FreeTrack Forum

I have seen in several manuals here, that the ideal way to connect the LEDs with the cables is sloder them with a soldering iron. Unfortunately I dont own this thing. Is there another way to firmly attach the cable's copper with the LED tips? I have a build which is very ubstable though...I twist the copper of the cable around the LED tip and then cover it with some (insulation?) tape. Sometimes, the wires slide off the tips. Is there any other way ? I thought of twisting the copper around the tips and then take some flame from a lighter and warm them up really much. (will it work?). Or maybe using some epoxy glue at the top of the twisted copper?

Secondly, what is the best way of mounting the circuit on a clothes hanger to make a 3 point clip? Glue?

Yes, there are non-solder ways to connect wires.  Twisting the wires is certainly viable for this. Electrical tape is one way to finish it off, though there is a bit of skill in being able to do it neatly.

An alternative I think you may like is shrink tubing.  This is a hollow tube, perhaps double the diameter of the area you want to cover.  You would slip a piece of the shrink tube over the wire before you twist them together, and then you heat it with a flame.  The tube then shrinks to form a seal around the electrical joint.

The automotive industry uses crimp connections. These are plastic tubes, perhaps 1/2" long, with a tube of metal inside.  You slip the bare ends of the wires into each end, and then use a special tool to squeeze the middle of the tube together, crushing the metal tube inside. You can get by without the special tube and just use pliers to do the squeezing.

Wire nuts are yet another option. These are mostly used in household wiring. They look like plastic cones, with a metal thread inside. You twist the wires together, and then twist the wire nut over top of that.

There is a special solder that looks like a strip of tape, without adhesive.  You include it along with the wires that you twist together, and then heat it with a flame.  I haven't used it.  You are still left with the issue of how you are going to cover the bare metal.

Actually, you don't necessarily need to cover the bare metal, as long as you don't allow the metal of two of the wires to come into contact... called a "short circuit". Maybe how you glue the wire to the hat or glasses will prevent the short circuit.

Of the above, I think the crimp connection is the easiest.

Regarding how you glue the stuff together.  I tend to like a hot melt glue gun, but there is no absolutely best answer and there are no wrong answers as long as it holds stuff together.

Joe Dunfee

There are other methods, but usually soldering is easiest and most secure. You can get a cheap soldering iron usually pretty easily, for under $10 bucks US. A roll of solder should only be a couple dollars more. You don't need a good one for a small project like this. Plus, next time you want to try something DIY, you'll already have some of the needed parts!  

I would be hesitant about the flame idea, since heating up your components too much could kill them. I read somewhere on this site that LED's are good up to 100 degrees celsius, but if you're holding a flame on that, it might go past that...

Thanks for the replies guys! I will try some of these. If anyone else has some more propositions feel free to say.