I don't know if you know it but I am Iron
Man!
Well, really I feel like Tony Stark with this
easy to make Arc Reactor that won't break
your budget!
Here's what the finished Arc Reactor looks
like.
It's not meant to be pretty looking but it
looks good when it's under your shirt.
It's powered by AA batteries and a string
of LED lights so it won't get hot against
your chest.
And it's super thin!
I don't really like costume parties but the
Arc Reactor is impressive and it's virtually
unnoticeable when the lights are off.
The main part of the Arc Reactor is made of
CDs or DVDs.
I used a regular sized DVD and a mini-CD-R
disc.
Also, we will need the clear filler disc found
at the bottom of every stack of blank discs.
I made this pattern which acts as a guide
where the electrical tape will be placed.
So you need to line up the clear disc in the
center of the crosshairs of the pattern and
trace around it.
This needs to be cut out.
Now we'll place a couple of pieces of tape
on the paper and attach the clear disc.
Now take some short strips of electrical tape
maybe about 2 inches or shorter and cover
up the black squares on the guide.
Fold the tape underneath but don't stick the
tape to the paper.
Continue to place electrical tape around the
disc until you've covered up all the squares.
This is what it will look like when you're
done.
Now I had to trim my tape a bit because my
tape pieces were too long.
None of the tape should cover the inner circle.
You'll see what I mean when we attach the
mini-disc.
I'm simply going to attach this disc with
4 pieces of Scotch tape.
This is what it looks like now and we have
the front of the Arc Reactor finished!
At this point, we're done with the paper guide
so peel it off and discard.
Here are the micro LED string lights that
will be used to light up the reactor.
These are cheap and you'll need to buy the
ones with only 20 LEDs in it.
Any more than that will be too much for this
project.
I'll put a link in the description for the
lights I used.
To start, locate the end of the light string.
It will have two wires sticking out.
You can use a hot glue gun to attach the LEDs
or use Scotch tape like I'm about to do.
Start in the center of the reactor and attach
4 LEDs in a square pattern.
These are going to be the only visible LEDs
when we're done.
Now behind the electrical tape, attach two
LEDs per piece of tape.
These won't be seen directly but the glow
will be visible.
You can turn on the LEDs while you're attaching
them so it's easier to see the exact placement.
Continue to attach two LEDs behind each piece
of electrical tape.
When it's done, power it up to see if everything
looks ok.
You may have to slightly move the center LEDs
if they're not in a square shape.
But if you used hot glue that may not be easy
to do.
So here on the back you can see that I have
all the LEDs in place.
Now take a regular size DVD or CD and use
a hole punch to make two holes in it for the
neck strap.
Again, I stress that this isn't pretty looking
but it's functional.
I used a long rubber band on one end to make
it easy to put on and take off.
We'll basically wear this like a necklace.
Now attach the disc with the string to the
main reactor.
Where the wire comes out is the bottom of
the reactor so adjust the back disc so the
string is at the top like I've done.
Now take some more electrical tape and stick
the pieces together but wait on the bottom
where the wire comes out.
On the bottom, I cut my electrical tape down
the middle so the wire can go between the
tape.
Stick the tape on the front and then take
the strips on the back and cross them to create
support for the thin wire here.
And there you have it!
The Arc Reactor is finished!
The back disc helps reflect the light from
the hidden LEDs and creates a pretty cool
effect.
Here I'm testing the placement of the reactor.
You may have to lengthen or shorten the string
to have it sit correctly on your chest.
Once it's under a shirt, you can see how thin
the Arc Reactor is!
I think everyone can follow along with this
easy Arc Reactor tutorial.
The only thing you really have to buy is the
LED string lights.
I got mine from Amazon and I'll leave a link
in the description for the ones I got.
Remember you only need the string with 20
LEDs.
I will also leave a link where you can download
the paper guide I used at the beginning of
the video.
If you enjoyed this video please give me a
thumbs up and don't forget to subscribe to
my channel to be notified when I build my
Iron Man repulsor to complete the look!
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