Sturdy Metal Pads Are Easy to Trace Did you know that Launchpad components, including batteries and LEDs, have sturdy metal pads that make them easy to grip, sketch, and prototype with? Unlike our Circuit Sticker LEDs, which are designed to be used just like stickers, Launchpad LEDs are bigger, more durable, and easily reusable for […]
Light-Up Mechanical Valentine Featuring Chibitronics LEDs & a Launchpad Battery
My latest tutorial for Chibitronics, a mechanical card with a Valentine’s Day theme, is a seasonal spin upon an earlier project, the Spooky Spider Diagonal Dissolve Card. Like its predecessor, the LEDs in this project are triggered by a lever (and a concealed reed switch and magnet combination). While I originally designed this mechanism in […]
Make a Light-Sensing Tree with Chibitronics Launchpad LEDs
Make Holiday Projects React to Light A light sensor can add interactivity to your artwork by making it react to the presence or absence of light. In this post, I’ll show you how to use a Light Sensor Sticker to make a light-sensing tree with Chibitronics Launchpad LEDs. We’ll add a bit of light-reactive magic […]
Congrats to the Chibitronics #LightUpPopUpTober Team!
Contest & Gallery Update During October, Chibitronics and members of our #LightUpPopUpTober team participated in a global PopUpTober challenge. Collectively, our team created a remarkable body of glowing work, featuring 31 different pop-up mechanisms! We are so grateful to our talented team of volunteers for sharing their time, talent, and creativity with us! If you’d […]
PopUpTober Tutorial: Light-Up Bird Made with 45° Folds on a Parallelogram (Featuring Chibitronics)
Video Tutorial In this video tutorial, created in anticipation of #PopUpTober 2025, I’ll show you a way to create a light-up pop-up bird with wings that tuck into a parallelogram at 45° angles. The folding mechanism provides a dynamic surface that is useful for adding a protrusion or extension that may be adorned with lights. […]
PopUpTober Tutorial: Parallelogram With OR Switch Featuring Chibitronics
View Video Tutorial: In this video tutorial, created in anticipation of #PopUpTober 2025, I’ll show you a way to create a light-up pop-up structure based upon a parallelogram. The pop-up parallelogram provides a flat surface that is useful for adding lights, scenery, and props to add dimension to a story. When the card is opened […]
Chibitronics Lights Up #PopUpTober 2025!
Get Ready for #PopUpTober! Find #PopUpTober Information & Inspiration For a quick reference, please visit our #LightUpPopUpTober resource page, which we’ll be updating during the months of September and October. There, you’ll find the daily prompts, tutorials, templates, and plenty of light-up pop-up inspiration to help you get started with your own creations! What is […]
Tech Tip: Build a Bridge to Prevent a Short Circuit
Due to a special request made by an educator who attended our Summer Pathfinders course this August, this post is about bridges and how they work within a paper circuit. I’ll also be using Circuit Sketcher (our NEW Digital Design Software) to demonstrate a couple of examples. If you spend enough time experimenting with paper […]
Alien Abduction: Tilt Sensing, Light-Up Tunnel Book (featuring Chibitronics)
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to use Chibitronics LED stickers and an optional tilt switch to add illumination, interactivity, and special effects to a tunnel book. The one I’m sharing here is shaped like an octagon and features my own interpretation of a common trope: an alien abduction. Although a tunnel book may be […]
Make a Father’s Day Card (with Chibitronics LED Stickers)!
Warm Dad’s Heart Father’s Day is just around the corner (Sunday, June 15), which means that it’s time to starting thinking about how you might help fire up some fun on his special day! In this tutorial, I’ll show you a quick and easy way to create a light-up Father’s Day Card that sizzles with […]
Make a Mother’s Day Card (with Chibitronics LED Stickers)
Brighten Mom’s Day Mother’s Day is just around the corner (Sunday, May 11), which means that it’s time to starting thinking about how you might help brighten your Mom’s day. If you are looking for a way to tell your mom how much you love and appreciate her, this card project might be just the […]
Interactive Art with a Chibitronics Light Sensor Sticker
Create Projects That React to Light! Did you know that a light sensor can add interactivity to your artwork by making it react to the presence or absence of light? Did you know that the Chibitronics Light Sensor Sticker can be used with or without a microcontroller? While both the Chibitronics Light Sensor Bundle and […]