Basic Electronics for Cosplay
Adding lights and small electronics to a cosplay can add a new layer of “wow” – but getting started is daunting. This post is intended to provide links to the tools needed to start, learning resources, and shopping options for electronic components, as well as some high level safety notes concerning basic electronics for cosplay.
An important note – not all electronics need to be solder-yourself, super intense electronics. Premade light strips with USB battery packs are very budget friendly and can work just as well! Get creative, work with what makes you comfortable, have fun, and don’t be afraid to ask for help!
PPE and Safety Equipment
Messing with lights and electronics is fun, but it’s even more fun when you’re safe about it (keeps you healthy to make more cosplays!)
- Make sure you work in a well ventilated area – many of the materials used for soldering and electronics are fume-y and caustic. Not great for inhaling!
- Wear eye protection – most people only ever get 2 eyeballs. Protect them!
- Wear a mask – ventilation is important, but the fumes are still in your face. Like eyes, most people only have 2 lungs. Protect them!
- Gloves are great – especially for people with sensitive skin and/or people who don’t want to get soldering flux and other icky stuff on their fingers
- Hot things are hot – if you’re worried about your fingers, heat resistant gloves are your friend
A Note About Safety
Working with electronics is inherently a risky practice – electricity can get hot, batteries are not toys, and it’s best to work carefully and proceed with caution.
I won’t be getting into anything much beyond 3.7V in this post. That’s realistically the smallest voltage to work with and is where I recommend beginners start.
If you decide to proceed with electronics beyond this panel, please do your research or engage a professional with the proper knowledge and training.
Stay Safe!!!
Math and Vocab
Unfortunately math is an incredibly important aspect of electronics (I hate math) – but fortunately it’s not too complicated, it’s basic math. In order to do the math, we will need to know some vocab terms involved in electronics.
Vocab
- Voltage (V) is the pressure from the battery that pushes charged electrons (current) through a conducting (your wires/lights)
- Current is the rate at which electrons flow past a point in a circuit. This is measured in Amperes, labeled with mA (for milliAmp) or A
- Resistance serves as an indicator of how difficult it is for current to flow – this is measured in ohms (Ω)
Formulas
Calculating Battery Life
mAh provided by battery / total mA req’d by LED
= Battery Life (in hours)
Example:
- Coin Batteries provide 240mAh
- LEDs require 20mA
240mAh / 20 mA
= 12 hours of battery life at full brightness
Calculating Resistance
This is important when hooking multiple lights in a series circuit or when needing to calculate what kind of resistor you need to use.
Voltage / Current
= Resistance
Example:
- Coin batteries are 3 Volt
- LEDs draw at a rate of 20mA (or 0.02 A)
3.0 V battery / 0.02 A of draw from the LED
= 150 Ohms of Resistance within the circuit