Wearable Arc Reactor
Introduction: Wearable Arc Reactor
This Arc Reactor is a fully customizable under-the-shirt prop. It looks authentic, it is cheap to make, and it makes a great last-minute costume. As an added bonus the Trinket Pro can be programmed to make the Arc Reactor light up in different colors and patterns.
Supplies
- 6 LEDs from a programmable light strip (Neopixels etc.)
- Standard Wire
- Old USB Cable (Ideally long enough to reach from your chest to your pocket)
- Small Powerbank
-Trinket Pro 5v
- Foam Board or Cardboard
- Diffuser (Tissue Paper, Clear PLA, Sanded Plexiglass)
- PLA or PETG Ideally in gray
- Elastic Band for the Harness
For tools, you will need the following:
- Soldering Iron
- Hot Glue Gun
- Wire Strippers
- Exacto Knife
- 3D printer
- Sewing Machine
- Ideally, some Helping Hands to help you solder
Step 1: 3D Print Your Piece(s)
This is by far the most time-consuming part of the entire project so you will want to get this going while you work on some of the other parts of the Reactor. I used a file by Thingiverse user <PERSON>. I printed only the top part and skipped the back, if you have clear PLA you should also print a Light screen. I would recommend printing the Reactor out of gray or silver PLA.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3579932/files
Step 2: Create Your Harness
This will be what keeps your reactor from falling off and causing panic as the shards of metal in your heart begin to circulate. First off you need to measure your chest, once you have that dimension you should cut a piece of elastic band to that length and sew it into a circle. Once you have stitched the bottom part of your harness, slide it over your head and situate it on your chest. Once you have done that, measure the elastic band length to go over your shoulder and attach it to the front and back of the chest piece. Repeat for the other shoulder and you should have a harness to hold up your reactor.
One note: When stitching your elastic you should always stitch a rectangle with an X through it (As shown above) for maximum strength.
Step 3: Prepare Your Reactor for Electronics
Once your reactor is done printing you will need to add in a diffuser to make the LEDs less conspicuous. I used 3 layers of tissue paper. After, you need to cut an insert out of cardboard or foam board to house your electronics. Once you have made the insert, poke a hole in the upper left-hand corner. 997
I recommend adding material along the edges to keep the circuits off your chest. When you have completed this step you will be ready to create your circuit.
Step 4: Making Your LED Triangle
While this circuit is easy to make it can be tedious to do some of the more precise soldering. if you struggle with soldering I recommend that you watch a video on becoming more precise. With that out of the way the first thing that you will want to do is turn your light strip into a triangular shape. For this, you will want to cut 3 sets of 2 LED sections and arrange them on your insert to get a feel for how long your wires will need to be. Next, you will need to solder wire lengths that match the angle of the strips, this can be very difficult so take your time and work carefully. With your triangle closed on 2 of its corners, you will want to solder 1 1/2 inch wires to one side of your triangle and run them up through the hole you made earlier.
Step 5: Wiring to Your Trinket and USB
With your triangular LED strip completed, you will need to make yourself a power cord, to do this take your old USB cable and cut off the non-USB end. Once you have cut this you will need to strip back the outer casing of your wire and reveal the black and red wires inside, you will need to strip those wires as well. At this point, if this cord does not reach from your chest to your pocket, add wire so that it does reach. With that completed, you will want to twist the black wire of the USB cable to the ground wire from your LEDs. You will need to twist the red wire to the 5v wire from your LEDs. Once both of these connections are made you will need to solder another 1-inch length of wire onto each of these connections. Once these 3-way connections are done you will be ready to solder all of your wires to your trinket. First, solder your ground wire to the G pin, then solder your 5v wire to, you guessed it the 5v pin. 635