In my latest tutorial, featuring Chibitronics' new White Blink Animating LED stickers, I will show you how to make a mechanical card that reveals a spooky, blinking spider whenever you move a lever. Visit the full tutorial here: https://chibitronics.com/?page_id=38814
View the original blog post announcement here: https://chibitronics.com/?p=39364
Download the card parts in Cricut Design Space here: https://design.cricut.com/landing/project-detail/64d968c0f121f7fa13505d96
Wanting to create an interactive shadow box that could look different with different LED configurations, I came up with an idea for a shadow box triggered by one or two reed switches.
To learn how I did this (and to access the circuit diagrams and cut files), please check out my tutorial, Reed Switch Shadow Box, over on the Chibitronics blog.
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| Carousel Book Light |
Wanting to figure out an easy way to add light to a handmade carousel book, I had the opportunity to do some prototyping during an extended power outage.
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| This was my first prototype of the Carousel Book Light. |
The results turned into my latest tutorial for Chibitronics, the Carousel Book Light (featuring Chibitronics LED stickers, of course).
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| Carousel Book Light with Shamrocks |
To learn how to make your own, please visit my tutorial on the Chibitronics website or my Instructable.
I recently took an online course called "Pop Up Fundamentals: Storytelling with Paper and Light" taught by Karen Friel!
In it, we were invited to create a pop up book, inspired by a city we love!
This is my first pop up book, showcasing three of my favorite places in Munich!
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| Fraunkirche Munich |
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| Chinese Tower Beer Garden |
In my latest tutorial, Dissolve Card: Light Up Picture Switcher, I’ll show you how to make a light-up version of a Victorian Era mechanism known as a dissolve, or dissolve card.
This paper mechanics project combines a trick of the eye (and pictures that flip) with a little electronic trickery — Circuit Sticker LEDs and a sliding switch!
While the examples showcased in this project have a Halloween vibe, the paper circuit techniques you’ll learn may be applied for a variety of themes!
To view my complete Rainbow Pop Up Card tutorial, which includes custom cut files that may be uploaded to a home fabrication machine, please visit the Chibitronics website.
Cobweb cards were a popular mechanical structure popularized during the Victorian Era, a time when people spent a lot of time and resources making and sending each other elaborate (often hand-made) Valentine's.
Seeing one of these interactive cards in action on the Met Museum's blog gave me an idea! What if, in addition to revealing a hidden image, my card could also light up when the lacy cobweb layer was lifted?
That is where the "normally closed" reed switch comes in!
If you'd like to learn more about how reed switches work, or how to make your own light up cobweb card, please visit my tutorial on the Chibitronics website:
Magical Magnetism: Intro to Reed Switches (Normally Closed)
Here is a sneak peak!
Did you know that you can use a magnetic component, called a reed switch, to alter the behavior of circuits, including paper ones?
If you'd like to learn more about how to use a reed switch in a paper circuit project (or how to make a quick paper wand), please visit my tutorial on the Chibitronics website:
Magical Magnetism: Intro to Reed Switches (Normally Open).
I recently completed a new tutorial for Chibitronics, featuring a light up accordion book powered by a single coin cell battery. If you'd like to see how it was constructed or learn how to make your own, please visit the Chibitronics blog or go directly to the Paper Circuit Accordion Book tutorial.
I recently created a couple of Haunted House tutorials using Circuit Stickers and pressure sensitive conductive plastic, which combine to create amazing special effects! I hope you'll check them out.
Haunted House Pt. 1: Intro to Pressure Sensors
Haunted House Pt. 2: Light Colors in Sequence
I've also create an Instructable that features much of the same information, in case you are interested.
This is another example of an illuminated flying concertina book; this one features orange and pink Circuit Stickers sandwiched between collaged fish! (See my last post for the tutorial). In this model, I made a couple of improvements that will increase the beauty and durability of the book.
After reinforcing the Circuit Sticker with conductive fabric tape, I covered the entire sticker and the conductive fabric patches with a square of clear packing tape. This will help ensure that the fabric tape and sticker will not eventually come loose.
I also added a little piece of white vellum to the side of the fish that comes into contact with the LED. The vellum creates a subtle diffusion of the light.
If you'd like to learn how to make a fluttering, light-up accordion book like mine, I've created a couple of different tutorials to help you get started.
The prettiest tutorial lives on the Chibitronics website, along with a multitude of resources related to paper circuits!
A version with more photos, and a downloadable PDF, lives at Instructables.
I hope you'll give this project a try and let me know what you think!
It's been a while since I've added anything to this blog! I've been binding a lot of books, some containing circuitry; but, I haven't been great about documenting my process!
One of my newest electronic experiements adds LED goodness to the "Flat-Style Australian Reverse Piano Hinge" binding, more easily referred to as an "Australian Hinge" or "Australian Piano Hinge" structure.
If you'd like to learn more, you can view my latest Instructable!
My first monster model uses a 5V Trinket with a Micro-Lipo Charger soldered to it. The two LEDs are then soldered in parallel to analog pin one. I used Arduino sample code to achieve a creepy fading effect. After completing this circuit, I decided that the use of the charger was overkill, adding more bulk than I wanted.
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| Learn more at http://www.brattleboromuseum.org/2018/09/28/workshop-color-and-light-steam/ |
