This Sheikah Slate May Not Locate Shrines, But It Sure Looks Ancient
Mastering Me built a replica of the Breath of the Wild Sheikah Slate and has a tutorial explaining how you can make your own.
Many of the video games in the Legend of Zelda franchise incorporate some sort of gimmick that mirrors the console hardware. In Skyward Sword, the Wiimote with Wii MotionPlus attachment are meant to replicate the in-game sword movement. The Wind Waker had collectibles that could only be found if you attached a Game Boy Advance to your GameCube console. In Breath of the Wild, Link carries a Sheikah Slate that just happens to look a lot like the Nintendo Switch console, which he uses for important gameplay tasks. Mastering Me designed a replica prop of the Sheikah Slate and has an Instructables tutorial explaining how you can make your own.
No, this Sheikah Slate won’t help you locate Ancient Shrines or let you harness the power of magnetism. In fact, it doesn’t really do anything other than light up and look cool. But it does that quite well. It very accurately replicates the in-game tablet and is perfect for cosplay or home décor. It is also very affordable to build, since it doesn’t contain a computer or microcontroller. The LEDs are connected directly to batteries with only a physical switch to turn them on and off. That does mean that there aren’t any fancy LED effects, but that isn’t an issue if you’re looking for a faithful recreation of the in-game Sheikah Slate.
The only expensive tool that you will need to build your own Sheikah Slate is a 3D printer. That is needed to print out the two halves of the shell and a few accent pieces. After printing those parts, you will pour molten hot glue into some portions of the shell in order to diffuse the LEDs. You can then add the LEDs and resistors. A total of 12 blue LEDs and 12 orange LEDs are required. Those are connected to a pair of AA battery packs (each holding two batteries) through a simple sliding switch. Then you can screw the two halves of the shell together and break out your acrylic paints. The quality of your finished Sheikah Slate will be determined almost completely by your painting skills, so take your time and follow Mastering Me’s tips. Weathering is key, because you want it to look like Ancient technology that has actually been used and abused. If you’re talented enough, you should end up with a Sheikah Slate as beautiful as the one built by Mastering Me.