# NeoPixel Coat Buttons
## Overview
http://youtu.be/AwfeGkE-wk4
Stay warm this winter season with 3D Printed NeoPixel coat buttons, powered by Gemma, Adafruit tiny wearables electronic platform.
## Parts & Supplies
- [NeoPixels](http://www.adafruit.com/products/1260)
- [Gemma](http://www.adafruit.com/products/1222)
- [3-AAA Battery Holder](http://www.adafruit.com/products/727)
- [Conductive Thread](http://www.adafruit.com/products/641 "Link: http://www.adafruit.com/products/641")
- Scissors
- Nail Polish
## Tools
- [3D Printer](http://www.adafruit.com/products/1292)
- [Needle set](http://www.adafruit.com/products/615 "Link: http://www.adafruit.com/products/615")
- Scissors
# NeoPixel Coat Buttons
## Customize
## Style and Size
Your button doesn't have to a circle, it can be what ever shape and size you want! Customize your buttons in Autodesk's Fusion 360.
[Download Design](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:226407)
## The Parts
These were originally created in Autodesk 123D, which is no longer available or supported…but the same files can be imported into **Fusion 360**. Open our file and take a look at the parts that build up the design. To change the size, there is 4 parts that will need to be resized.
1. Base Shell (23mm)
2. Base Bottom (24mm)
3. Cover Shell (24mm)
4. Cover Bottom (25mm)
## Button Diameter
Our coat buttons have a diameter of 25mm. The cover piece will be seen on the front of the coat while the base piece is 2mm shorter so the cover piece snaps onto the base. To change the size of a part, select the object and click on the 'Scale' option in the bottom menu. Change the scale option to non-uniform and enter your desired size in the X and Y input boxes. 
## Snappy Nubs
We uses these shapes to tightly secure the cover and base pieces together. To assemble the nubs, you will need to perform combine (subtract) to the (1)base shell and combine (join) the (3)cover shell. WIth the (1)base shell nubs subtracted, select the base shell object to highlight it. Select the top and bottom faces of the object and click the gear icon. In the hovering menu, select the shell function. Type 1mm into the input box and press enter. To combine (join) the two nubs onto the (3)cover shell, click combine, keep the option set to 'join' and select the shell and two nubs. 
## NeoPixel Snaps
The (2)base bottom will need to be combined (join) to the (1)base shell. Move the shell down on the Z-axis until it touched the top surface of the base. The inner shell that is in center of the base will also need to be combined. The 4 ellipse shapes will need to be subtracted from the combined base so that the base and the NeoPixel can be sewed onto the coat.
- 12.8mm NeoPixel snap
## Finalize
After the combining and subtracting the parts, you should be left with two pieces. Arrange the two pieces so they are perpendiculer with each other. Save as a copy to your computer and Export STL. # NeoPixel Coat Buttons
## 3D Printing
## Transparent PLA
For most FDM 3D printers, PLA material works with out a heated bed. Transparent PLA comes in a few different colors and there are different distributors.The extruder should be set to 230c. The model was design to print with a raft or any supports. It's a pretty small print so we recommend supervising the whole print since it only takes 5 minutes. Below is a small list of places to get PLA. Make sure your filaments diameter size matches your 3d printer. Most common size is 1.75mm and 3mm.
• [Inventibles](https://www.inventables.com/categories/materials/3d-printer-filament "Link: https://www.inventables.com/categories/materials/3d-printer-filament")
• [Makerbot](http://store.makerbot.com/pla-filament)
• [Ultimachine](https://ultimachine.com/catalog/print-materials/pla/pla-175mm)
• [Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_1?rh=n%3A6066128011%2Ck%3Apla+filament+1.75&keywords=pla+filament+1.75&ie=UTF8&qid=1389803195&rnid=2941120011)## Slice STL
You will need to slice your STL file using the settings above. We recommend using [MakerWare](http://www.makerbot.com/makerware/) or [ReplicatorG](http://replicat.org/download). [Download STL](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:226407)
# NeoPixel Coat Buttons
## Circuit Diagram
# NeoPixel Coat Buttons
## Assembly
## Button Removal
Carefully remove the buttons you wish to replace from your coat using scissors. We need to sew the 3d printed button base to the coat. Start with the very top button, and work your way to the bottom. Place the base part over the area where the coat button was and sew the base onto the coat. You can use normal cotton thread. Once you them sewed onto the coat, test out the coat to see if the buttons are lose enough to button the coat.
## Add NeoPixels
The NeoPixels will snap onto the base. Make sure to align up the pin with the holes in the base. Notice how the holes in the base are longer than the pins of the NeoPixel. This is to allow conductive thread to be sewn to the NeoPixels. Make sure the data arrows of the NeoPixels are pointing upwards, towards the top. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGtGoPhjmcc
## Sew NeoPixels
Connect up the power, ground, and data pads on your NeoPixels with conductive thread, securing them inside the bottom half of the button. Take a look at our [Conductive Thread](http://learn.adafruit.com/conductive-thread) guide as well as the [Sparkle Skirt](http://learn.adafruit.com/sparkle-skirt)and [Chameleon Scarf](http://learn.adafruit.com/chameleon-scarf) project guides for tips & techniques for sewing pixels with conductive thread.
The stitches should be a little loose, so that the button can lift a few millimeters away from the surface of the coat. But not so loose that the button can twist and short the threads!
## Gemma + Power
The gemma can be sewn near the bottom of the coat, preferably close to the coat pocket. Position the gemma with the 3 pins facing towards the chain of NeoPixels. The Gemma is upside down, with the on-board circuity facing the inside of the coat, this provides a bit of projection. To power the gemma, you can choose between an alkaline rechargeable battery pack or a lithium polymer battery. If your using a lipo battery, you can optionally solder a slide switch for conveniently powering it on and off. The JST connection of the battery pack can be sewn to the coat. The battery can be tucked into the coat pocket.
## Featured Products
### Adafruit GEMMA v2 - Miniature wearable electronic platform
[Adafruit GEMMA v2 - Miniature wearable electronic platform](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1222)
**Deprecation Warning: The Gemma bit-bang USB technique it uses doesn't work as well as it did in 2014, many modern computers won't work well. So while we still carry the Gemma so that people can maintain some older projects, we no longer recommend it.**
No Longer Stocked
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1222)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1222/guides)
### Flora RGB Smart NeoPixel version 3 - Pack of 4
[Flora RGB Smart NeoPixel version 3 - Pack of 4](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1260)
What's a wearable project without LEDs? Our favorite part of the Flora platform is these tiny smart pixels. Designed specifically for wearables, these updated Flora NeoPixels have ultra-cool technology: these ultra-bright LEDs have a constant-current driver cooked right into the LED...
Out of Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1260)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1260/guides)
### Needle set - 3/9 sizes - 20 needles
[Needle set - 3/9 sizes - 20 needles](https://www.adafruit.com/product/615)
Mighty needles, sew like the wind! This needle set is the only one you'll need for any sort of hand sewing, especially using our conductive thread and wearable electronics parts.
Each pack contains 20 gold-eye sharps, with eye sizes ranging from #3 (1.75" long) to #9...
Out of Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/615)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/615/guides)
### Stainless Thin Conductive Yarn / Thick Conductive Thread - 30 ft
[Stainless Thin Conductive Yarn / Thick Conductive Thread - 30 ft](https://www.adafruit.com/product/603)
This 316L stainless steel thread falls somewhere between a thick thread and a thin yarn. Most sewing machines wouldn't be happy with this thread since its thick, and it has the 'furry' soft feel of yarn which makes it poor for most e-textiles/wearables projects. However, the high...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/603)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/603/guides)
### 3 x AAA Battery Holder with On/Off Switch and 2-Pin JST
[3 x AAA Battery Holder with On/Off Switch and 2-Pin JST](https://www.adafruit.com/product/727)
This battery holder connects 3 AAA batteries together in series for powering all kinds of projects. We spec'd these out because the box is slim, and 3 AAA's add up to about 3.3-4.5V, a very similar range to Lithium Ion/polymer (Li-Ion) batteries and have an on-off switch. That makes...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/727)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/727/guides)
### Lithium Ion Polymer Battery - 3.7v 500mAh
[Lithium Ion Polymer Battery - 3.7v 500mAh](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1578)
Lithium-ion polymer (also known as 'lipo' or 'lipoly') batteries are thin, light, and powerful. The output ranges from 4.2V when completely charged to 3.7V. This battery has a capacity of 500mAh for a total of about 1.9 Wh. If you need a larger (or smaller!) battery,
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1578)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1578/guides)
## Related Guides
- [Heart Rate Badge](https://learn.adafruit.com/heart-rate-badge.md)
- [3d Printed Neopixel Tactile Switch Buttons](https://learn.adafruit.com/3d-printed-neopixel-tactile-switch-buttons.md)
- [FFT: Fun with Fourier Transforms](https://learn.adafruit.com/fft-fun-with-fourier-transforms.md)
- [NeoPixel Tiara](https://learn.adafruit.com/neopixel-tiara.md)
- [3D Printed Wireless MIDI Controller Guitar](https://learn.adafruit.com/ez-key-wireless-midi-controller-guitar.md)
- [Close Encounters Hat](https://learn.adafruit.com/close-encounters-hat.md)
- [NeoPixie Dust Bag](https://learn.adafruit.com/neopixel-pixie-dust-bag.md)
- [Pathfinder Robot Companion](https://learn.adafruit.com/pathfinder.md)
- [Build your own Borg (BYOB)](https://learn.adafruit.com/build-your-own-borg-byob.md)
- [Magic Storybook with ChatGPT](https://learn.adafruit.com/magic-storybook-with-chatgpt.md)
- [Adafruit NeoPixel Überguide](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neopixel-uberguide.md)
- [Space Face LED Galaxy Makeup](https://learn.adafruit.com/space-face-led-galaxy-makeup.md)
- [Glowing Skullcandy Headphones Mod](https://learn.adafruit.com/glowing-skullcandy-headphones-mod.md)
- [Superhero Power Plant](https://learn.adafruit.com/superhero-power-plant.md)
- [Trinket Sound-Reactive LED Color Organ](https://learn.adafruit.com/trinket-sound-reactive-led-color-organ.md)