For my creative switch project I wanted to make a constellation map that would activate when you touched it. I wanted to place it inside of a book so that it had the potential of creating different pages with different constellations. In order to do this, I needed to choose a constellation to replicate and collect the LEDs and resistors needed to activate the stars. Below are the materials I ended up using;

Nine RGB LEDs, Nine 120 Ohm resistors, Five 3 volt batteries, Conductive Tape.

The first step in creating this project was to map out the constellation and the paths for the circuits. I placed the ‘stars’ into three separate rows and created three different circuits to create the shape of the Orion constellation. For this project I used parallel circuits to ensure that each LED received the voltage necessary to light it up. I then labeled the positive and negative sides of each LED so I knew which direction to put them in.

The next step was to lay down the conductive tape and all of the resistors and LEDs. This can be a time consuming process, but it is important to keep everything very tight and organized so that the circuit stays connected. Testing to make sure that the circuit is working is also important, so it is a good idea to plug in the batteries to ensure that the lights stay on.

Now that all the wiring is done, it was time to work on the structure of the book. I set the circuit down about twenty pages into the book so that I could use an exacto knife to carve holes where the LEDs go so that they could poke through and be seen while keeping all of the wiring hidden. This front page will also be where the touch pad for the lights will be. I also carved down into the other side of the sketch book in order to create battery holders for the 3 volt batteries, making it so they could sit nicely with the book closed.

Since the conductive tape is not the most reliable connective material, I found that it often required pressure in order to close the circuit. Because of this, I was able to create my touch pad by connecting the batteries and closing my book, and in order to light up the stars you would have to press down on various locations on the paper. While this was not necessarily the original intention of the creative switch, this was the end result and I was able to create a tactile surface to light up my star LEDs and create a fun light up experience. In the future I would create this with genuine wire and perhaps use a pressure switch in order to create the same effect, but for now I was generally pleased with the colorful and fun to play with result!