Light Up Thank You Note
Have you ever wanted to let some one know just how thankful you are? Take that thank you note and kick it up a notch with lights!
Chibitronics circuit stickers were made for paper crafting and are flat and have a built in resistor so there is no need to worry about LED colors cohabitating on your circuit. I highly recommend checking out Chibitronics website for more templates and advanced techniques, but here is what I have used to make a simple card.
If Chibitronics are not in the budget, you can use SMD LEDs (surface mount LEDs) or 3mm LEDs instead. You just need to make sure to use one color per circuit so they all glow. For more info on that issue, check out Adafruit's All About LEDs pages.
Directions:
Take a regular sized piece of cardstock and fold it in quarters to make a card. You can use our template if it's easier.
Mark which side is the front and which side you want the circuit on. The circuit should be under the front flap.
Draw your design while thinking about what element you would like to light up.
In the bottom right corner, trace your battery as close to the edge as possible. Move the battery toward the center and trace an adjacent circle to the first. Fold over the corner between the two circles to create a battery sandwich with + on one circle and - on the other. Use a small binder clip to hold the fold together around your battery.
Mark where your LEDs are going to go by poking a small hole with your pencil and making a mark on the quarter underneath.
For one LED, run copper tape from the center of the positive circle to the positive side of your sticker/LED. Run copper tape from the negative circle to the negative side of the sticker/LED. **Make sure your copper tape does not cross or touch!**
For multiple LEDs, make a parallel circuit by creating train tracks that will allow you to put the circuit sticker/LED across where you marked. The positive side (long leg) of the sticker/LED should touch the track that comes from the center of the positive circle. Negative touches negative track. **Use only one color per circuit to make sure all lights get equal voltage and light up.**