Making Tilt Switches: Intro to E-Textiles

After our leap into LED wearables with the candle bows, I thought it might be best to take a step back to the basics. Last month, I went to the Eliot School in Jamaica Plan for an Introduction to E-Textiles Class.  If you haven't ever been to the Eliot School, I highly recommend it if you are looking for something a bit out of the ordinary in crafting and hobby classes. What I also love is they do one day weekend classes, in case the weekly driving commitment is too much.

Our goal of the class was to make a battery and bulb experiment. Don't know that is? Neither did I but it didn't involve hand sewing so I was pretty happy about that. I also thought it was funny that we were using the telephone wire that I bugged the AT&T guy to give us when I was younger for my wire bracelet business.

Here is my video explanation:

Photos:

View from the back

Tilt switch housing

LEDs with compactors

Tilt switch: The fish weight covered in steel wool and some electrical tape housed in a punched water bottle top would hit the screws to the left and the right completing the circuit and making the LEDs on the other side light up.    It looked like a fuzzy Christmas bulb. I can't imagine trying to wear something like this but a simple on/off switch can replace this for adding to clothing and it can be done on a smaller scale.

Materials List:

Electronic Parts From Tayada Electronics www.taydaelectronics.com

Battery Holder SKU: A-746

Red LED SKU: A-705

Yellow LED SKU: A-1583

Large Capacitor SKU: A-4525

Disk Capacitor SKU: A-4022

#22 Solid Wire SKU: A-49999

Batteries & Tools from Harbor Freight: www.harborfreight.com

AA Batteries Item #92404

Hole Punches Item#3838 (For LED & scew holes)

Voltage meter (optional) but a great trouble shooter if circuit doesn't work
telephone wire

Hardware From McMaster: www.mcmaster.com

QTY Item

2 10/32 x 2” Zinc Plated Machine Screw

4 10/32 Plain Nuts

4 10/32 Brass Thumb Nuts

2 10/32 x 3/8” Thumb Screws

1 10/32 x ¾” Thumb Screw

1 #10 x ½” Nylon Standoff

1 1” Angle Bracket

Parts from WalMart

#2 Fishing Weight

Fine Steel Wool

Electrical Tape

Carpet Tape (To stick down the battery holder)

Tips for any e-textile circuit project: 

*Always mark your positive side of your LEDs, it's the longer side, but you couldn't tell that once they are split.

*Alkaline batteries are best.

*This project, as opposed to E-L Wire is very low voltage. 

*A voltage meter is handing for troubleshooting. Out of the whole class, mine was the only one that didn't work. Apparently I did not hand wire wrap tight enough and with a few voltage tests and some pliers I was able to get my LEDs to light up. 

*You always want to make a electronic swatch like this one that can attach and detach to your clothes for easy on/off removal to wash.

*Good water flow analogy (thanks our smart cookie teacher George!): the amount of water pressure through the pipes can be thought of as the voltage going through a wire. It's one way!