Posted by Alison Lewis | tagged: fashion, solder, fiber, Alison, LED

When we did a tech makeover for the Jaeger Family (episode coming soon to the tv show page!) we found out that Nancy Jaeger is a member of a fun and fabulous social group called the Red Hat Ladies. Well, as a certified techno-fashionista, I couldn’t pass up the chance to infuse their hats with some electronic style.

For this hat, I used 5 LEDs, 5 tubes, and 5 fiber-optic bundles.

MATERIALS:

* 5mm LEDs
* 5mm Heat Shrink Tubing
* Heating Gun (or a Hair Dryer)
* 2 Fiber Optic light-up toys
* 9-Volt Battery and Snap
* Soldering Gun (at least 30 watts)
* Lead-free Solder
* 20-Gauge Electrical Wire
* Slide Switch
* Hot Glue
* Electrical Tape

STEP 1: Push the LED into the heat shrink tubing

Keep going until the bottom edge of the bulb is at least 1/8 inch inside the tubing. Be sure to check the voltage of your colored LEDs. Red is lower voltage, white is higher.

STEP 2: Gather your fiber-optic strands

You can get fiber optic strands from light-up flowers or toys. We found ours at JF Magic. Cut the fiber optic strands from the rest of the toy. Keep the strands long so you have more to work with.

STEP 3: Cut the top of the heat shrink tubing

Leave about 3/4 inch of empty tubing above the LEDs.

STEP 4: Put fiber optics into the tubing

Try to add as many fiber optics as you can fit. The fiber optics will sit above the LEDs, and the LEDs will shine into them.

STEP 5: Heat-shrink the tubing

Use a heat gun to shrink the tubing until it’s tight around the LED and fiber optics. Be very careful and keep the heat gun at least 4-5 inches away from the tubing. Now let the tubing cool. Use hot glue or electrical tape around the edges to keep the contents secure. We don't want those fiber optics pulling out.

STEP 6: Connect the five LED tubes

Lay the light-up tubes inside the hat, where you will want them placed. Now measure the distance between them. Cut your wires according to the distances. Connect and solder the LED tubes in a positive-negative series. Here’s a basic guide guide to hooking up LEDs, with diagrams. And here’s a handy LED calculator that helps you set up your array.

You will connect the “plus” of one LED to the “minus” of the next, leaving an unsoldered plus leg at the beginning of the chain and an unsoldered minus leg at the end of the chain. For power, you'll need to solder on your resistor to the first plus leg of the LED in the series, then solder your switch and your battery snap. Do this by keeping the same polarity on the battery snap, plus to plus, minus to minus. Sew a slide switch in between the LED plus and the battery snap.

Be sure to test the circuit once it’s soldered, then cover all exposed wires with electrical tape or hot glue. Don't leave any exposed wire!

STEP 7: Secure the tubes in the hat

Cut holes in the hat, fit the tubes through, and hot glue them into place. I spread them out a bit to give it some flair and sewed down some of the fiber optic pieces in bundles. To keep everything in place and extra secure, you can sew them in. Do the same with the switch.

STEP 8: Finishing touches

Make a pocket or put sticky velcro tape on your battery and the hat and secure the battery in place. Replace the battery when needed, which should be about every 3 months if you are using it a lot. Now flip the switch, and see how you shine in your new techno-couture.