# A Taco Bell compass, built as a gift for New York

Maker mewtru built a Taco Bell-themed compass for their fiancé, then took it along to navigate a trip to New York.

- Category: Hardware (build)
- Made by: [mewtru](https://x.com/trunarla) on X
- Original: https://x.com/trunarla/status/2103868792619270162
- On Afterware: https://afterware.xyz/p/taco-bell-compass-built-for-a-new-york-trip

## Can I build this?

- Difficulty: Intermediate
- AI-buildability: 3/5 (The build method is unknown, but a compass like this likely mixes some code or electronics with physical fabrication.)
- Time: A weekend
- Cost: $20–50
- Tools: 3D printer, soldering iron

Estimates based on the original write-up. How the AI-buildability score works: https://afterware.xyz/ai-buildability

## Starter prompt

```
Based on "A Taco Bell compass, built as a gift for New York" on Afterware: https://afterware.xyz/p/taco-bell-compass-built-for-a-new-york-trip

Help me build a handheld compass on an ESP32-S3 with a small OLED or round display and a 3-axis magnetometer. The display should show the heading in degrees and a needle or cardinal direction, and the magnetometer should be calibrated with a simple routine. Keep it battery powered and put the board in a 3D-printed case with a Taco Bell-inspired colour scheme.
```

## Story

Most gifts get wrapped. This one got a heading. mewtru made a handmade compass styled after Taco Bell for their fiancé, and the two of them carried it around New York on a trip.

It's a novelty build with a clear point of view: a tool for finding north, pointed squarely at fast food.

Tags: compass, gift, taco bell, novelty, handmade

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