Paper Circuits

Materials Needed

• Circuits PDF template (see Worksheets)
• Copper tape
• LEDs
• Coin cell battery (CR2032)
• Transparent tape

Instructions

📄 Circuits Worksheet (PDF)

1. After reviewing the circuit diagrams on the first page of the PDF, put copper tape on the heavy black lines on the second page.
2. Peel off a little of the white backing at a time as you put the adhesive side of the copper tape down. If too much of the white paper is pulled off the tape will get tangled.
3. Leave empty space to add on the LEDs so that electrons will flow through them.
4. About corners: Much copper tape has conductive adhesive, so it is OK to tear off ends to make corners. If your tape does NOT have conductive adhesive, make corners from a continuous piece of tape by pulling the tape in the opposite direction you want to go, then folding it back over itself in the correct direction. This ensures the electrons have a conductive path.
5. Open the LED legs (make the LED do the splits). Put the longer (positive) leg on the copper tape coming from the positive side of the battery, and the shorter (negative) leg on the negative side. Use transparent tape to hold the legs down on top of the copper tape.
6. Remember: positive to positive and negative to negative when putting the battery on the circuit. The copper tape should touch either the positive OR negative side of the battery — but NOT both.

Which kind of circuit lights up the brightest? (Simple, Parallel, or Series)

Circuit Types

• Simple Circuit — one path for electricity
• Parallel Circuit — multiple paths; usually lights up brighter; if one LED fails the others still work
• Series Circuit — one path through all LEDs; if one fails, all fail

Troubleshooting Paper Circuits

Most often if an LED doesn’t light up it is because the LED leads (legs) are not making a good connection — just push them down more. Also check for:

• Small breaks in the copper tape
• A piece of copper tape accidentally bridging the positive and negative sides (short circuit)
• Non-conductive adhesive on the back — fold the tape so the copper itself is what is touching

Paper Circuits as a Design Tool: Hoodie Template

Print out the hoodie template to use to design with lights.

📄 Worksheet: Hoodie Template (PDF)

Additional Materials:

• Hoodie template
• Copper tape
• LEDs (3mm are best for this)
• Pencil
• Coin cell battery (CR2032)

Designers must decide how they want to light up the hoodie, then sketch the circuit on the back of the paper so that LEDs, battery, and switch (if used) are placed appropriately. Usually parallel circuits work best.

After the circuit is drawn, put on the copper tape, LEDs, and battery — and light it up!

Ask students: “How could copper tape and LEDs be used on a real hoodie?” “How does it help to use paper circuits in the first stages of designing?”

Additional Paper Circuit Practice

📄 Paper Circuits Additional Practice (PDF)

Print on both sides for the penguin card and boot. Draw your design on the hoodie, then draw the circuit on the back.

Ask students: “Can you think of fashion tech pieces you can make using paper circuits? How could paper circuits be used in advocacy stories?”