Light-Up Valentine Cards

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Contributors: Gella
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Introduction

Light up your love with paper circuits this Valentine's Day - no soldering required! This tutorial will guide you through how to create simple paper circuitry using only copper tape, a coin cell battery, a LilyPad Button Board, and an LED.

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We've adapted some free pop up templates for use with electronics. We'll be covering the electronics build in this tutorial and linking to the original project's instructions for the pop up parts.

Why Aren't We Soldering?

You may have seen Nick's awesome Father's Day Card tutorial and are wondering why this one is different? In classrooms or homes where supplies or budgets are limited, using tape and craft supplies helps keep complexity down. The drawback is that the connections aren't as sturdy/permanent with tape vs solder. You can always use these templates and solder components to the copper tape if you have the supplies on hand.

Another option is to adhere components with a tiny square of Z-Axis Conductive Tape between the copper and component to provide a stronger connection than tape alone.

Suggested Reading

If you are brand new to working with electronics, here's some helpful reading to check out: