LilyPad ProtoSnap Plus

The LilyPad ProtoSnap Plus is a sewable electronics prototyping board that you can use to explore circuits and programming, then break apart to make an interactive fabric or wearable project. Programming the ProtoSnap Plus is easy with the free Arduino software you’ll need to program the ATmega32U4 on LilyPad USB Plus at the heart of the board. Once you’ve installed the software, you’ll be able to write and upload your own programs to the board, making it do almost anything you want. Test Before You Sew Wearable electronics are incredibly fun to build, but unsewing a mistake from a delicate piece of fabric can be frustrating. The ProtoSnap series solves this by physically connecting all the individual e-textile components together on a single, pre-wired circuit board. This lets you press the buttons, flip the switches, and see exactly how the LEDs respond right out of the box, so you understand the circuit logic before you ever thread a needle. Snap-Apart E-Textile Prototyping At the center of this platform is the LilyPad USB Plus microcontroller, surrounded by a variety of input and output boards. The board includes the following integrated components:

* Light Sensor & Buzzer: Add environmental reactivity and audio feedback to your garments.

* Switches & Buttons: A slide switch and a button board offer direct user input and control.

* Colored LEDs: Four pairs of colored LEDs allow you to create programmable light displays.

* Expansion Ports: Easily connect external sensors or additional components using alligator clips during testing.

After you have successfully tested your code and finalized your design, simply break apart the perforated prototyping board. You can then use conductive thread to sew the individual sensors, LEDs, and the microcontroller into your custom clothing project. Please be aware that the LilyPad USB Plus is not supported on Windows 7 or Windows 8 due to a lack of compatible drivers, so a modern OS is required for programming.