Bioelectric Cell - Deus Ex

This is the Biocell from the original Deus Ex game. It can be wired for LEDs, if desired. I modeled it to be printed in resin, but it will probably work with an FDM printer as well (though the clear dome and “glowy bits” parts might be difficult to do).

After printing and cleaning the dome, spray it with three or more coats of UV-resistant clear gloss, both to protect it from yellowing, and to make it easier to see through. If you plan to add lighting, paint the top of the “glowy bits” with transparent blue, then black around the edges of the raised portion. (If you don't plan to add lighting, paint it a bright blue and black.)

Sand the edges of the battery cover so that it can be easily removed when unlatched.

Paint the body, bottom, and battery cover with the appropriate colors. I used Alclad II Bright Aluminum overall, with details painted with Alclad II Steel and Polished Brass, and Testors copper.

To add lighting, you'll need:

• Four blue LEDs, 5mm diameter. I used 20 mA LEDs with a forward voltage of 2.8-3.2V.
• Four resistors appropriate to drive the LEDs with 3V power. I used 1-ohm resistors.
• One 8mmx8mm locking pushbutton switch. I used these, but they appear to no longer be available.
• Two springs to hold in the batteries
• Some brass or copper sheet to form the battery terminals
• Wire
• Soldering iron and solder
• Two-part epoxy or superglue
• Two AAA batteries
• Ribbon (optional)

1. Cut one strip of copper or brass to fit in the short end of the battery compartment (the one without holes). Solder a spring to one side of it and glue it into the battery compartment.
2. Cut a small rectangle of copper or brass, solder the other spring to one side of it, and a wire to the reverse side. Feed the wire through one of the holes in the battery compartment (the one which is not directly opposite the spring you've already installed), and glue it into place.
3. Cut another small rectangle of metal, solder a wire to one side, and feed it through the other hole in the battery compartment. Glue it into place.
4. Solder a resistor to the negative lead of each LED. Glue the LEDs into the holders on the outside of the battery compartment.
5. Solder the negative wire to one normally-open terminal of the switch, and wire the other terminal to the resistors on the LEDs. (See photograph of the interior of the Biocell for one way of wiring them up.)
6. Solder the positive wire to the positive leads of the LEDs.
7. If desired, feed a ribbon through the slit in one long side of the battery compartment, to aid in removing batteries. Glue it into place outside the battery compartment.
8. Install batteries with the negative terminals contacting the springs.

Modeled in Blender, printed in Sunlu ABS-Like resin on an Anycubic Photon Mono X.