Arduino Wearables

C H A P T E R  13

EL Wire Dress

It is hard to deny that LED dresses look cool, but designing with LEDs might seem a bit limited because if LEDs are placed too far from the microcontroller, construction often becomes more complex. Even with highly conductive thread, the length of the thread becomes an issue if you use threads that are too long because the thread can’t carry the current needed to power the LEDs. Making long connections in wearables is also always a problem because it adds to the chances of the connections breaking.

In this project, we will focus on another dress that lights up, but instead of using LEDs, we will use EL wire. EL wire follows the same principles as the EL panels used in the solar-powered glow-in-the-dark project. ...