Shoe Mod (Lights)

[Sidekick™]

I'm sorry If this would be inapropriate for this section but I'm hopeing it's okay.

I'm wondering if any person knows or could figure out a way to mod a pair of shoes to make them light up when you step. If anyone remebers, you had to have had a pair of light up shoes when you were a kid. They were honestly the coolest shoes. Well, basically I'm still a teenager and I love to be goofy. A few friends and I have been wanting light up shoes but we haven't been able to find any in adult sizes of course. So I was wondering if anyone could think of a way to do a light mod for light up shoes?

I honestly would love the help.

Thanks,
Dave

[fuzzba11]

Easiest way to do it would be to buy a pair of the kiddy shoes, pull them apart and use the parts in your own sneakers...that way you could see how they worked and maybe change the design or reverse engineer something better suited for you. I remember those shoes, too, was always in envy of the kids who had em :p

[gt24]

Well, since it is in this section, I might as well chime in like most other people do for modifications....

Tell us how it goes, would be nice if you posted instructions, and please post pictures! :D

Good luck eitherways. :)

[Nightingale]

In my school (private Catholic school) we were allowed to where regular clothes in kindergarten but not have those light up shoes so I bought little lights that velcrowed to the back of my shoes:D . Maybe you can just find a pair of those as those might be cheaper then buying a pair of kids shoes and take those apart.

[RoadWarrior]

Hey, just what you need to go through your average airport security post these days, shoes with all sorts of strange wires and electronics inside.... :D

[Bensa]

Just have a circuit with batteries and LEDS, and have two pieces of aluminium foil touch each other when you step, completing the circuit.

You'll just need to carve some space in your sole though.

[chkptcharlie]

shouldnt be a problem.... most shoes have a cavitu inside them... it's an ait pocket to help support and cusion your step.

I've got heelys, and i'm the oldest person i know that wears them, they are fun and definately get alot of looks from people when you roll on by. Hence i understnad your plight, have fun and good luck.

[OKJEFF4]

I wouldn't rip the lights out of old shoes. My friend did this in second grade and got mercury on his hands. I don't know why mercury was in the shoes, but it was.

[dowmace]

sorry to burst your bubble Okjeff4 but your lying, if there was mercury int he shoe then there would have to be a warning on the shoe itself because mercury is a hazardous material, also how would someone in second grade cut through the rubber himself?

[OKJEFF4]

No, Dowmace, back when the shoes came out, they had warning labels and very insufficient amounts of mercury. All he had to do was unscrew it, and remove the kit. He didn't get mercury poisoning or anything, but it was nasty.

Now beat this. Dowmace.
Number one. Towards the middle of the page, under "Background Information". (http://www.snopud.com/?page=518)

Number two. Look in the table (http://www.regionalwaste.org/q&a.html)

Now, I take offense to you calling me a liar when I know I'm not. Don't you guys?

[dowmace]

*EDIT*all I wanted was some proof did I say I owned you no i did not, please keep yourself under control, I didn't flame you so please do not flame me,



Yes, you did flame..........and it will cease immediately or your posting priviledges will be suspended for no less than 3 days.

Keep it cool, or take it elsewhere.

LutaWicasa
Forums Moderator

[OKJEFF4]

Originally posted by dowmace
sorry to burst your bubble Okjeff4 but your lying...

See, you did call me a liar, and I'm sorry, but I stood up for myself. Good day sir.

/end thread crap

[Quailane]

I have to side with the newb on this one. dowmace did just get totally owned. ;)

[OKJEFF4]

I'm no newb.. I'm just new to posting here.

[Strida]

Most people assume that since you have < 3 stars ur a n3wB.

[OKJEFF4]

Well, I should be considered not a newb because I don't use "1337 sp33k".

[Teh]

*EDIT*.

[Sidekick™]

Let's argue elsewhere please. Pm is a suggestion?

[chkptcharlie]

lol if there was indeed mercury in these shoes it was for a tilt switch... i'm not sure why it wasnt a ball tilt switch though.... much safer and cheaper. if you dont know what i'm talkin about look in the thermostat in your house.

p.s. i dont recommend using this kind of switch in your shoes... there are other.... more suitable methods to making this work.

[OKJEFF4]

Yeah, just put in pressure or micro switches connected to LEDs.

[Sidekick™]

Umm, quick thought. Can you hook up led's to a 9v battery?

[OKJEFF4]

Yes. You can. I would use 3 LEDs in series. You could even get the flashing BGR ones from LSDiodes.com. With 3 in series, you need no resistors.

[Sidekick™]

Sweet. I had an Idea I can do to a pair of old shoes. I still want to go with the concept of just Stepping, then the lights go on. I was thinking I could have 2 separate wires. Connected from the battery and connected from then led's. I was thinking I could have the cut apart and put in some kind of spring kinda thing. *dunno how to explain it* and when I step it pushes down making contact with all the wires. I could maybe draw a picture and try to host it if you can't draw a mental picture.

[tio]

I think that's what Bensa was thinking too.

[Sidekick™]

Dude, yeah. Totally sorry to Bensa but when I read circuit the first time.. I don't know what I was thinking but I pictured a circiut board. Well that and I've been on no sleep latley. I havent been thinking straight latley. But yeah, I just didn't think of tin foil as a conductor.

[Sidekick™]

Picture (http://www.geocities.com/mickmars87/shoemod.html?1072776796640)
Not sure how to host pic's on here so i guess there's a link.
Hopefully that works but, It's basically a really bad drawing of what Im thinking I guess?

[Bensa]

Thats pretty much the easiest way to do it, unless you want to go look for a spring loaded switch.

On another note, checkout: PIKASHOES (http://www.afrotechmods.com/cheap/pikashoe/pikashoe.htm)

[Sidekick™]

Dude, that's badass and I think I wanna do that too lol. But I still want light up shoes :) I'm going to buy some cheap stuff soon and start working on it when I have time. I'm going to see if I could borrow a Digital camera from a friend to take pics.

[IFMU]

Originally posted by dowmace
sorry to burst your bubble Okjeff4 but edited out by IFMU
Originally posted by OKJEFF4
Now beat this, edited out by IFMU
Originally posted by dowmace
hey newb edited out by IFMU

Wow, good lord guys, truly outrageous. Some of you may wish to refresh yourselves of the forums rules here? If I recall correctly, flaming is not liked here.

Reporting posts to Moderators :rolleyes:

[OKJEFF4]

Well, gee, I'm sorry IFMU, but I just said my opinion, and Dowmace started in on it. Dowmace doesn't like me being here. I tried to end it, but nobody else wanted to.

[gt24]

This is all I will say on the little confrontation I saw up above...

I get the impression that these forums are the nicest around the internet. I find that everybody acts incrediably nice to each other or at least shows an amazing amount of restrant. I didn't expect to ever read something like what I have read above on these forums...

I have read much worse on the internet as in wars between members, harshness, and alike. It does happen. I just don't want it to happen here. I like to think of OC Forums as a last oasis of kind discussion on the internet. Keep that in mind in the future, for the sake of all members here.

Sidenote, I do note that there was an attempt to stop the argument with the /end tag thingy. Perhaps someting more elaborate, like a setence or two saying that the argument should end would work better in the future. I dunno, just a suggestion! :)

With that said, on to shoe lights! :) Tearing apart the bottom of a shoe is possible and generally easy too. Have you thought about how to get the shoe back together... as in what you should use as your window (so I call it) and adhesive? I ask because I don't know of the best material for the job (holding together a shoe in most all environments) off the top of my head...

[OKJEFF4]

Anyway, you need to use a momentary pushbutton switch. That way it isn't always glowing. If you wanted it to be always glowing, you need to use a regular pushbutton. And I don't know what you done to that poor wiring diagram, but let me have a spin at it.

Make sure the negative (Black) wire goes straight to the battery, and the positive (Red) wire goes to the switch first.

Use use hot glue to hold the lights in.

[Newbie_Doo]

Originally posted by OKJEFF4
Well, gee, I'm sorry IFMU, but I just said my opinion, and Dowmace started in on it. Dowmace doesn't like me being here. I tried to end it, but nobody else wanted to.

Just because one person "starts it" is no reason to "finish it". Consider yourself warned as well.

This is an online discussion forum, not the wilds of the African Jungle where you must defend your honor and ego to the point of absurdity. If someone wishes to be juvenile here, then they have the problem. If you don't rise to it, you won't come to any harm.

N_D

**EDIT** This warning includes "teh" and "Dowmace"...and anybody else who thinks this is a good place to go toe-to-toe.

Keep it cool guys.

Anthony

/edit

[Cyrix_2k]

Sidekick, in your picture, you're switching both the + and - leads. You should only need to switch one lead. Also, if you do switch both, there is a greater chance of the light-up part of the shoe not working after a period of time.

[Sidekick™]

Originally posted by Cyrix_2k
Sidekick, in your picture, you're switching both the + and - leads. You should only need to switch one lead. Also, if you do switch both, there is a greater chance of the light-up part of the shoe not working after a period of time.

For some reason I'm awfully slow at this. I'm sure this is an easy concept too understand but :( I don't get it. But after giving this a lot of thought and reading some other people's posts, I think it would probably be easier to use a button switch with some kind of strobe led. Something like okjess4's picture. As for a window sort of thing, I have this really cheap hard plastic I took from a class in school so I could use that. I know I have an old pair of shoes somewhere in my closet so I'd have to go on a quest and find them really soon. Might have to get some more stuff for my dremel before I start.

[Sidekick™]

Originally posted by Cyrix_2k
Sidekick, in your picture, you're switching both the + and - leads. You should only need to switch one lead. Also, if you do switch both, there is a greater chance of the light-up part of the shoe not working after a period of time.

Sorry i'm awfully slow at this. I'm sure this is a basic, easy concept to understand. But I don't :(. After much thought about this, I think I wanna use okjeff4's diagram. I think i'll use a button and try some strobe leds. For a little window, i'll use this hard clear plastic material I took from a class at school. How fast of a strobe would they be?

[OKJEFF4]

Maybe you could follow my directions completely, and you will have no trouble.

[chkptcharlie]

just a guess, but mabey adding a resistor would slow the srtobe??? heck you could get a couple AA bats and a regular blinking LED a resistor and a switch and that should last you for a long long time.

these are the kinda htings that are easy to think out, but harder to explain/do

[/\\/3|2o]

its sick how something like this gets more posts/views than someone actually posting a case mod...

[OKJEFF4]

Where are you going to find a blinking LED?

[Sidekick™]

Originally posted by /\\/3|2o
its sick how something like this gets more posts/views than someone actually posting a case mod...

Isn't this called... "Alternative" Modding? Creativity and thought is all put into modding. There has been lots of case mods on this section. Geez, Look at Fushyuguru's, DRxAndy's cases. Look at the post numbers. If that's your opinion just keep that to yourself please.

As for the strobe led's, I know i've seen them online somewhere. Maybe Xoxide.com? Not sure. I have took look.

[OKJEFF4]

Just go to LSDiodes.com and get some flashing BGR LEDs. That would be boss.

[Teh]

Originally posted by Newbie_Doo


Just because one person "starts it" is no reason to "finish it". Consider yourself warned as well.

This is an online discussion forum, not the wilds of the African Jungle where you must defend your honor and ego to the point of absurdity. If someone wishes to be juvenile here, then they have the problem. If you don't rise to it, you won't come to any harm.

N_D

**EDIT** This warning includes "teh" and "Dowmace"...and anybody else who thinks this is a good place to go toe-to-toe.

Keep it cool guys.

Anthony

/edit

Sorry mod guy, but I'm gonna have to argue with you on this one.
First off there is plenty of reasons to retaliate. OKJEFF was simply trying to shrug off the "hostile" comment on Dowmace's part. Also note how a mod actually came into the picture AFTER the flaming was done.

I'd also like to know how I got warned for saying he "hacks to the suxx0r." If you're going to warn me for agreeing about Dowmace's owned state, you should also warn the guy before me that did the exact same thing. I'd appreciate an un-warning. You should also give him a second warning since he called OKJEFF4 a newbie, since that's bad too.

[Cyrix_2k]

Sidekick, you're fine if you're going to go with Jeff's plan.

Also, to understand the switching thing, you first need to understand a that circut runs in a complete circle, like a go-kart track. To keep the electricity from flowing, you only need to break it in one place. If there was a Red-light on the go-kart track in ONE place, traffic on the track would cease. You don't need two stop-lights. Same with electricity. Hope that helps.

[/\\/3|2o]

Isn't this called... "Alternative" Modding? Creativity and thought is all put into modding. There has been lots of case mods on this section. Geez, Look at Fushyuguru's, DRxAndy's cases. Look at the post numbers. If that's your opinion just keep that to yourself please.

no no, im not going to retaliate. Im just going to say MOD, you saw that, please warn him for shooting down my statement.

</chaos>

<a_thread_on_****ing_shoes>

Now about those strobe LEDs. I have seen them before also but i have only seen them with that black base thing you need with them. I dont think its the LEDs that actually strobe but its the base that does it. I mean unless there ARE leds that strobe with nothing else needing to be attached.

[Sidekick™]

Originally posted by Cyrix_2k
Sidekick, you're fine if you're going to go with Jeff's plan.

Also, to understand the switching thing, you first need to understand a that circut runs in a complete circle, like a go-kart track. To keep the electricity from flowing, you only need to break it in one place. If there was a Red-light on the go-kart track in ONE place, traffic on the track would cease. You don't need two stop-lights. Same with electricity. Hope that helps.

Hey thanks Cyrix, I totally understand now. I'm glad you put it that way.

/\\/3|2o, I'm sorry for shooting your statement down but this is a community. One of the nicest I've ever been around. Honestly I don't want to start shooting up negative comments. But thanks for the help too.

[Cyrix_2k]

Glad it helped :D

[Sidekick™]

I found an old pair of shoes but I'm not sure if they are thick enough. But I'm trying to get this done as soon as possible.

[CrystalMethod]

You could probably put a few ultra bright LED's in the toes to give headlights for when your out at night! :D

[chkptcharlie]

Originally posted by Sidekick™
I found an old pair of shoes but I'm not sure if they are thick enough. But I'm trying to get this done as soon as possible.


now that sounds cool....
as for finding blinking leds.... radio shack has them, more less any other place around that would carry leds. they arent rare at all...
as a matter of fact, you can get a led now that will flash several different colors, then slowly fade to tons of colors(done by mixing light)

[DRxAndy]

hehehe
i can only imagine led shoes, and how funny they'd be
especially if they would light up like the knight rider style

[Comrade]

Originally posted by DRxAndy
:snip:
especially if they would light up like the knight rider style

Why have them light up any other way? ;)

[Sidekick™]

Allright, got some new shoes today at the mall. Finally. Now I can use some old Dc's that were about to fall apart on the bottom anyways. Ill just shove the battery down there. :) They are also really thick so I hope they are comfortable still. I'll just end up stopping at radioshack maybe tommorow or sometime before my vacation is over.

[Mico]

This should be interesting to see what comes of this. Hopefully, you won't get covered in mercury =)