Light-Up R2D2 Star Wars Poster

Take a simple movie poster and add light and interactivity! Any poster with a light-up character deserves to shed some real-life light! Make it happen with just a few materials. In no time your room will be the envy of all movie lovers!

You will need:

• Movie Poster
• Foam Board big enough to mount the poster on
• Spray Adhesive
• Craft Knife
• Awl
• Scissors
• Clear tape
• Maker Tape
• Coin Cell Battery
• A small piece of card stock or thick paper

Optional:

• Squeegee
• T-Square

Use the instructions on your spray adhesive or glue to mount the poster to the poster board. If you have a squeegee, it's helpful if you use it to smooth the poster down to the foam board.

Trim the edges if necessary as shown. If you have one, use a T-Square to make the edges perfectly square.

Decide where to place your switch. Be creative! Think about a place in your poster where it will enhance the story of the poster if the switch is there. Peel back the poster from the poster board in this area.

Cut a square shape where the switch will go and pop it out. !!!! Keep the square to use later. (don't throw it away)

Smooth the poster back in place, glued to the poster board. You may need to add a bit more glue if the glue stopped being sticky.

Use an awl to make two holes for the LED wires to poke through the poster.

Tip: If you don't have an awl, make a horizontal slit in the poster with your craft knife and press both wires thought the slit.

Then, insert the LED so that the legs stick through the holes (or hole) and make sure it is sitting flush on the surface of the poster.

Turn the poster over, and pull the wires so that the LED is flush on the front of the poster.

Remember which wire is positive (the long one) and negative (the short one). Fold the wires flat against the poster in opposite directions. As soon as you do this, label them with a "+" and "-" so that you don't forget.

Place your battery on the negative wire, positive side up.

Take out some Maker Tape. Starting above the battery, tape the battery to the poster board as shown. Make sure the negative side of the battery is touching the negative leg of the LED, and the Maker tape only touches the positive side of the battery while you tape it.

Continue to create a path to the square hole in the poster board where the switch will go. If you go around a corner, fold the tape away from the direction you are headed first, make a crease, then continue in the direction you were headed originally. This way, there is a nice corner crease in your design.

Cut a strip of card stock that will fit inside the box hole. Then, fold the strip so that it sits inside as shown.

Fold the strip so that it sits inside as shown.

Cut small pieces of Maker Tape to cover the inside of the flap as shown.

Cut two pieces of maker tape. Adhere them to the square piece as shown, with a gap between them.

Tip: Check that there is no adhesive on this square piece. If there is, cover it with a bit of tape to prevent it from being sticky.

Place the card stock switch piece in the square hole with the flaps folded down so that only a small amount of the Maker Tape inside is visible. Then, place the square foam board piece in the square hole facing down as shown.

Now, when this section is pressed, the switch piece will bridge the gap between the two pieces on the cardstock and close the switch.

Connect one of the strips of Maker Tape to the line of Maker Tape coming from the LED.

Direct the second piece toward the LED and adhere it to the poster board as shown.

Adhere Maker Tape to the positive side of the LED by making a loop around the positive LED leg as shown. Then, continue to connect this piece to the piece of Maker Tape coming from the other side of the switch.

Test your switch by squeezing the poster board where the switch is located. You should see the LED light up!

When your circuit is working, place clear tape over the switch to maintain its structure when being pressed.

Create a label for your switch and tape it in place over the switch location.

You did it! Your poster is ready for action. :)