Each project covers a basic idea like lighting the eyes in a mask or creating a glowing jewel necklace, but keep in mind they’re also flexible enough to use in any number of ways in your costume.
1. LED Jewel Necklace
With zero soldering and no programming required, this first LED project is about as easy as it gets. Essentially all you need to do is find a necklace that works with your outfit and wrap a short string of LED lights around it, disguising the wires. Simple as that.
Once you’ve added LEDs to your costume like this, you’ll be happy to know that you only need a few extra components to start building out more interesting and customizable designs. To take you from pre-built lights to wiring the perfect LED for your cosplay, make sure to check out our guide explaining how to solder with a few simple tips and projects.
2. LED Pendant
This next project will help you create an LED pendant with easily customizable code (for changing light patterns) using a tiny Adafruit ItsyBitsy microcontroller. The trickiest part of this build is dealing with very small parts which can be hard to assemble. It only requires through-hole soldering, however, so it’s definitely achievable if this is only your third or fourth time soldering electronics.
With a small battery, an on/off switch, and a NeoPixel Jewel LED, you’ve got all the core parts needed to create a perfect glowing pendant. Once you’ve built the electronics, you can start to look for something to house it in, or you can check out the Adafruit tutorial to see how you can embed the electronics into resin.
3. Floating LED Fireball With Motion Sensing
Don’t have a soldering iron yet? Then give this LED fireball project a go. Instead of focusing on learning how to solder wires together, this beginner project will teach you a bit about programming lights through Microsoft’s MakeCode. It’s a visual programming platform that uses colored drag-and-drop blocks to write a program.
A glowing flames effect is a super-versatile prop in cosplay; you can use it to build a fiery Diablo costume or alter it to look more like Wanda’s Scarlet Witch magic. For this project, you will need the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express microcontroller which adds motion sensing to your LEDs and steps up the level of your cosplay. If this is enough to convince you, you can head over to the Adafruit website for a detailed tutorial.
4. Neon LED Stick Person Costume
There are a ton of different LED lights that you can buy for your project, and in this one you will be using a neon-like LED made with flexible silicone. This Adafruit tutorial will walk you through how to solder the LEDs to extra wire to create a custom-fit LED Stick Person costume. But don’t be limited to this idea: once you understand how to wire the lights together, you can start to use them to suit whatever character you are creating.
This project is made even simpler by the fact you won’t need a microcontroller or any code to operate the lights. Simply plug them into a battery, and you’re good to go. By just adding one extra step of soldering, however, you can custom-fit the LEDs exactly to your required length, which helps when fitting props or costumes with lights.
5. Masks With LED Eyes
As you learn more about LEDs, you’ll start to find that they come in all different shapes and sizes. In the project video above, you’ll learn how to modify a plastic mask to recreate the Marvel character Moon Knight by cleverly placing two small button LEDs behind the eyes.
In another example, this YouTube video explains how to use bendable, flat, rectangular LEDs to light up the eyes in an Iron Man helmet. When fitted in the right way, LEDs are a quick and easy addition to your cosplay that will give it an extra shine.
6. LED Light-Up Shoes With Vibration Sensor
At first glance, these shoes simply look like a pair of children’s light-up sneakers but, of course, it’s what you can do with them that makes them great. Use this tutorial on Adafruit to learn how to wire an LED light strip onto any footwear and knowing this, you can get creative with adding lights to your cosplay all the way from your head to your toes.
To complete this build, you will need the Adafruit Gemma V2 microcontroller, a vibration sensor, plus a little patience to assemble it together. Overall, it’s a great way to practice soldering and programming, and with a few more projects like this under your belt, you’ll soon be ready to complete our favorite cosplay electronics projects that are a bit more advanced.
7. Sew-On LED Sequins
Wearable electronics companies have produced some components that are perfect for cosplay, including these teeny-tiny LED sequins that you can sew onto your clothing. While working on such a small scale can be difficult, the pay-off might be worth it when you imagine all the different ways you can seamlessly embed LEDs into your costume.
You don’t need a microcontroller to drive these little guys, although doing so will give you the option to add blinking patterns and fades. If you’re familiar with sewing techniques then they will come in handy as you will need to use conductive thread to attach the LEDs. If you’re curious about what else you can make with electronics, here is a long list of great Arduino projects for beginners.
Light Up Your Cosplay With DIY Electronics
For a beginner in electronics, starting out with these simple LED projects will give you a great introduction to basic skills like soldering, as well as programming. Learning about the different shapes and sizes of LED lights will also help you choose the right light for future costumes.
After trying your hand at one of these projects, you’ll start to imagine all the different ways LEDs can make your cosplay shine.
