1 meter LED Strip with 144/m
I used the regular sized pixels with a black back. The Mini Skinny NeoPixel strips could also be used for this project!
Momentary switch button
Any size will do. These are my favorite and fit perfectly on the back of the Gemma!
Silicone wire
I used the 30awg wire between the each strip of pixels and the 26awg wire between the pixels and Gemma. Using the larger size will also work. I went with all black to blend in with the jacket I was using, but this would also look fabulous with any color!
If you don't feel comfortable with this technique and/or want to add more color, I’d encourage you to pick three or more colors for this project. Typically, a ground wire is black or white, a power wire is red, and a data wire will be any other color.
Power Supply
A portable USB battery pack or LiPo will work. I'll be using a USB battery pack. If you select a Lithium Ion Polymer Battery, be sure to read up on Li-Ion & LiPoly Batteries first!
A quick note about batteries: it's hard to tell exactly how long a battery will last since it depends largely on the brightness and animation selected. I like to use a 20mAh per LED calculation as a starting point, so I wouldn't want to use anything less than 2400mAh unless I was only planning on using the wearable for a short period of time.
Other Materials
- Awesome Vintage Costume Jacket
- Glue: E6000 or hot glue
- Velcro
- Optional: chiffon or other mesh fabric
Tools
- Scissors, straight pins, etc.
- Optional: Dress form
- Soldering Station
- Soldering iron, Soldering iron stand, Solder
- Wire stripper, Flush Cutters
- Helping hands, Alligator Clips
- Hakko Brass Sponge Solder Tip Cleaner
- Ventilation, I recommend the USB Rechargeable Mini Solder Fume Extractor guide from Phillip Burgess or the Desktop Fume Extractor from the Ruiz Brothers
Page last edited March 08, 2024
Text editor powered by tinymce.
