AT switch workshop
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1) The document provides step-by-step instructions for making an assistive switch and battery interrupter out of common materials like copper plates, CDs, Velcro, and wire. 2) The switch is made by attaching copper plates to CDs with Velcro strips and wires to create a device that can be activated by pressure. 3) The battery interrupter is made with copper foil, an index card, and wire to create a device that interrupts the battery connection in a device and can be activated by a switch.
AT switch workshop
- 1. Assistive Technology Workshop Stephanie Lancaster, MS, OTR/L, ATP, CAPS
- 2. Material Needed in the Workshop • 1 kit (in baggie) containing – • 2 CD’s • 2 copper plates • a wire cable • 4 Velcro strips (2 hard and 2 soft) • Stick & Suck disc (white) • 2 small square copper pieces • a small square index card piece • A 3.5mm speaker cable • Scissors Lancaster, 2017
- 3. Making a Switch: Materials Needed Lancaster, 2017
- 4. Making a Switch • Step 1: Take one copper plate and 1 CD. • Step 2: Bend one edge of the copper plate up to release the backing from the copper. Fold back the white backing a little bit to create a tab. Lancaster, 2017
- 5. Making a Switch • Step 3: Line up the arrow tip of the copper plate with the arrow tip on the CD. Tack down the copper, making sure its curved edge is lined up with the curved edge of the CD. As you peel, use your fingers to press the copper plate down against the CD. Lancaster, 2017
- 6. Making a Switch • Step 4: Smooth down the copper sheet on the CD so that there are no bubbles or wrinkles. • Step 5: Repeat with the second CD and copper plate. Lancaster, 2017
- 7. Making a Switch • Step 6: Peel off the backing of the small soft piece of Velcro. • Step 7: Take one of the wire ends of the cable and untwist the wires and spread them out. Lancaster, 2017
- 8. Making a Switch • Step 8: Attach the wire to the sticky side of the Velcro, making sure that both the black plastic of the wire and the copper fibers are stuck to the Velcro strip. Lancaster, 2017
- 9. Making a Switch • Step 9: Attach the Velcro strip to the edge of the CD where you see the dot. Press firmly. Lancaster, 2017
- 10. Making a Switch • Step 10: Stick the other soft piece of Velcro over the arrow at the opposite side of that same CD. The strips should be parallel to each other. Lancaster, 2017
- 11. Making a Switch • Step 11: Without peeling the adhesive backing off the two hard pieces of Velcro, match the bigger one and the smaller one to the corresponding soft pieces and press down, peeling off the backing of each after that. Lancaster, 2017
- 12. Making a Switch • Step 12: Take the other wire end and untwist the fibers and spread them out. Stick the wire to the shorter piece of hard Velcro, making sure some of the black plastic of the wire as well as the fibers are attached to the Velcro. Lancaster, 2017
- 13. Making a Switch • Step 13: Align the two CDs and press them together. (The alignment doesn’t have to be perfect.) You have just created a switch! • The Stick & Suck disc can be used by peeling off the backing and then pressing it down on a hard surface to hold the switch in place. Lancaster, 2017
- 14. Making a Battery Interrupter • Materials Needed: • 2 small pieces of copper foil • 1 small piece of an index card • Stereo speaker wire • Scissors Lancaster, 2017
- 15. Making a Battery Interrupter • Step 1: Cut the speaker cable in half so that there is a male and a female end. You will use the female end for this project but should save the male end for making a switch. Lancaster, 2017
- 16. Making a Battery Interrupter • Step 2: Cut each of the two copper pieces into a circle about the size of a dime. Lancaster, 2017
- 17. Making a Battery Interrupter • Step 3: Peel the backing from one of the copper circles and use the edge of the scissors to scrape away a small patch of the black adhesive on the back in the center of the circle. • Step 4: Use the scissors to gently strip the wire coating down to the wire so that you can see three small insulated pieces of wiring. Lancaster, 2017
- 18. Making a Battery Interrupter • Step 5: Use the scissors again to gently strip each of the small pieces down to reveal small strands of wire. Lancaster, 2017
- 19. Making a Battery Interrupter • Step 6: Place one section of wiring (from one of the small pieces of wire) on one side of the piece of index card, being sure to leave a small amount of the plastic insulation of the wire overlapping on the wire. Lancaster, 2017
- 20. Making a Battery Interrupter • Step 7: Press the circle of foil down on top of the wire on the index card. • Flip the index card over and repeat steps 5 - 7 for that side. Lancaster, 2017
- 21. Making a Battery Interrupter • Step 9: Peel the backing from the other circle of foil, scrape off a small patch of adhesive, and use the circle to attach the second and third main wire pieces to the opposite side of the card. Again, make sure the bare patch on the circle touches the bare (stripped) part of the wiring and that some of the wire’s plastic insulation overlaps on the circle. Lancaster, 2017
- 22. Making a Battery Interrupter • Step 10: Cut around the outside edges of the foil, leaving a tiny bit of index card exposed around the edges (to help avoid short- circuiting in use). You have created a battery interrupter! Lancaster, 2017
- 23. Making a Battery Interrupter To test it out, carefully slide the foil-lined card between the batteries of a battery operated device. You can trim the card and/or use electrical tape to help with the fit and stability of the interrupter inside the battery casing of the device. Now plug a switch into the 3.5mm jack and press to activate the device. (Pressing the switch closes or completes the circuit, which has intentionally been interrupted by the battery interrupter.) Lancaster, 2017
- 24. Assistive Technology Workshop: Making a Switch and a Battery Interrupter Lancaster, 2017