Shirt with LEDs

I would like to make a shirt with LEDs in a very specific configuration. I remember having a sweater when I was a kid that had LEDs on a picture of a Christmas tree.

Is there a sewing shop out there who could put a picture on the shirt/ sweater and then punch some holes in some places? I'd like the holes to not fray, so maybe they can sew around the hole like with button holes?

I'm a computer programmer and metal fabricator, so this is all new to me. ; )

Thanks, Grant

Reply to
Grant Stockly
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Grant Stockly wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:

are you familiar with MAKE magazine? the first issue (if i remember correctly) had an LED shirt.

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try to get a back issue through the website. what type of image are you trying to transfer to the shirt & what type of fabric is it going to be? the type of fabric will more or less dictate the best way to do the holes for the LEDs. lee

Reply to
enigma

Suggestion:

Try to find someone in your local area who has an embroidery machine and who can digitize their own designs. With this equipment, someone could do what you are asking.

me

Reply to
jusme

Would many machines accept a DXF/DWG file for hole placement?

Grant

Reply to
Grant Stockly

I think the circuit would be too heavy for a T-shirt, so the next option is a sweater.

The image would be of the front panel of an Altair 8800.

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Reply to
Grant Stockly

Grant Stockly wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@y42g2000hsy.googlegroups.com:

is this more or less a one shot item, or are you planning to wear it a lot? i'm thinking i'd put some infrastructure under t-shirt material to do this. it's possible to do an image with lights without too much trouble, but if you want the switches, i'd have to really think about how i'd do it... that does get into a bit of weight. lee

Reply to
enigma

innews: snipped-for-privacy@y42g2000hsy.googlegroups.com:

It would only be one at first with potential for additional units later. This would be somewhat of a novelty thing for a very small audience of vintage computer enthusiasts. ; ) I'm accustomed to paying high prices for one off items... I wouldn't be using toggle switches. I'm still thinking about all of the options. I appreciate all of the feedback so far! All of you have been very helpful!

My original goal was to have a working version of an Altair. On second thought it might be just as worth while to make the lights blink and have the switches in the picture.

Is using an embroidery machine equipped shop still the best option when only needing LED holes? I will try to see what I can find about the MAKE T-Shirt. I can generate the photo with mechanical locations in Adobe Illustrator, assuming the embroidery machine can handle common drafting file formats.

I live in Anchorage Alaska, so I'm not sure we have a lot of shops like this. I'm sure there are a few, but just in case, are there any good continental places? Someone who could do the holes and image on a given shirt?

Thanks! Grant

Reply to
Grant Stockly

Grant Stockly wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@o80g2000hse.googlegroups.com:

ok, without the toggles & with blinking LEDs (which you could have random or programmed as to order for a bit more work), i'm pretty sure it wold be doable on a good quality t-shirt, a heavy weight sweatshirt would be even better though. sweaters would need additional stabilizing (over what a sweatshirt would need) & would likely stretch oddly around the edges of the design.

on a shirt? that *would* be something, but a wee bit impractical (or uncomfortable)... how big is that MB? i'm not going to say it can't be done, because i think it can... i just don't think anyone would want to wear something that heavy/bulky (unless you can somehow reduce the bulk of the electronics?)

a machine embroidered picture would both stabilize the shirt and keep the areas where the holes are for the LEDs from stretching/tearing. it *will* be rather stiff due to it's size, but it would be wearable. i don't know enough about commercial embroidery machines to know if they can sew the eyelets (that's the term for the holes where the LEDs will go), but they can certainly sew around the area so you can carefully punch the holes open with an awl. i think getting embroidery done as a one-off is expensive, but i suspect you might have Altair fans that want their own blinking sweatshirts ;) lee

Reply to
enigma

Grant, there is photo transfer paper made specifically for putting a picture on fabric so you could do that part yourself. There are all different types of this transfer paper -- some needs to go through a large commercial copy machine and other types work well on a home printer. Once you have the image copied to the transfer paper, you just iron it on to your fabric or garment. I have added lights (made specifically for this purpose) to stuff with both the copied photo ironed on a sweatshirt and with designs I painted directly on the shirt. The lights I have come 10 to a strand and have a very small watch battery in a little flat box that is attached with velcro to the inside of the garment. I have strands of lights that are all clear and some that are red/green/yellow. I didn't bother much about the holes either. I just used a sewing awl to poke a small hole in the knit and pushed the light into the hole. The stuff the photo is made of (or the paint in the case of painted shirts) kept the hole from getting too big. The light are kept in place by use of a little black "O" ring. I bought my lights online from Hobby Lobby's craft site --

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-- search for "fashion lights" and the SKU is 299297, cost is $4.99 per set and they are LED lights. Anyway -- good luck and I'm sure that once you get the picture of the piece of equipment on the front of the shirt (I strongly recommend using a sweatshirt because it will hold the weight of the lights best) you won't need to worry about the holes needed for the lights. Feel free to e-mail me if you need more info about doing this. I used to make and sell holiday sweatshirts with the lights and they are great. I even have several shirts of my own :-)! CiaoMeow >^;;^<PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties)Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at
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Reply to
Tia Mary

... And there's always "fray check" or clear nail polish to help with any stray fraying strands.

HTH

--Karen D.

Reply to
Veloise

Check out

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she shows some designs with the LED lights. I think she might have a tutorial on how to use them also.

Cathi

Reply to
Lee & Cathi Thomas

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