PROJECTS: SPEED VEST
makezine.com/19/speedvest
6. ASSEMBLE THE VEST
6a. Now attach the hardware to the vest. We used velcro tape,
but with hindsight I recommend you sew it or use plain old safety
pins. They’re cheaper and more secure, and we haven’t
yet needed to remove and reconnect the display.
6b. (Optional) Brady used his beloved Print Gocco miniature
screen-printing kit to add some extra safety-bling to the vest:
a reflective “MY SPEED” banner to run along the top. You could
also just use reflective paint or tape.
7. OOPS! QUICK — BUILD A CASE! (DUH!)
It’s stunningly un-chic to have dangly bits of electronics trailing
out behind your butt, or tangled in your spokes. But somehow,
we failed to foresee the obvious need for a case. Under extreme
deadline pressure, our original Speed Vest had a ghetto-tech
case made from scrap cardboard and rubber bands.
For the version shown here, built by Kris from MAKE, she used a
plastic soap dish, and then after that disappeared from the lab,
she tucked it into a small box. The case just fits into the pocket of
the vest, so it isn’t visible, but I’ll still bet you can do better!
We ran the ribbon cable through a tiny slit in the integrated rear
pouch of our vest. The case fits snugly in the pouch, hiding all our
sloppiness while letting our invention shine!
» Special thanks to Nick Sanders at West County Cycle Service
for his help with our build.
108 Make: Volume 19
