Fig. A: Plan your design, thinking about positive and negative shapes. Fig. B: A small sharp pair of scissors makes cutting easier. Fig. C: When piercing, make sure to touch the legs of the solar cells. Fig. D: Pushing the legs flat

F

G

together makes for a secure connection. Fig. E: A line is easy to begin with. Fig. F: Bend the legs as close to the base as possible. Fig. G: Double check the diagram to make sure the capacitor is correctly oriented.

your pattern on section A (Figure A). Use small scissors to cut the shapes (Figure B).

ground to ground – this type of capacitor can blow up if connected backward.

2. Build the solar circuit. a. Carefully study Diagram 1, also available at craftzine.com/06/wear_solar, paying attention to the components and connections.

d. Connect the 1N5818 diode to the capacitor’s positive leg, and connect the resistor to its ground leg. The diode keeps the charge from leaking out of the capacitor; pay attention to the direction of the diode by looking for the stripe (Diagram 1). Use pliers to carefully twist the component legs around the capacitor leads. Snip off any excess wire.

b. Connect the solar cells together in a series as shown in Diagram 1. Following line C on the pattern, pierce the legs of each cell through the felt. Each cell has a positive leg (+) marked by a small dot, and e. Finish the circuit by connecting the components a ground (-). Connect each cell’s leg to the following with wire, following the circuit placement diagram. cell’s leg of the opposite value (Figure C) on the Prepare each piece of wire by stripping off ½" from back side of the felt. Use pliers to bend the touching the ends with wire strippers (Figure H). legs together flush against the felt (Figure D). Each cell delivers 0.5 volts — which alone is not enough to power the LED. Connected in series, all 10 cells combine to produce just under 5 volts (Figure E).

f. Cut a piece of wire that runs the length of the fabric. Attach one end to the positive leg of the capacitor, in front of the diode. The other end will connect to the female snap switch (Step 4).

c. Bend the legs of the capacitor flat (Figure F). Match the ground (marked with a stripe) and positive leads of the capacitor with the solar cells. Sew the capacitor into the fabric (Figure G). The capacitor stores the charge from the cells. Be sure to match

g. Find the LED’s positive and ground legs (see Diagram 2); usually the longer leg is positive, but you can test with a watch battery to be sure (Diagram 3). Pass the legs through the button from the outside of