Creative Switch Project by Christopher Serafin

Greetings! For this creative switch project, I decided to attempt adding LED lights to a shoulder bag, in this case a Nintendo 3DS carry case. Regular shoulder bags might be a bit boring, but with some LED lights, it can certainly bright up any bag, especially in the dark. Due to technical issues, only one LED light will light up, to alternate lights press on the LED that is not lit up.

Supplies

2 LED lights (any color, in this case yellow will be used)

Tape

Conductive tape

3 Volt battery

Two 5.1k resistors (resistor may depend on the color of the LED light)

Scissors

Step 1: Preparing the Circuit

Using your conductive tape, make a rectangle circuit under the strap, leaving enough space to place the LED lights, resistors, and battery. There will be a total of 3 empty spaces that the conductive tape does not connect, which will be used for the resistors and LED lights. The conductive tape will start and end at the same place, which will be used to connect the battery. Use scissors to cut any measurements to your liking. Make sure to stick the conductive tape on the strap neatly and secured.

Step 2: Connecting LED Lights and Resistor

Once you have made the circuit, connect the LED Lights to the conductive tape. Flip the strap to the other side, and pierce the strap with the LED light, making sure not to damage it. When connecting the LED light, leave two empty spaces for the resistors, while the last empty space will be used for one of the LED light. The other LED light will be connected by the two conductive tapes instead of being in an empty space. Now place the resistors in the empty space, making sure it makes contact with the conductive tape. Make sure to have the negative side and positive side in the same “side” and not mixed. Always make sure to check that every part is connected to the conductive tape, or else the energy will not run through the circuit. Using tape can help stick them together. (Refer image for clarification).

Step 3: Adding the Battery

Once everything has been connected, you can proceed to connect the 3 volt battery. Make sure the conductive tape touches the battery on both sides, and not the sticky side. In the case that it does, you might want to fold the conductive tape. You will have to manually hold the battery and conductive tape together for electricity to run through the circuit. An alternative is to tape the battery or sustain it with something else in order to not hold it for long. If the lights are not lit up, double check to see if the battery is held wrong or if there’s a problem in the circuit.

Step 4: You Are Now Finished!

If everything is in working order, you should have LED lights that are lit up. There might be a case in which only one of the LED’s light up, which can be solved by pressing on the other LED light to check that it works. Only one LED light may shine at a time, but you can alternate between the two to light up the bag. Now the decorations is up to you!