Did you know that the coin cell/button cell batteries most widely used in light-up paper crafts and cards (CR2032 and CR2016) fit into a category of batteries that require unique consideration for proper disposal? Primary/Single-Use batteries cannot be recharged and must be disposed of once they wear out. Alkaline, lithium, silver oxide, zinc-air, zinc-carbon, and zinc-chloride, […]
Tilt Sensing Illuminated Tunnel Book (with Chibitronics LEDs)
In my latest tutorial, Illuminated Tunnel Book (with a Tilt Sensor), I’ll show you how to use Circuit Sticker LEDs and a tilt switch to add lighting and interactivity to create a glowing piece of art that turns on and off with a tilt of your wrist. To view a full video demonstration, learn about […]
Chibitronics + ISTE Live23 = Brilliant PD
Taking inspiration from classroom tested activities found in the Chibitronics Paper Circuits STEAM Educators Guide, educators Barbara Liedahl and Susan Brown will be leading a workshop at the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE) Live23 Edtech Conference in Philadelphia this summer! Together, this dynamic duo offers a highly engaging, fun approach to the art of […]
5 Tips & Tricks for Using Chibitronics Reed Switches (Magnet On)
If you are reading this post, there’s a good chance that you have: In the event that you don’t fit into any of the aforementioned categories, please allow me to suggest that you check out Magical Magnetism: Intro to Reed Switches (Magnet On) before reading on. There, you’ll find an in-depth explanation of what reed switches […]
Make a Puppet with Color Changing Eyes With Chibitronics Reed Switches
In my latest tutorial, “Fred 2.0: Puppet with Color Changing Eyes,” I am giving a vintage bird puppet a makeover that includes glowing eyes that change colors with a tug of a feather. See how Fred transitions from frumpy to fabulous, with help from Chibitronics LED stickers! Learn how to create a circuit that uses […]
Create an Interactive Shadow Box with Chibitronics Reed Switches
In my latest tutorial, Reed Switch Shadow Box, I’ll show you how to use one or two reed switches (magnet on) to control lights (and the mood) in a story-telling shadow box! The example below uses two reed switches (magnet on). One triggers a path with white LEDs and the other triggers a path with […]
Brighten the Night with a Bookish Light using Chibitronics LED Stickers
In my latest tutorial, I’ll be sharing a Carousel Book Light that combines paper circuits with paper crafting to make a versatile structure that may be turned into a hanging ornament, tabletop display, or nightlight. Changing the colors of the LEDs or the paper you use, as well as the shapes you choose for the […]
Make a Light Up Leaf With LED Stickers (Video Tutorial)
Fall is a terrific time to get cozy around a warm fire and sip apple cider. And, if you’re lucky, it’s also a fantastic time to notice the subtle changes in nature, such as leaves changing color and drifting to the ground in crunchy, colorful piles! No matter where you might find yourself at this […]
Playground Operatronics is Something to Sing About
Powered through an Infosys Foundation grant, geared toward bringing the Playground Opera program and Chibitronics’ circuit technologies together to support Title 1 schools in the United States, Chibitronics and Opera on Tap have combined forces to create Playground Operatronics, a music education and STEAM program for kids! In September 2022, Playground Opera teaching artists (TAs) […]
Light Up a Dissolve Card with Chibitronics LED Stickers
In my latest tutorial, Dissolve Card: Light Up Picture Switcher, I’ll show you how to make a light-up version of a Victorian Era mechanism known as a dissolve, or dissolve card. This paper mechanics project combines a trick of the eye (and pictures that flip) with a little electronic trickery of our own — Circuit […]
Pop Up Rainbow Card With a Sliding Switch
In my newest tutorial, Rainbow Pop Up Card, we’ll be exploring a couple of eye-popping paper circuit techniques that are as good as gold! In addition to showing you how to create an interactive rainbow card that pops up and lights up when it’s opened, you’ll learn about an innovative sliding switch mechanism that may […]
Lift to Light: An Electrified Cobweb Card
In our first reed switch tutorial, Magical Magnetism: Intro to Reed Switches (Normally Open), we introduced the most common type of reed switch, demonstrated how to use one in a circuit, and showed how to make a magnetic wand that can trigger any circuit you make with one. In this follow up tutorial, Magical Magnetism: Intro […]