Summary of LED Shoulder Pads
Summary (under 100 words): I converted construction knee pads into glittery, Arduino-controlled shoulder pads with 50 LEDs for festivals and costumes. The process included removing straps and foam, spray-painting, coating with adhesive and glitter, mounting electronics on perf boards, soldering LEDs and wiring to an Arduino Micro, and finishing with straps and hardware. The result is a sparkly wearable tech piece driven by battery power and push switches.
Parts used in the Glitterific LED Shoulder Pads Project:
- 60-Ft. UL-Recognized Hookup Wire (20 AWG) (Radioshack Part no. 278-1225)
- 9V Battery Clip (Radioshack Part no. 270-324)
- 12V Battery Clip (Radioshack Part no. 270-405)
- Arduino Micro (Radioshack Part no. 276-258)
- Solder (Radioshack Part no. 64-009)
- Grid Style PCB with 371 Holes (Radioshack Part no. 276-149)
- Dual-General Purpose IC PC Board (Radioshack Part no. 276-159)
- NTE30043 Blue Super-bright LED Indicator (Radioshack Part no. 55050631) x24
- NTE30045 White Super-bright LED Indicator (Radioshack Part no. 55050633) x24
- SPST 3-Amp Soft-Feel Push On-Push Off Switch (Radioshack Part no. 275-1565)
- Momentary Switch (Radioshack Part no. 275-609)
- +5V Fixed Voltage Regulator/Transistor (Radioshack Part no. 276-1770) x2
- Enercell 23A 12V Alkaline Battery (Radioshack Part no. 23-336)
- Enercell 9V Alkaline Batteries (4-Pack) (Radioshack Part no. 23-866)
- 500-Piece 1/4-Watt Carbon-Film Resistor Assortment (Radioshack Part no. 271-312)
- Bon 12-309 Superlight Molded Rubber Foam Waterproof Knee Pads
- TEKTON 6235 Assorted Cable Ties, 200-Piece
- Scrap Denim Fabric
- Krylon Fusion For Plastic Spray Paint, Patriotic Blue
- 3M 77 Super Multipurpose Adhesive Aerosol
- Clear Gloss Spray Lacquer
- Sulyn 4 oz. Glitter Jar - Royal
- Velcro Reusable Self-Gripping Ties, 0.5 Inches x 8 Inches
- 50 - 1 Inch Heavy Welded Dee Rings
- Sewing Machine
- Soldering Iron
- Wire Snips/Strippers
- Drill and various bits
For this project, I was inspired by my best friend. She had been wanting some disco-fabulous armor-inspired wearable technology for music festivals and costume parties for some time. I took a pair of construction/gardening knee-pads and turned them into glitterific shoulder pads that shine bright with 50 LEDs that are Arduino controlled!
This project was super fun to make! SO SPARKLY!
Step 1: Materials and Tools
All of the components I used were purchased from Radioshack, or the Hardware store
Electronics:
60-Ft. UL-Recognized Hookup Wire (20 AWG) (Radioshack Part no. 278-1225) x1
9V Battery Clip (Radioshack Part no. 270-324) x1
12V Battery Clip (Radioshack Part no. 270-405) x1
Arduino Micro (Radioshack Part no. 276-258) x1
Solder (Radioshack Part no. 64-009) x1
Grid Style PCB with 371 Holes (Radioshack Part no. 276-149) x1
Dual-General Purpose IC PC Board (Radioshack Part no. 276-159) x1
NTE30043 Blue Super-bright LED Indicator (Radioshack Part no. 55050631) x24
NTE30045 White Super-bright LED Indicator (Radioshack Part no. 55050633) x24
SPST 3-Amp “Soft-Feel” Push On-Push Off Switch (Radioshack Part no. 275-1565) x1
Momentary Switch (Radioshack Part no. 275-609) x1
+5V Fixed Voltage Regulator/Transistor (Radioshack Part no. 276-1770) x2
Enercell® 23A 12V Alkaline Battery for Remote Controls (Radioshack Part no. 23-336) x1
Enercell® “9V” Alkaline Batteries (4-Pack) (Radioshack Part no. 23-866) x1
500-Piece 1/4-Watt Carbon-Film Resistor Assortment (Radioshack Part no. 271-312) x1
Materials:
Bon 12-309 Superlight Molded Rubber Foam Waterproof Knee Pads
TEKTON 6235 Assorted Cable Ties, 200-Piece
Scrap Denim Fabric
Krylon K02329000 Fusion For Plastic Aerosol Spray Paint, 12-Ounce, Patriotic Blue
3M 77 Super Multipurpose Adhesive Aerosol, Clear 16.75 Oz. Aerosol Can
Clear Gloss Spray Lacquer
Sulyn 4 oz. Glitter Jar – Royal
Velcro Reusable Self-Gripping Ties, 0.5 Inches x 8 Inches, Black/Gray, 50 Ties per Pack (90924)
50 – 1 Inch Heavy Welded Dee Rings
Tools:
Sewing Machine
Soldering Iron
Wire Snips/Strippers
Drill and various bits
Step 2: Straps and Foam
In an effort to prep the knee pads to transform them into shoulder pads, I took off the straps and foam.
This was a little tricky, and took a little bit of wrestling – but I was able to get it off without ripping the foam apart. If you need to, use a pair of scissors to cut the foam away from the pegs holding it in place.
Step 3: Make it Shiny! (part 1 of 3)
I put down some waxed butcher paper on the shop floor, so I wouldn’t turn it blue with my overspray.
After I had the paper taped down, I set my shoulder pads on top of it, and went to town with the paint. The trick to getting good results with spray paint is distance, motion and time.
Hold the can more than 6 inches away from whatever it is your painting.
Move the nozzle and can constantly while applying paint in zig-zag sweeping motions.
Allow the paint adequate time to dry. This will vary depending on the type of paint you use – read the directions on the back of the can – this paint took a full 24 hours to dry.
Step 4: Make it Shiny! (part 2 of 3)
After the spray paint dried, I began to coat it with Spray adhesive and adhere the glitter to it.
I coated the shoulder pads quickly with two even coats of adhesive, applied sequentially. Give the Super 77 about 5 minutes to get really tacky.
The fun part was unloading an entire canister of blue glitter onto the shoulder pads. I was certain that I had purchased too much – but sure enough, I ended up using the entire jar of glitter! I had to pick up some of the glitter that fell off the pads and throw it back on, it all stuck eventually. 🙂
For more detail: LED Shoulder Pads
- What was the inspiration for the project?
The project was inspired by the creator's best friend who wanted disco-fabulous armor-inspired wearable technology for festivals and parties. - What base items were transformed into shoulder pads?
Construction/gardening knee pads (Bon 12-309 Superlight Molded Rubber Foam Waterproof Knee Pads) were transformed into shoulder pads. - How many LEDs are on the shoulder pads?
The shoulder pads use 50 LEDs controlled by an Arduino. - Which microcontroller was used to control the LEDs?
An Arduino Micro was used to control the LEDs. - How was the glitter adhered to the pads?
Spray adhesive (3M 77 Super Multipurpose Adhesive) was applied in two even coats, allowed to get tacky, then glitter was poured onto the pads. - What paint was used to spray the pads?
Krylon Fusion For Plastic spray paint in Patriotic Blue was used, followed by clear gloss spray lacquer. - How were the straps and foam removed?
The straps and foam were wrestled off carefully; scissors can be used to cut foam away from pegs if needed. - What power sources were used for the electronics?
Enercell 23A 12V alkaline battery and Enercell 9V alkaline batteries were listed among the components, with 9V and 12V battery clips included. - What tools were necessary to complete the project?
Tools included a sewing machine, soldering iron, wire snips/strippers, and a drill with bits.
