MATERIALS
Super TV-B-Gone Kit item #MKAD4 from the
Maker Shed (
makershed.com), $22
Hooded sweatshirt with metal zipper slider,
non-metal zipper teeth, and front pocket
Conductive thread $3 for 5yds from Sternlab
(
sternlab.org/store)
Stranded wire
Thread
Fabric swatch, about 2"× 3"
Sewable metal snaps ( 6–8)
Heat-shrink tubing
TOOLS
Sewing needle and pins
Soldering iron and solder
Hot glue gun and glue
Awl
Scissors
Sandpaper
Sewing machine (optional)
2 Switchleads
3 Powerleads
5 Zipper
7 Batteries
1
67
2
45
3
1 Metal zipper
pull
4 Conductive thread pads
6 TV-B-Gone
A
B
C
D
E
Illustration by Julian Honoré/ p4rse.com
H
Finally, use regular thread to sew the last 2 unconnected snap halves at the other end of the swatch.
F
G
3. Stitch the zipper switch.
Thread your needle with the conductive thread tails
near the zipper, one at a time. Stitch 2 little pads
right next to the zipper, close enough to each other
to be bridged by the zipper slider (Figures F and G).
Sand any paint off the metal zipper slider anywhere
it will come into contact with the thread (Figure H).
Power on, and turn off some TVs!
Your TV-B-Gone hoodie is machine washable;
just unsnap the circuit and remove the batteries
beforehand, and let it dry completely before
replacing them. You could even make the battery
pack removable, by connecting it with metal
snaps, too.
Becky Stern (
sternlab.org) is associate editor for Make:
Online (
makezine.com) and CRAFT (
craftzine.com).
69 Make:
