Making a Waving Fortune Cat

Use a micro:bit and mini servo to make your very own Maneki-Neko, or Fortune Cat, who waves its hand when you press a button! Designed and written by Tim Ho from the National University of Singapore

Making a Waving Fortune Cat

Use a micro:bit and mini servo to make your very own Maneki-Neko, or Fortune Cat, who waves its hand when you press a button! Designed and written by Tim Ho from the National University of Singapore

Goal

  • Make a moving cardboard cat.

  • Give cat an action which you desire. 

  • Hint: Follow the steps and pictures during your building process!

Materials

  • 1 x ADKeypad

  • 1 x Battery Pack

  • 2 x Yellow LED

  • 1 x Breakout Board

  • 1 x micro:bit

  • 1 x Mini Servo

Step 1 – Choose a cat

  • Find a cat image and stick over a cardboard for support.

  • Choose a cat personality of your choice. Happy, relaxed or friendly!

Step 2 – Connect electronic parts.

  • Connect the following on the breakout board

    • ADKeypad to Pin ‘0’.

    • Mini Servo to Pin ‘1’.

    • Two LED lights to Pin ‘2’ and Pin ‘8’.

The colours of the jumper wires don’t actually affect how the electronics work. But it is good practice to follow a colour convention so that you can easily identify where which cables are attached to.

Step 3 – Join up electronics to cardboard

  • Mount the mini servo to right side of your cardboard cat.

  • Create two openings on the cardboard for the LED lights to shine through

Step 4 – Code Microbit

  • Create block code in make code on the left.

  • When Button ‘A’ is pushed

    • Two LED lights up

    • Servo motor turns

Cool stuff!

Now you’ve brought your cat to life. Think of a variety of movements for your cat. Enjoy and add them on to the cat!

We're Done!

Looking for more projects to tinker and explore? We’re a launch partner for IMDA’s Digital Maker Programme, where we’ve been developing micro:bit kits, apps, and conducting workshops for schools and the public in Singapore. Read more here, and get in touch if you’d like to join our workshops!

Tinkercademy is the education brand of Tinkertanker Pte Ltd, based in Singapore.

Looking for educational toys and kits? That's our Get Hacking Store, run by our subsidiary Tinker Class Pte Ltd.

We're a proud investor in, and collaborator with, Tinkermind, a maker-centric tech education company, because we like their name.

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For students and professionals, we'll send information about free learning resources we publish, and occasionally ask you to check out our new courses and offerings.

Get in touch!

59 Jalan Pemimpin #04-01,

L&Y Building, Singapore 577218

hello@tk.sg

© 2025 Tinkertanker Pte Ltd.

Teaching and coding in Singapore since 2006!

Tinkercademy is the education brand of Tinkertanker Pte Ltd, based in Singapore.


Looking for educational toys and kits? That's our Get Hacking Store, run by our subsidiary Tinker Class Pte Ltd.


We're a proud investor in, and collaborator with, Tinkermind, a maker-centric tech education company, because we like their name.

Sign up for our mailing list!

Teachers will receive a monthly (or so we hope) email with news & thoughts on tech education; free workshops, resources, and competitions for students; and other newsworthy messages.


For students and professionals, we'll send information about free learning resources we publish, and occasionally ask you to check out our new courses and offerings.

Get in touch!

59 Jalan Pemimpin #04-01,

L&Y Building, Singapore 577218

hello@tk.sg

© 2025 Tinkertanker Pte Ltd.

Teaching and coding in Singapore since 2006!

Tinkercademy is the education brand of Tinkertanker Pte Ltd, based in Singapore.

Looking for educational toys and kits? That's our Get Hacking Store, run by our subsidiary Tinker Class Pte Ltd.

We're a proud investor in, and collaborator with, Tinkermind, a maker-centric tech education company, because we like their name.

Sign up for our mailing list!

Teachers will receive a monthly (or so we hope) email with news & thoughts on tech education; free workshops, resources, and competitions for students; and other newsworthy messages.

For students and professionals, we'll send information about free learning resources we publish, and occasionally ask you to check out our new courses and offerings.

Get in touch!

59 Jalan Pemimpin #04-01,

L&Y Building, Singapore 577218

hello@tk.sg

© 2025 Tinkertanker Pte Ltd.

Teaching and coding in Singapore since 2006!