How to add LED's and Lights to Props and Cosplay Costumes

[@7Freya7]

Using just hot glue to attach your LEDs? BRILLIANT! Absolutely brilliant. I´m very happy you shared this!

[@KRSprops]

Thanks! of course its not going to be as reliable as soldering but as long as you make sure the wires have good contact and you twist them together tightly before gluing on top, you should have no problems!

[@benmasi2483]

This was super helpful with understanding wiring??? Like with switches and stuff. I just made my first light up prop thanks to this video!

[@quiksilvababe]

the most legit LED for cosplay video, THANK YOU

[@ArdentlyLevis]

This tutorial is ace! I'm working on a draenei from world of Warcraft in crystalforge armour and with hammer of the naaru...I'll need lots of LEDs and this is by far the most helpful tutorial I've seen. Thank you :D

[@eyesofashes5320]

I plan on making a Hero Headset Replica from Splatoon, this LED video definitely helped and gave me more ideas on how I'll be able to make it! I'm still stumped on what the actual shell should be made out of though.......

[@Gabi-gg5de]

Im a bit late lol, this is so helpful! I'm planning on making a futuristic visor that covers the face except the mouth because I couldn't find one to buy XD.

[@TimeBombRosette]

You have no idea how much I love you for this video. I am terrified of soldering, figuring out the voltage, etc. This is so helpful!

[@TimeBombRosette]

Can't thank you enough! I used this for the lights on my costume!

[@ekimr90]

I like this technique! I may have to give it a try since my project has a weird contour that would be difficult to accommodate with stiffer materials like HDPE.

[@MarijaEnchantix]

This is probably the most encouraging video out there regarding wiring LEDs. I read a lot that using hot glu is bad and all that stuff, but you seem to do ti and you're fine so I will jsut go with it :)

[@KRSprops]

hot glue definitely isn't the best method, if you have the time and skill you should always solder because it's much more durable! but for quick props and costumes hot glue works just fine!

[@MarijaEnchantix]

+KRSprops I 'm putting the LEDs inside a resin gem and then putting it in a staff so it will be pretty much static and sealed. Also, I don't have access to a soldering iron and I have only theoretical knowledge of how to solder ( yay for being a girl :D ) Another question - I wire up the LEDs, add the resistors and everything, but instead of glowing red, they glow orange and become a bit warm. Does this mean the battery is too strong? ( I'm using a 9V battery for 3x2V LEDs)

[@KRSprops]

+Alsy LED's shouldn't produce much heat, if they are getting quite warm you should double check the voltage they are meant to use

[@CuteyKitty]

So helpful! Starting to make a portal gun and using a lot of your tips. Thanks

[@kyleapevan8725]

Do you plan on making anymore tutorials in the future? I've learnt a lot from your previous tutorials and would love to see more.

[@RebelCityProps]

Great video as always man.

[@alexkither2046]

This video helped me so much with my cosplay! THANK YOU!!!! :D (also your cosplays are amazing!)

[@KRSprops]

thanks :D

[@jojishigesso]

Nice tutorial man! I'm new to cosplay stuff and I really want to learn all there is to know. Your video was really helpful!!

[@KRSprops]

+jojishigesso youre welcome! glad i could help! you should check out some of my other videos, they may also help you learn something useful for cosplay :)

[@Lady_Bug63]

omg dude

[@JeffLafferty]

Great video, I'm going to try this out.

[@OcarinaOfTimeNerd]

Thank you! This just helped me out so much!

[@kikiyoinuyasha]

Thanks this helps SO EFFING MUCH!

[@Kawaiicraftlab]

What would your suggestion be to make a strand of lights I have a belt i want to make glow and there are 6 cubes on each belt and they are about 2 inchs apart I was going to use led fairy lights but the length between the light isn't long enough. Please help!

[@blueeyedstray6238]

thank you so much for this, I was about to go completely insane because I really want to do a Maki Cosplay from Love Live (Cyber Set) and I have no idea on how to do the headphones and the dress with the LEDs ._. Thanks man :D

[@pacman5698]

How do you control turning the led's on or off when the whole assembly is done? Like you take the cosplay off and then put it somewhere else, but you need the lights to stop shining. Is there a switch or a button included somewhere?

[@KRSprops]

I will copy the reply I posted to a similar question "Essentially for all the LED's you want to connect all positive together and all negative together, however in there you also need a switch and battery. So what you do is connect a battery connector in parallel as well, positive to positive, negative to negative, then what you do is add a switch into one of the battery connector wires! Voila you have a parallel circuit with a switch! hope that makes sense!"

[@captaintessadventures1513]

I don't know if you'll know the answer to my question, but have you seen RWBY first of all? If you have this will kinda help you understand what I'm trying to do with LED lights.

[@randykowal3397]

thank you so much this really helped

[@iamsamcake]

Thank you for making this video, very helpful! I'm trying to make my first piece with LED's and have a question: I'm going to need 6 different colors, what would be the best way to attach all these to a battery?

[@KRSprops]

how many LED's will you be using? Parrallell is usually the best way to wire LED's together as it means that all your LED's will be as bright as if only one LED was hooked up to the battery! however it also means the battery will run down faster, so if you have A LOT of LED's maybe best to split into two groups and wire to two seperate batteries to extend battery life

[@darkness71598]

I got two questions , Is there a way to make a switch to turn them off and on, and two what type of material you use to make your props, btw this was a helpful video gave me a place to start. I am planning on making a scale replica of a characters armor from guild wars 2 and part of the process is getting the gauntlet to light up.

[@vagrant19d]

For cheap visors you can use screen protector film from the dollar store.

[@KRSprops]

@Nate Snow The battery pack is in the helmet where i could find space and the switch is also inside the helmet

[@savin0279]

what if you want to use a lever how would you set it up?

[@KRSprops]

+ian munoz Im not sure what you mean sorry, what do you mean by lever?

[@savin0279]

+KRSprops I mean say you have 2 pairs of LEDS 1 pair is blue and the other is orange and say you want to use them because you're making a portal gun and you want to make so you can use a lever to turn it to blue or orange and off

[@KRSprops]

+ian munoz whether you can do that with one switch entirely depends on what type of switch you can get. I dont know where you can get a 3 way switch so I would personally just wire up each set of LED's to their own switch and turn them on and off as i pleased

[@savin0279]

Oh okay then

[@eexuaa9736]

I was your 5,600th sub

[@KRSprops]

@ Kyle ap Evan, I do plan on making more! University has just slowed things down majorly haha :P

[@FrozenGuineaPig]

How do you attach the LEDs to the battery?

[@KRSprops]

You can buy battery connectors from ebay too :) I use 9v battery connectors

[@Blackinese22]

Your video has answered not just 1 but 2 major questions I had about LEDs! (extreamly helpfull) I'm making large butterfly wings that glow and change colors but I was having trouble figuring out how to diffuse the lights enough for that effect. The visor trick is genius but I would need large sheets of that plastic, Do you know where sheets of that same plastic could be ordered? like 36"× 46" dimensions?

[@KRSprops]

I don't have a supplier in mind but you could Google online for plastic rolls of acetate that's ruined black¿

[@Blackinese22]

+KRSprops I found some at a local art store. Thanks for responding

[@cynthx]

Thank you for this. However, what kind of switch do you use and how is that put together? I'm a noob =\

[@mootari1853]

Soldering isn't that bad my dude. But it is a pain in the balls some times. i would recommend using barrel crimps over the hot glue though, even though it kind of acts like a potting compound, you run the risk of it penetrating and then you lose connection which could mean you are gonna have to pull it all off and it will just be a pain. I am, however, enlightened from this video, you know because I nuke it and put the resistors on myself. At least now, I know that all those classes I had to sit through were pointless because someone has already figured out to put resistors on them haha

[@DoofyGoofus]

Hi! I'm kinda new to working with lighting in props/costumes, but this is a very helpfull video, thanks! I have one question though, how does the on/off switch work with that? And where could you buy a small one?

[@KRSprops]

Doofy Goofus i dont understand what exactly you are asking abotu the on/off switch. You can buy them online from ebay or from modelling stores! I would suggest going for something small and simple to make it easier to fit inside whatever costume/prop you are making. Remember to always test your wiring before gluing/soldering!

[@DoofyGoofus]

KRSprops Thanks for the quick response! What I mean is, how do you 'integrate' the switch into the circuit? As in, what do you do to attach it to the rest of the wiring and the battery? I see on ebay that most switches have 2 or more pins. How do you know which pin is for what?

[@KRSprops]

Doofy Goofus personally the switches I use have three pins as well as this allows you to have two circuits wired into a single switch, honestly I'd say just try them out before finalizing to see what pins are for what. Basically you just want your switch to be somewhere between your battery or battery clip and your lights, this can be on the positive wire side or the negative wire side! Hope that helps

[@DoofyGoofus]

KRSprops Thanks! I think I understand now! :p And otherwise I'll learn by trial and error.

[@shamankid91692]

noob working on his first ever mech and led build. would i be able to see thru the helmet with the leds on? im making a mech suit build for my school using the mascot. the mascot is a panther and i want the eyes to glow while im walking around. also any advice or tips on where to put the battery and would padding effect the leds.

[@elviscorona8673]

Hey Christian I went to your Etsy page and tried to find the dragon preist mask but I couldn't ,do u still have them

[@saxon217]

Where do you keep the battery pack? Is in actually in the helmet or somewhere else on the outfit? Do you have a switch to turn it off and on?

[@rebeccacarroll8385]

Is there a size or brightness of led that we should look for? Should we do 9v or 12v?

[@liam425]

You should make the apothicon servant

[@FenrirsLover]

I don't know if you're familiar with it, but how you advise some who wanted to add LEDs to a replica of Captain Cold's gun to make the main chamber light up? Also how would you add a switch or trigger so one could turn it on and off?

[@KRSprops]

+FenrirsLover I've only light a gun barrel once, i think the best way to do it would be to cover the interior of the barrel in silver foil or paint and then put a single led at the back of the barrel

[@Tphu1708]

can you show me how to make a button to switf off and on those leds

[@MadMac101]

@KSRprops Can you please try to make the Megabuster. I want to see how you would make it. The original Megabuster not the megaman x one.

[@KRSprops]

i'll add it to the list of projects :) ive also wanted to try making the megabuster and samus' cannon arm

[@morecheezeplz]

KRSprops this is something i want to work on as well and your video broke down LED's perfectly i was just wondering if theres a way to light up the LED 1 at a time instead of all together?

[@KRSprops]

thats called an LED matrix, they are very hard to put together and I dont fully understand it all myself unfortuntely :(

[@morecheezeplz]

ahk not a problem was more of a it would look cooler vanity thing anyway :)

[@katy3522]

Where did you buy the battery pack, and does it have a switch on it?

[@GROWNassK1D]

Silly Question the Lights you used here were 12v I believe. Do they still work with a 9v Battery ?? Great Vid Thanks.

[@golem95]

+GROWNassK1D they should do!

[@k0ngbuster]

Hey there dude! I have a question about LED lights. How could I apply lights like this to something like Kuwabara's Spirit Sword from Yuyu Hakusho? I would REALLY like to bring out some color into that thing. Thank you!

[@KRSprops]

getting even lighting across something so large would be difficult, it would probably be most feasable to make it out of a clear resin and embed some LED's at the hilt end that shine up through the resin, then sand down the clear resin to make it frosted to diffuse the light

[@vincentmallia7619]

Thank you

[@819firestarter]

hey great tutorial!! jst one confusing thing, what sort of power supply should i have for 12v leds?? all the ones im finding are super bulky. would a 2x AA battery pack be okay? or do i need something more heavy duty. thanks!

[@KRSprops]

+819firestarter you can get 12v batteries! 9v batteries will work for 12v LED's as well, but if you dont want to use either of those you should be able to find out what the overall voltage of a battery pack is in the description when buying it!

[@819firestarter]

+KRSprops ty so much!

[@819firestarter]

+KRSprops ahh sorry jst one more question! did u use a battery holder or jst use the battery clip and tape it down?

[@fredfredburger8D]

Question. Is there a possible way to hide my eyes and still uses leds on a visor?

[@AlecElizabethYukii301]

Could I maybe use battery powered Xmas lights behind coloured plastic?

[@KRSprops]

if its compact enough to fit in the helmet with your head then yeah go for it!

[@AlecElizabethYukii301]

I was planning on putting it inside a tail to make it look as though it is glowing, the tail pieces are connected by energy that glows(basically just purple light) how could I do that? The Xmas lights didn't work the way I wanted

[@Hoshi7113]

What kind of battery do you use? And do you have a way of turning it on and off? Sorry that this sounds so dumb, I'm really new at LED's

[@KRSprops]

just a regular store bought one, make sure the voltage matches your LED's, mine were 9v LED's so i used a 9v battery, you can either wire a switch on either the positive or negative wire from the battery clip to the LED's. alternatively just use attaching the battery as a switch :)

[@tahsinl]

what are you using to join the LEDS together? i mean, what's that black wire that connects to the battery?

[@KRSprops]

its just regular wire that you can pick up at any hardware store in a spool :)

[@bananeboompje]

I want to attach 3 blue LED's in parallel to each other, does that mean I need a 9V battery or will that be too much? ^^

[@DIA333333]

I'm planning on covering my entire arms in leds. If I used led strips, could I connect multiple strips in the same manner?

[@KRSprops]

+DIA333333 LED strips are designed to be easy to attach together to make whatever length you want, while ive never worked with them myself im sure that attaching them in a similar would be fairly easy

[@DIA333333]

Thanks for responding! Do you happen to other ways of getting dark plastic sheets. I seem to have the hardest time finding anything after a whole day of looking.

[@Naygoesmoo]

Hi there, I am a little confused :S I understand connect all red to red and black to black, but in the next shot you have two black wires connected to the reds ( 3:32 ). I believe one is to connect to the battery, but what is the other? :S

[@KRSprops]

+MMD-Nay-PMD yeah at this point the whole red to red, black to black thing breaks down because the LED's have red and black wires but i only have black wire as spare to connect things like battery packs etc. all you have to do is make sure all negatives are connected to negatives and vice versa for positives :)

[@SuperWhaaaaaaa]

I can't find those visor hat things anywhere! I need some cheap visor material but I can't find them anywhere, did you buy them online? If so, please link me! Thanks ^-^!

[@VeraChimera]

I buy my acrylic visors from motorcycle stores. A bit pricey but still not bad if they're the right colour/size. Just got a visor for my Tracer cosplay for $12.

[@KRSprops]

Vera Chimera you can go down that route yes! I only use the sun visor hats because they are cheap and thinner plastic meaning its easier to work with in terms of bending to fit, cutting etc. But it is limited in colours and also its more flimsy than a real motorcycle visor, but then again whats really going to hit you in the visor area when youre cosplaying. I get them locally for cheap but you can get them off ebay for really cheap as well :)

[@SuperWhaaaaaaa]

Are the acrylic visors flexible? I wouldn't want to be backed into a corner of creativity because the visor is static. Thank you both for telling me where to look though :D

[@sunnyventers7472]

how do you turn the lights off?

[@golem95]

You can do this one of two ways, either simply remove the battery from the battery clip, or you can install a simple binary switch between the wires that connect your battery clip to the rest of the LED's

[@amtoniomendoza8630]

Could you show how to connect them to a switch and the battery?

[@KRSprops]

Amtonio Mendoza Its unlikely i will make a follow up video on just that but essentially I show you how to wire the battery clip, so all you do it clip in a battery. You wire the positive of the battery clip to the positive of all the other LED's. and for a switch you just put in on either the positive or negative wire between the battery clip and the rest of the LED's

[@BokuWaHikikomori]

This might be a dumb question, but how would one connect a switch to the battery? >< I'm super new to circuits and LEDs in cosplaying and I didn't see a switch being attached in this video so I'm a little lost on that. ;;

[@KRSprops]

you just need to wire the battery switch in on either the negative or positive wire between the battery clip and your parallel wired LED's

[@deddjay]

Do you also hot glue the wires to the switch/battery?

[@KRSprops]

deddjay I do indeed! it helps to keep it in place and is much easier than soldering

[@hisnameishero2679]

If I was to try you method in using the LED's with a battery, how would I be able to turn it off and or on, if I were to apply this same exact method to a piece of clothing? Obviously the wiring would be hidding within the garmet, but I want to have this form of glow from the lighting, while at the same be able to turn it off or on, without having this infinite supply of a glow. Any Input on how I would do this or to look for? I searched for a switch, but Im not sure which one to choose, or if it would work with this method. Thanks for any replies ~

[@KRSprops]

+HisNameIsHero Any switch would work for this, all you have to do it put it in the circuit between the LED's and your power source.

[@hisnameishero2679]

+KRSprops Oh okay, thanks. If I have further questions, can I hyu? lol taking it as your experienced more in this then I am, it'll be good to have someone I could refer too if needed. js :P

[@QuanLEable]

can you Make a Marshmello helmet ?

[@boredomartist314]

to plug my led lights up to a 🔋 where did you get yours from the white little thing

[@tytianamarie3878]

How to use the sound gun?

[@MochaMage]

May I ask how you connected the LED's to the battery?

[@KRSprops]

+MochaMage I simply wired a battery clip into the circuit! that makes it easy to switch batteries in and out :)

[@Hana-mt2qr]

so if i wanted to add a switch would i be able to? like if i connected it to one wire would it work?

[@KRSprops]

Yeah you could! you could either make it so it effected only a few LED's or all of them depending on which wire you added the switch into. add it to the wire from the battery to effect all of them!

[@wuskul]

do you need resistors when using loads of leds in a circuit? wont they burn out otherwise?

[@ratstarone]

He said in the beginning he buys resistor installed lights.

[@figgi4467]

How did you make Your intro i i think its awesome a 8bit Intro???not trying to copy u.

[@KRSprops]

made the frames myself! pretty easy, all you gotta do is make individual objects so you can move em around a few spots per frame :) its about 4 fps i think!

[@ahmeliuh]

whens your next vid?

[@DenafexDFX]

How to make a doctor who silent mask

[@KRSprops]

sorry but i dont have any experience in prosthetics :( you should watch a programme called FACE OFF, its a great show about VFX artists

[@coldboy0912]

i just wish i watch your tutorial sooner, i had bought the sobering before watching your video. FML :'(

[@KRSprops]

Don't fret! soldering is quite easy too, and it makes a stronger joint. its just a lot more time consuming especcially if you're doing a project with 20+ led's wired together

[@coldboy0912]

thank you, anw, great tutorial :D

[@334_brian]

@KRSprops PLEASE HELP! I'm making an aqualad cosplay and I was gonna use some light blue LED's for the back pack. How would I put the LED's and battery's on/in the backpack?

[@dauntlesswarriorproductions112]

How did you make the N7 helmet?

[@KRSprops]

I sculpted it out of clay and made a mould allowing me to cast plastic copies!

[@dauntlesswarriorproductions112]

Wow, that's awesome!!! How much did that cost though?

[@twentyjenkins2389]

where do you find these wires

[@KRSprops]

Twenty Jenkins eBay mostly, you can find a variety of pre wired LEDs on there

[@TerribleG4mer]

BROTHER! It's been too long!

[@TerribleG4mer]

how do you get the inside of your mask smooth?

[@KRSprops]

***** its a plastic slush cast, they will always be smooth on the inside just from the casting method

[@TerribleG4mer]

KRSprops dont they normally leave like blobs of liquid showing on the inside?

[@KRSprops]

no not really, if you have slushed it well and didnt let it pool you should get a very smooth even coat

[@TerribleG4mer]

KRSprops thanks for the information, one more thing, im really new to all this, could you make a video about painting something like this?

[@TerribleG4mer]

KRSprops or just paint in general

[@bingbangasian]

Why don't you make vids anymore?

[@KRSprops]

I'm working on one right now but its slow going because of university work and sundry internships :(

[@KRSprops]

summer*

[@bingbangasian]

Makes sense

[@monokawaii1227]

i wanna make a Hatsune Miku cosplay fully rigged with LEDs , like the blue of her sleeves glow and the soles of her shoes, then all the lights she has of course, money money...and ive never made a cosplay like this before....

[@TreeCookies]

you can always buy the cosplay and add in the lights yourself. there's also special lights you can find on eBay that attack to shoes C:

[@monokawaii1227]

+TreeCookies yeah but i have a certian design in mind so i would have to make it anyway and if you could refer any good links to places that would be great

[@alfieperry2561]

Why did you stop making videos, but keep replying to comments?

[@KRSprops]

Because being helpful and replying to questions doesnt take more than a few minutes of my time every day! But unfortunately making costumes, planning videos, editing it all together is a really big job for one person and with university it all get sidetracked, Im currently working on my costume for London Comic-Con and filming my progress along the way for another tutorial but its very slow progress as I only get weekends to do it and am usually busy on weekends with friends or chores

[@alfieperry2561]

I understand :)

[@zachmartinez9127]

🤦🏽‍♂️ why would you hot glue pos and neg joints 🤦🏽‍♂️ugh

[@sazr9569]

Where are your pants

[@KRSprops]

in my closet! summer time begs the use of shorts! :P

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

Shame this is a Dead Channel?

[@KRSprops]

Im graduating this year and hope to go back to making videos surrounding my projects again, but you are correct in the sense that ive never followed an upload schedule or anything. I make videos for fun and to help teach! Unfortunately other things in life get in the way sometimes :P

[@markevens]

Soldering isn't nearly as bad as you are saying. It sounds like you just don't know how to do it and are making excuses. Just say, "I don't know how to solder so I'm using hot glue"

[@KRSprops]

markevens I do know how to solder and have quite a bit of experience with it, I'm an engineer now by trade. The hot glue suggestion is just for a lower budget, less time consuming and easier method to complete wiring