Hack Your Notebook at the library!

Our first Craft Lab project this fall is Hack Your Notebook (September 23 at the Dundee Library, and September 30 at the Randall Oaks Library). Draw, sketch, or doodle something and then light up your creation with copper tape, LED stickers, batteries, and binder clips. We will start by making a simple circuit and move on to assembling parallel circuits and simple switches. I made some quick drawings in my notebook to use as examples.

This is a simple circuit:

I know what you're wondering-- It's a funfetti cake with vanilla buttercream frosting... covered in sprinkles.

The copper tape runs from the positive side of the battery to the positive side of the LED sticker, and then another piece of copper tape runs from the negative side of the LED sticker to the negative side of the battery. When the corner of the page is pressed down on the battery with a binder clip, the circuit is closed and the candle in the birthday scene drawing lights up!

Here are two examples of parallel circuits:

Winter is coming, and Squirrel and Chipmunk have a bright idea of what to do with the acorns.

I knew I wanted the light from the LEDs to be lightbulbs over the heads of the squirrel and chipmunk, so I planned the circuit accordingly. I drew straight lines connecting the positive side of the battery to touch the tops of LEDs, and the other line connects the negative side of the battery to the points of the LED stickers. It's important to press down on the copper tape and stickers to ensure the connection is closed.

In the next drawing I used the LED stickers as the eyes of a fox enchanted by the promise of free, delicious pizza! Because the LEDs are closer together in this drawing, it was a little easier when planning this circuit.

Mr. Fox can't believe his luck.

The last example is of adding a simple switch to a drawing:

Lonely Bench

In the above drawing I wanted to put the switch under the hand of the person on the ladder. In this way, when I press down on that part of the drawing, the street light turns on.

The possibilities are endless for how you can hack your notebooks! 

Don't forget to register:
Wednesday, September 23, 6:30 p.m. - Dundee Library
Wednesday, September 30, 6 p.m. - Randall Oaks Library