After I posted the Tron bag pictures, my friend Sarah from the Creative Machine list suggested I might consider making this accessory to go with it:
Sarah is such an enabler. How could I resist a challenge like that? Especially since I haven't touched a soldering iron since high school? So I ordered the kit (actually, I ordered four of them... you never know when you'll need some flashing LEDs!). Today I finally had all the components needed to complete the project, so I got to work.
Assembling the kit is very easy; it took me less than 2 hours start to finish. Then I spent another hour modifying a tie I got from Salvation Army to insert the kit.
And here's the finished tie:
And here is the tie in action:
I did make one modification to the kit to make the battery operation easier. The instructions tell you to use a binder clip to clip the bare leads to a CR2032 button battery. However, that's mighty fiddly and, after a while, the leads would likely start fraying. Instead, I took apart a battery-powered tealight, removed the LED light and soldered the leads to the clips.
While it lacks an on-off switch, the battery now has a secure connection, and you just have to remove the battery to turn it off.
This tie will be going to Arizona as a surprise for my son Ian. I hope he gets an opportunity to wear it for Halloween!
Sarah is such an enabler. How could I resist a challenge like that? Especially since I haven't touched a soldering iron since high school? So I ordered the kit (actually, I ordered four of them... you never know when you'll need some flashing LEDs!). Today I finally had all the components needed to complete the project, so I got to work.
Assembling the kit is very easy; it took me less than 2 hours start to finish. Then I spent another hour modifying a tie I got from Salvation Army to insert the kit.
And here's the finished tie:
And here is the tie in action:
I did make one modification to the kit to make the battery operation easier. The instructions tell you to use a binder clip to clip the bare leads to a CR2032 button battery. However, that's mighty fiddly and, after a while, the leads would likely start fraying. Instead, I took apart a battery-powered tealight, removed the LED light and soldered the leads to the clips.
While it lacks an on-off switch, the battery now has a secure connection, and you just have to remove the battery to turn it off.
This tie will be going to Arizona as a surprise for my son Ian. I hope he gets an opportunity to wear it for Halloween!
LOVE THIS!!!!!!
ReplyDeletewhat fun!
ReplyDelete