point, you can't bend a chip resistor's legs into a bike frame or a pair of handlebars. I tried building a tiny robot out of SMD bits once and it just looked like a gray brick with a sticker on it. Flat little rectangles have no character. Give me a big old resistor with crooked legs any day, the wonkier the better honestly.

This is making me want to dig through my junk bin, which is dangerous because I also have three half finished projects on the go. I tried something like this a while back but with bigger stuff, an old motor and some switches from a broken fan, and mine kept toppling over because I never thought about where the heavy bits went. Ended up screwing it to a block of scrap wood in the end, not as pretty as your standoffs. Does the headlight LED actually light up, or is it just there for looks? I always chicken out on the fiddly wiring parts.