I help you get started with LEDs - Cosplay Tutorial

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LEDs and electronics are super fun, but can be easily intimidating. So in this video I give you and easy and beginner friendly start into the colorful world of LEDs. I start at the very basics and I hope it will show you, how easy it is to install lights into your costumes and props!
- Svetlana
This video was sponsored by Skillshare.
My LED Books:
Beginner LEDs: www.kamuicosplay.com/product/...
Animated LEDs: www.kamuicosplay.com/product/...
The Book of Lights and Sound Effects: www.kamuicosplay.com/product/...
Products used:
Basic 3V LED Set (all colors): amzn.to/2K9v6Gm
2032 Button Cell Battery: amzn.to/39XzTVY
Battery Holder 3V: amzn.to/3qUUjoS
9V Battery: amzn.to/2IBLUW3
Battery Holder 9V: amzn.to/3qO2xz8
Wire: amzn.to/3ma5gz8
LED strips: amzn.to/3HosZc2
Soldering Iron: amzn.to/2IhJpV8
Lead Free Solder: amzn.to/3gAaYt9
Resistors: amzn.to/2sEyCzF
Slide switch: amzn.to/388tDHQ
Helping Hand: amzn.to/38rmReX
Breadboard: amzn.to/2P3Mefn
Breadboard jumper wires: amzn.to/35TBGGl
Heat Shrink Tubing: amzn.to/2JQiLa0
Solder Fume Extractor: amzn.to/47JCddD
LED Foam: amzn.to/3u3gorK
Resistor Calculator: www.hobby-hour.com/electronic...
Our KZbin filming equipment:
Canon R5 DSLR: amzn.to/3S5Kumq
Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM: amzn.to/3vNcofy
Camera screen: amzn.to/47DUtVK
Sound: Rode Smartlav+: amzn.to/2VtYTfU
Rode Wireless Go: amzn.to/2KvAD6Z
Rode NT-USB: amzn.to/2XW7klX
Smartlav+ to transmitter adapter: amzn.to/2yD59ct
Artlist: artlist.io/artlist-70446/?art...
Lights: Studio Lights: amzn.to/2VR0lYS
All Amazon links are affiliate links that we get paid for if you buy a product. You can support us by using these links. Thank you!
___
Our website: www.kamuicosplay.com/
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Our corgis: / kamuiscorgis

[@CHEFPKR]

So happy for this video. Currently working on my Cyberpunk cosplay and want lots of LEDS

[@bbear3886]

who are u cosplaying? is there somewhere you share your Cosplays?

[@MarianneDAbis]

:> i do be watching this video thinking if i should buy it to make cyber punk glasses

[@aidanmcmurtrie1424]

Omg it's ChefPK in the wild

[@iisnuffles]

same! redoing my rebecca jacket 👍

[@BboyKeny]

Awesome! I'm curious how it's going

[@Scarecrow69]

My soldering was equally crappy until I started using Flux. I highly recommend it. Dip either end of the connection in flux and then solder. It evaporates, drawing the solder in and creating a really neat and solid connection.

[@vaunkillion262]

Coming from infrastructure electronics manufacturing I can say that when in doubt add more flux, flux is the king of soldering greatness.

[@unitunitglue5143]

Thank you all including the tutorial. Very helpful.

[@DragonLawyer]

I watched like a dozen KZbin tutorials on how to solder and while they would use flux they never really explained what it did or how important it was. Two best tips I can give when learning to solder: apply flux generously and clean your soldering tip often

[@RussellTeapot]

Flux is love, Flux is life

[@yannixk.3294]

@@vaunkillion262 that is true when i'm doing my work (learning to be electronics technician )and when i'm having trouble replacing IC`s or such i always just get told to use more flux haha

[@Cheetahgirl_Studios]

Can I just say, I absolutely love your tutorials. Most other tutorials I’ve seen are overly formal and lack a sense of connectivity. But your sense of humour and personality make your videos a lot more enjoyable and easy to approach. Not to mention that you create tutorials for people of all skill levels. I’ve been looking to get into making costumes for a while now, and this channel has helped me a lot with where I should start and get me started. Cheers!

[@PortalFPV]

Pre Tin everything you're going to solder. Will make things so much easier

[@brankin421]

Tin?

[@br-v388]

@@brankin421 Tinning is the act of melting solder onto something, so 'pre-tinning' means melting some onto both components you are trying to join so you only need to bring them together and apply heat. Can be hit or miss.

[@BluesAlmighty]

I was thinking the same and I am sure Mark covers that in the proposed KZbin tutorial 😉

[@revenantcosplay]

I always remember which side of the led is positive with + is more and - is less so the positive leg is longer. I also recommend getting a silicone mat, possibly with trays, for soldering. It protects your work surface in case any rogue solder gets anywhere and you can set your parts on it and keep them in one place without losing them.

[@theimaginationgamer3851]

That is soo useful thanks.

[@JonMcPhalen]

Tip: You don't have to use the EXACT value from the resistor calculator -- using the next highest from a set of standard resistor values will work just fine. I always recommend these values to my friends just getting started in electronics (and I have two boxes designed for fishing lures that hold these values for me): 100, 220, 330, 470, 680, 1K, 2.2K, 3.3K, 4.7K, 10K Resistors are cheap insurance for your LED projects! Have fun -- like Svetlana does -- and your projects will be a hit! Buy Svetlana's books! :)

[@BboyKeny]

This is because in physics we approximate every thing like e = π = 3. This is very offensive to mathematician.

[@user-js4zx1lr2u]

Most people don't realise that even in the same rating, they vary as much as 10% higher or lower (Silver band). Best you can do is 5% with the gold band.

[@briancampbell179]

You may get lucky and be able to get away without a current limiting resistor, but if you don't want to rely on luck, use one. Also, don't try to connect LEDs in parallel and try to run it off a single resistor. If you try, you'll probably find one LED will light and the other wont.

[@kennmossman8701]

@@user-js4zx1lr2u you might be thinking of carbon comp resistors they are long obselte

[@shiroiokami5246]

Thank you so much, I just needed a tutorial to understand how LED works I was totally clueless before but I absolutely wanted to insert LED in my next cosplay

[@Galnyi]

A comment to 17:27 : This method will reduce the brightness of the LED if you use the 3V battery. That schematic will work with the 9V battery as long as the LEDs are ~3V. To make the 3V battery version work optimally you could simply parallel connect the LEDs insted (they are serial connected in the example). Also if you dont want to have to worry about changing/charging your batteries that often, could you parallel connect batteries together as well. Parallel connecting batteries will do nothing to the amount of voltage and such you will get on the circuit, it will just make it last longer (like the whole con day if you do your math). You can also get battery holders that already do that for you. Another thing is that it's more commonly/universal to add a switch/break on the red wire aka after the + part on the battery. But doing so on the black wire works fine too. Also electronics are usually made to handle a roughly 5-10% +/- or something in voltage (may say so in the specifications of the LEDs or such), because it's not always that easy to get exactly the voltage you desire. Cable lengts/thickness can throw that off so since the cable has resistance as well. Anyway, Buy Svetlana (and Benni's) books! Keep up the good work!

[@ElectrcRadiation]

As soon as I saw the schematic I was thinking the same thing xD this should be pinned for sure

[@peircedan]

Don't connect batteries in parallel. The terminal voltages vary potentially resulting in high circulating currents. At best this will shorten battery life and at worst could result in excessive heating.

[@rangerhawk]

@@peircedan Could also cause the battery to leak.

[@nheather]

Not true - they would not work at all, the LED needs a volt drop across it to work. That volt drop is the same for all levels of brightness it is the current that determines the brightness. So three blue LEDs in series need a battery of at least 9V and if more than 9V you will likely need a resistor to drop the extra voltage. As you point out when connecting a number of LEDs it is much better to connect them in parallel - in this way you could have three blue LEDs running off a 3V button cell - in fact she did that when she was holding them on the battery in the beginning. Another advantage of parallel over series is that if one LED were to fail only that one goes out - in a series circuit all would go out - think old fashioned Christmas Tree lights. Although you can get away without a resistor with suitable choice of better it is better to use them. Two reasons - you have control over the brightness because the resistor sets the current through the LED and you can drive different coloured LEDs off the same battery easily. For example, at the beginning she had two blue (3V) LEDs attached in parallel to a battery - they were working, but when she added the red (2V) LED it lit but the two blue LEDs went out. The reason for this is that the RED LED was forcing the circuit to be 2V, the residual 1V was being dropped across the battery's internal resistance (which isn't a good idea). Because the circuit was clamped at 2V there was not enough voltage to turn the blue LEDs on. But had she included a resistor on the red LED then all three LEDs would have lit.

[@dannydavis66]

Came here to comment this... Glad i read before i made a fool out of myself

[@lasermouth]

Wow! LEDs have always mystified me. You just dumbed it down for me perfectly. Thank you so much! Love your presentation as well. Very fun and encouraging.

[@VoiceMyDreams]

EXTREMELY helpful, excited and confident to try it myself!

[@traviss3913]

LMAO at the tip cleaning. This video was perfect, thank you for giving me the confidence to build better stuff.

[@aaronbono4688]

I love that calculator. Also, great books.

[@lawrenade]

Having no idea about electronics, I’m sooo happy to come across this. Always inspiring, thank you Benni and Svetlana ❤️

[@Justrex01]

The perfect beginners intro to LED's. Thank you, guys! I can't wait to put some lights in my next cosplay!

[@KamuiCosplay]

Yes show us some pictures when you're doing it!

[@kllstkllst5831]

I love everything about this tutorial. It’s all so helpful. Thanks for also including the links to everything you use in the description.

[@shinythingster]

Thank you so much for this video! I am getting into making dollhouses & dioramas and lighting is so important, but I have been so intimidated by electronics! Thank you for making the basics so easy to understand!

[@sarahdillman7069]

Thank you for not leaving anything out or hoarding your knowledge, this is so helpful.

[@jiromuchizuki7892]

Thank you so much. I want to make a book nook with LED lighting and your advice and encouraging words make me feel like I can actually do it.

[@arthurlodbrock2549]

The cutest introduction to LEDs and soldering. Thank you for video!

[@AlyssaJartsev]

Thank you for this tutorial! I never was interested in LED before, but this tutorial actually wants me to try it myself

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

I think understanding Ohm's Law is a great tool to understanding the relationships between volts, amps and resistance, which will tell you instantly what size battery and resistor to use for any number of led's. All you need to know is the volt requirement or forward voltage of your particular led and use fresh batteries. You could light the poor little single led for a week, instead of letting the smoke out, with just one resistor. It's also good to know how many amps the led really really wants, cuz it's not the volts that kill you, it's smoking! You have great videos with clear, easy to follow steps and an awesome attitude!

[@blackcat49345]

This the content I must have to know and learn

[@chrislambert238]

Buy the 2 books on lighting. Well worth it and cosplay or not a great resource

[@thearchetype9829]

CREATE A SMART LAMP THAT CAN MOVE TO ANY DEGREE POSSIBLE AND CAN BE CONTROLLED BY YOUR PHONE kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIapqH2rgKtnm6s

[@mmustangg2]

Loved this video. I appreciate that you slowed the pace and weren't as over the top. Very well done!

[@skyrider4789]

Thank you for this video (and so much of what you do). I love your & Benni's energy. Fun & informative. A treasure for the community world-wide! ❤from So. Cal!

[@shazshanaa6425]

I have looked at so many videos on how to lights and end up confused by their use of overly tech talk to which they think is basic but I understood every word you said and now I want and cant wait to add lights to everything, I am so excited. thank you, thank you!

[@K3ns4i]

I really needed this video, not for cosplay but for gundam and scale modelling :D . Thank you very much!

[@perttisalminen6357]

I love your way to keep things simple.

[@MarquisdeL3]

These videos are super helpful because they keep reassuring me that I can do LEDs if I want to, even though I find electronics super intimidating. Thank you so much.

[@nataliewicklund3421]

Just amazing! I started following you on tiktok last year for your props and cosplays. Now suddenly I needed to build something and I immediately turned to your youtube page because I knew you'd have all my answers! Thank you~

[@CrankyPantss]

Well done. This basic tutorial was a great overview to get people started, just as it was intended to do. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[@nicolewolcott]

I am just so glad I found you, not only are your cosplays amazing, but your explanations for the LED's vs resistors are awesome too. I'll use your advice with my Fallout 3 pip boy model I'm printing!

[@Bob-ip4mx]

Excellent video, got me wanting to get back into creating props again, simply explained, love it

[@user-wp5nb2ge7r]

I just started watching videos on LED installations for a project I'm planning, yours was the second one I've seen. Your way of breaking down a installation made it seem so simple. And you know sometimes the simple way is the best way. The project I'm planning is a wood carving of a painting that has neon lights on it. I plan to use Led lights hidden in the wood to light up the neon arrows in the painting. And also have blinking orange and yellow LEDS reflex off the wood wall to look like fire.

[@arlove94]

This is the first time i see you and you have no idea how much I like you already keep it up

[@Zoomzoomvenus]

Ive been following you for the longest!! Im finally have the courage to start this! I love love your costume ❤ 💕

[@MarissaFloro]

the first circuit: totally me the final circuit: almost me but with use of duct tape and tears

[@WvIENS]

this, this is what iv searched weeks for!! thank you , you have made my lighting boss

[@AstrocyteCosplay]

Thankyou! So helpful and basic for those that haven't even touched on LEDs get. Have the book but it's great seeing video of the actual process as well. Can't wait to start doing some LEDs in my cosplays.

[@krzysztofmathews738]

This is an excellent demonstration. Very clear and well presented. Thank you!

[@mdlovejoy]

Hey! Thank you for posting this! You just walked me through a project I was thinking of start and made it sound way easier than I thought it would be. Thank you!!

[@wondernore]

Thank you so very much for making these videos, you're informative and humble as well as friendly and entertaining. Much appreciated🌟🍻

[@joyflg1rl]

Thank you so much for this tutorial. You're really demystified the process. I am grateful.

[@Amanda-if7ey]

I've watched a lot of videos about using LEDs and this was one of the best at making it simple and easy to understand. Great work!

[@KamuiCosplay]

Glad it helped!

[@Vanillepferdchen]

This is such a helpful tutorial! Amazing and easily understandable. I just need to find a matching cosplay to use this knowledge. Also, gotta love all those special effects!

[@scifi_dragon]

Great video. I'm sure a lot of novice model builders will find it very useful. I've been installing LED lighting effects in model spaceships and ray-guns, phasers, and such for years - I wish this video had been around when I first started, it would've made things so much easier. Thanks for putting in the time to make this video. BTW, great cosplay outfits!

[@jesspaterik]

I’m just starting out with model making and this was incredible!! So thankful for strangers on the internet who have figured this stuff out and are generous with sharing their knowledge 👏🏻♥️

[@artisarium]

Perfect! More like this is needed for everyone!

[@QueenAmob]

FInally, a tutorial for my absolut beginner level! I love it, thank you so much

[@noneyabusiness1718]

Omg you are adorable! Thank you so much for this tutorial, I've been trying to figure out how to incorporate lights into some of my projects and you made learning fun and easy to understand. ❤️

[@julietemicolgouveia7920]

I'm always so happy watching your tutorials videos! Even they're in English (I'm Brazilian) they have helped me a lot, even more when I did my Symettra :D I'll buy my dremel soon too, you always teaches a lot

[@carlpowers7291]

I ALWAYS learn so much from you guys!! Many thanks 😊

[@seven6pro]

Excellent video. As a electronic non-savvy girl, you made led connections very easy to understand. Thank you!

[@phillipchronister7035]

Great video! I build a lot of models and have been hesitant to include LEDs in them. This really helped a lot, thank you!!!

[@user-hu9vg7mi9t]

i love everything about this video! love listening to you and you explain this perfectly!

[@filiusvivam4315]

love the sound effect!

[@TempestStrife]

This was just enough to help me get started on adding led into my doll. Thank you.

[@ICH-bin-Baerchen]

I actually understood this! AMAZING, THANK YOU 😭❤

[@sebastianp2300]

You have no idea how happy I am to see this video. 👍

[@shedroids]

Fantastic! Thank you for sharing!

[@papayork1907]

you are very helpful and fun to watch, great energy

[@sansakka]

thanks a lot for this video, even for someone like me who never did electronics it sound really clear and I'm now hardly waiting to try it by myself

[@suzeshore]

Thanks for this really clear breakdown!! I'm planning on trying out LEDs for the first time and after this video it feels exciting instead of scary :)

[@aprilblackregentart6647]

This is incredible, thank you so much for this!

[@bluescat581]

The cosplays look freaking amazing.

[@raugust6786]

0:09 CORGI Edit: 22:34 - Two Corgis! Great video! I appreciate the simple breakdown on how to get started with LEDs. Many thanks.

[@tonyromano6220]

Oh what an adorable dog!

[@rilgibson299]

Most helpful tutorial online, you are a lifesaver! Can’t wait to level up my Hatsune Miku cosplay with these :3

[@JayUll]

This video helped me so much. Thank you!

[@devilmecare]

I keep lots of old electronics for parts. You have motivated me to start being creative. I soldered airplane electronics for a living.

[@jameswebb8162]

Loved the video!! Have a Merry Christmas!! Stay safe and healthy!!

[@davidesbardellotto6909]

Corgi, Corgi, Corgi i love all you! you are a great source of inspiration 💜💜💜

[@richmltn]

Great tutorial: you made it fun, and explained the processes very well. Thank you and best of luck in your future works!

[@mikajansson1243]

Your videos are a MASSIVE inspiration!! And - not for Cosplay, but for Halloween decorations!!! Amazing ideas, materials, designs, creativity - THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing!!!!! Surprisingly few people use foam and foam clay in the world of Halloween decor, but I think you could create the most stunning, movie-set quality stuff (think Gargoyles with light and smoke, Gothic doorways with skulls, lights, etc - and a million other wonderful things!). Halloween is getting bigger in some parts of Europe, and hey - costumes & Halloween are best pals :-) Remember Halloween is not just "American commercial nonsense" - the roots of Halloween are in Samhain, which was the festval of dead for ancient European Celtic people. And for example in Finland we have "Kekri" - similar day of the dead in October, with costumers and fires to drive away bad evil spirits...So lets make Halloween into "Euroween" and OWN IT. :-) Bless!!!

[@pictureeyecandy]

An easy and fun way to learn LEDs. Thanks

[@livewire4495]

Svetlana, Love your Content! Your production is seamless. 😎

[@dougmulle2627]

I've played with LEDs pretty much the same way you did. I've watched a dozen videos of guys trying to explain all the technical mumbojumbo. None did it as well as you!! And none had the pretty smile or bubbly attitude either

[@SteveH-TN]

Love your CosPlay perspectives for LEDs & Electronics refreshing approach. 😜😜🥸🙄😵‍💫😸🙀👍 You are first to show a coin cell to demonstrate lighting LED

[@SciFiChatterMike]

You are such a great teacher. 👍🥰

[@ManAtPlay]

Super easy explanation! Thnx

[@changosensei6743]

Great video, I bought the book and it’s totally worth it! Keep up the good work 👍

[@cosimusprime9379]

Thank you for your motivational talk... I felt very understood

[@SteelKingThor]

Thank you so much for your hard work and inspiration. You and Benny are awesome. I'm Definitely buying your LED build book soon

[@damselinthedollhouse]

This is AMAZING! So helpful! Thank you sooooo much for creating this video!

[@maddienewo2228]

Thank you so much, this is so helpful.

[@Joseph.A.Creations]

Thanks for the simple tips.

[@emmahayes111]

Just exactly the video I needed 💜

[@beastybunny1]

Great beginner guide.

[@milquest]

Thanks so much for this vid, it makes things so much easier for me to wrap my head around. Now I want to start experimenting :)

[@johnnysideasofthings3809]

I love you, you save my life with this projects. Yiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeiiiiiiii!!!!!!

[@raywhatsthisfor1283]

So many different applications for these little balls of light!!! Costumes and weapons for things I cant even remember!!! You guys could make some of the coolest costume additions for little kids Costumes!!!!

[@gregorcykf]

Followed you forever on insta. So looks like LED's, Fabric, and Foam are the items you can never have enough of

[@froginhotwater4806]

What a great video. Your hands are lovely and they make amazing things. Thank you.

[@DnD_Adventures6966]

You're such a geek and I love that! Thank you for the video.

[@rogercoltest350]

Lol...you guys are amazing!...and ALWAYS inspiring...

[@lacantinadelrancor]

Perfect for the first lesson 👏👏👏

[@bajarealtypro1908]

I love your tutorials and way you present projects. New subscriber and fan

[@niconine268]

Yes. I dig this tutorial too

[@cheshirenevande4701]

very helpful, thank you!

[@seme]

Fantastic entry video to the LED world. Thank you so much for providing all these high quality video contents! :)

[@KamuiCosplay]

Our pleasure! Glad you like them!

[@komttycat]

Thank you Kamui ;-; It is so easy when you explain this!

[@krispykicks7766]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEOOO!!! It's so straightforward and helpfull thank youuuuuu !!!