Wearable Tech Tips Directly From The Queen

Wearables queen [Becky Stern] with a microcontroller and a speaker. And a skull!

What’s the only thing cooler than building something electronic? That’s right — wearing it proudly for all to see.

But maybe you’re not into wearables. Maybe it’s because you’re afraid of sewing, or simply scared that you won’t be able to launder that blinkenshirt you’ve always wanted to make. Well, the undisputed queen of wearables — [Becky Stern] — has a bunch of beginner tips for making DIY wearables. She’s created dozens and dozens of wearable projects and matching tutorials over the years and has graced these pages many times.

As [Becky] points out, once you have your idea sorted, the next thing you need is the tools to get the skills to do the parts you don’t know how to do yet. Even if that’s almost all of it, then this is the guide for you. Importantly, [Becky] reminds us that we should only bite off what we can chew, and that ready-made modules and such are perfectly fine.

There are some tips here that may surprise you. For instance, [Becky] recommends against conductive thread for beginners who already know how to sew by hand, largely because of power delivery and other issues. She also is somewhat anti-lithium battery pouch, preferring instead to use a couple of AAs or a USB battery bank for the renewability aspect.

Be sure to check out the video after the break, which has these tips and more.

8 thoughts on “Wearable Tech Tips Directly From The Queen

  1. Good tips – especially on conductive threads potential issues, for those who may not come from electronics engineering.

    Some more tips, to anyone making wearables, from my journeys.

    (p)Leather is certainly a good base for wearables. Tried a few different types myself on my sensory weaver wearable test builds before settling on that for now. (gives new senses via haptic feedback using concepts from neuroscience)
    So easy to just do two layers and hide/protect wires and other interesting internals between them. Quesadilla build style makes at least a year+ long build quality, if done right and not exposed to horrible conditions.

    Re: power – USB-C PD negotiation capable power packs for phones/tablets can be hidden in a pocket and run a wire down a sleeve or something, and give more than just 5v if needed, to power more hungry electronics for all day wearables, if not wanting to deal with battery management code yet vs explore other things. A jacket pocket is preferable for distance from body in case of damage (use name brand ones!), but also to prevent potential overheating on heavy draw. Could even Velcro or magnet on for quick release instead, if really worried.

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