This is a simple small PCB that has only one coin-cell holder and one power switch. Up above is a PCB (printed circuit board) I designed specifically for electronic suncatcher projects: The chain itself is the negative of the circuit, it links directly to the majority of the copper in the suncatcher. How are the whiskers connected to the battery’s positive terminal? Errr… so I used the thinnest enamel (meaning, insulated) coated copper wire I could buy… so I don’t blame you for not seeing it. They are also make sure the isolated sections of copper foil do not detach from the glass, the adhesive backing they have is actually fairly weak. The isolated/positive part of the tail is connected to the isolated copper part of the head via those cat whiskers. The size of the LEDs are tiny, it’s a surface mounted 0603 size, this means no legs. The positive/cathode side of the LEDs are soldered to the isolated copper part of the tail, and the negative/anode side of the LED is connected to the outer side of the tail via 30 gauge wiring. The picture above is showing how the LEDs are soldered onto the tail. The gaps in the copper tape is what divides the positive side from the negative side. What’s important is that this circuit has a positive and negative side, electricity will flow from (don’t kill me for saying the next part) the positive side of the battery, through the LEDs, and into the negative side. This is the most basic circuit, it involves a battery and LEDs in parallel.
The LEDs is a part of an electrical circuit.
I’ll start by showing you two pictures of the head and tail of the cat with the copper foil attached, look very closely…ĭo you see the gaps in the tape? on each piece, there’s a small isolated portion of copper. The fine folks at Cradle of the Sun (if you live in the SF Bay Area, this could be your local glass shop! map link) have asked me to show them how I make my magic happen: Optionally, apply patina to the solder to give it that dark aged look, and clean again.
Just a teaser preview of my second projectīefore I start talking about the geeky part, I’d like to summarize the basic steps in making a basic piece of stained glass artwork like this: I’ve been asked to teach how this is done… This is essentially black magic to most glass artists and a huge “duh” moment to all the makers and engineers. It’s nearly Christmas again! I’ve started to learn a new craft, an ancient one, and started to mix it up with modern technology.īehold, stained glass suncatcher with embedded LEDs
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