Copper Tape Circuit

This concept could be used for a lighted pathway in a building, a cool dance project, or to train your pet to turn the lights on when they need to go outside or be fed! Whatever you choose to do with it, it's a great example of what you can do with copper tape and LEDs and how circuits work.

1. Copper tape

2. Solder and soldering iron

3. Regular tape

4. Battery

5. 10mm LEDs (any color)

Your design can be pretty much anything, but there needs to be a place where the negative side of the battery can touch one section of copper tape, while the positive side can touch the other. There needs to be another gap in the tape where you will solder your LEDs to the circuit. Finally, be sure you leave a space where you can place another piece of tape later to close the circuit.

Peel off the backside of the tape so that the sticky part is exposed and place it how you've drawn it out in your design.

Use the solder and soldering iron to solder the LEDs to the copper tape. Be sure to solder the positive and negative sides of the LED to the tape so that they will connect to the matching side of the battery. Make sure you have been instructed on how to use the soldering iron prior to doing this!

You can't place the regular tape directly over the battery because it will cancel out the connection. Put the negative part of the copper tape onto the negative side of the battery, and same for the positive. Then tape the battery in once the copper tape is connected to it.

Stick a piece of copper tape to your shoe or anywhere else you choose!

After placing the copper tape on your shoe (or anywhere else!), step on the spot you left open to close the circuit. If your battery is fully charged and everything is connected properly, the LEDs will light up!

Use this process to create all kinds of creative ideas!