These days technology is becoming more and more integrated into our lives. I'm not talking about smart phones, or wi-fi hot spots. I'm talking about seamless integration into our daily lives in ways we don't even notice. One of those ways is through the use of conductive fabrics and threads. Also known as soft circuitry.
One of the ways I get my middle school students interested in technology is by showing them some of the ways that technology is used for fashion. Videos and pictures are nice and all, but I wanted to make something real that the students could see and touch. I've made several little soft circuit "wearables" to show my class, but I wanted something with a bit more... edge. Or at least some middle school edge.
One night I came up with this crazy idea to make some earrings. Why, I don't know. It's not like I wear them or anything. I was just looking at some little round perf boards when it occurred to me that they'd be awesome as earrings, and the larger ones as necklaces. Something a bit cyber punk in nature.
And in case you were wondering, that is how I (of all people) came up with this simple design for some LED Earrings.
(Also this is an entry for the instructables 2012 LED contest. You should totally vote for us so we can have a light switch rave in our basement.)
One of the ways I get my middle school students interested in technology is by showing them some of the ways that technology is used for fashion. Videos and pictures are nice and all, but I wanted to make something real that the students could see and touch. I've made several little soft circuit "wearables" to show my class, but I wanted something with a bit more... edge. Or at least some middle school edge.
One night I came up with this crazy idea to make some earrings. Why, I don't know. It's not like I wear them or anything. I was just looking at some little round perf boards when it occurred to me that they'd be awesome as earrings, and the larger ones as necklaces. Something a bit cyber punk in nature.
And in case you were wondering, that is how I (of all people) came up with this simple design for some LED Earrings.
(Also this is an entry for the instructables 2012 LED contest. You should totally vote for us so we can have a light switch rave in our basement.)
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Signing UpStep 1: What You'll Need
Overall this project requires very small amounts of building skills, and a very small budget. Most of these parts can easily be substituted with something else, or easily changed around.
Supplies:
Small Circuit Board/ Perf Board (eBay, one inch across)
3mm Diffused LEDs
CR2032 Battery Holder (Surface mount with rounded sides works very well!)
CR2032 Battery
Magnet Wire (Thin and small is good)
Earring Clasp of your choice
Tools:
Soldering Iron
Solder
Wire cutters
Needle Nose Pliers
Helping Hand (optional, but helpful)
Total Cost: > $10
For the most part you can find the electronics parts easily on eBay, or even salvage them from somewhere else. The earrings parts can be gotten from any craft store (Hobby Lobby, Michael's).
We have a bunch of parts left over from when we did this (many months ago). If anyone would like me to make a Kit with all the parts in it we can. (We run a little hobby website BrownDogGadgets.com, though we mostly deal with solar kits and projects. Educational and whatnot.)
Supplies:
Small Circuit Board/ Perf Board (eBay, one inch across)
3mm Diffused LEDs
CR2032 Battery Holder (Surface mount with rounded sides works very well!)
CR2032 Battery
Magnet Wire (Thin and small is good)
Earring Clasp of your choice
Tools:
Soldering Iron
Solder
Wire cutters
Needle Nose Pliers
Helping Hand (optional, but helpful)
Total Cost: > $10
For the most part you can find the electronics parts easily on eBay, or even salvage them from somewhere else. The earrings parts can be gotten from any craft store (Hobby Lobby, Michael's).
We have a bunch of parts left over from when we did this (many months ago). If anyone would like me to make a Kit with all the parts in it we can. (We run a little hobby website BrownDogGadgets.com, though we mostly deal with solar kits and projects. Educational and whatnot.)
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For health reasons it might be a good idea to plastic-coat them or use RoHS solder - The last thing anybody wants is lead poisoning. I'm sure a thin coating of hot glue could work quite well. I'd also love to see somebody use a small Arduino to expand on this!