Iron Man Arc Reactor

youmagine

I designed this project and wore it to the SLC Comic-Con 2014. There are two main components: the top cover and the LED holder. The LED holder is more intricate than necessary because I added dimming capabilities driven by a microcontroller. I chose not to invest in a circuit board, so the soldering was done on the back of the LED holder. Notes on construction: There are numerous holes for LEDs (I used blue). I connected them into 3 banks of LEDs. Since I used a microcontroller, I controlled the banks via MOSFETs, but if you just want to turn on the lights, you can simply drive the LEDs directly from the battery pack. I kept the battery pack in my pocket, with a cable running up the inside of my shirt to the device. An elastic strap holds the device in place (I ran it over one shoulder and under the other arm - running it across my chest made it look awkward). I used a small amount of unused toilet paper on the inside of the top cover to diffuse the light. When I built it, I didn't bother adding a back cover, so some electronics touched my undershirt. Over time, it felt slightly warm and tickly. I don't think the voltage was high enough to notice - I think it was just something touching lightly. Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Marvel Universe. However, I created this model from scratch by looking at pictures online.