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LED Fashion Show

Have you ever been to an LED fashion show? We actually just completed one in our STEAM class, and it's pretty awesome. You go into a pitch black room, with a catwalk surrounded with white lights (so that the participants can see where they're going). Then loud music comes up, and you see these bright lights moving down the runway, outlining clothing, or swords, or accessories. It looks amazing, but it's not that easy to pull off. It takes a while, and whole lot of effort.  Honestly, this project was very frustrating at times. The connection between my wires was constantly breaking and I had to start all over a couple times! But in the end, it was all worth it.

---Here's how to make your very own LED light-ups---
The first step is making a sketch or an outline of your design, including measurements for the wires you're hoping to attach onto your clothing etc. Then, you must sew or tape the wires onto their designated place on your design. Once you're finished with that step, it's time to solder!! Soldering is simple, but requires focus and eye to detail, because in order for your soldering to be successful, you must be very patient.   The first step to soldering is taking the thin strand that emerges from the top of the colored wire, and soldering it onto the short end of the Y-Cable. Then you take the thicker strand of the colored wire, and solder it onto the other end of the Y-Cable. If you wish to have multiple colored wires, it's necessary to repeat this step for each wire you use, or else they won't light up.. The key is to use very little solder. Of course, these wires could very well shock you if you touched them while your battery is running, (which is the source that powers your colored wires once you finish soldering). So, in order to avoid this, you take electric tape or a rubber tube and drape it over the exposed wires, so that they stop the flow of electricity from irritating you skin. After you've completed each and every one of these instructions, you should be all set and ready to rock the runway!!


--HHMS STEAM FASHION SHOW 2016--

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