Solar Headband – IDM Wearables

In this tutorial, we will make a headband that tells you maybe it’s time to consider putting on some shades or sunscreen. The headband has a vibration motor right behind your ear that will turn on if the solar panels get enough sunlight (~1.5V) and increase vibration intensity as the voltage goes up with exposure to stronger rays. Stronger vibrations might mean your chances of being exposed to UV rays may be higher. We should always be mindful of ultraviolet rays outdoors by putting on our shades and applying sunscreen even on cloudy days. Ultraviolet rays can reflect off of snow, water, and even the beach and go straight into our eyes, which over time causes many eye problems. Applying sunscreen, as we all know, will also help prevent premature skin aging and damage.

In tandem with our series of solar tutorials, this is our latest addition to a more manageable, and less time-consuming project. If you checked out our solar necklace tutorial, you could reuse almost the same materials and techniques to make this solar headband. Our goal here is to connect eTextiles or soft robotics and circuit interfaces with sustainable power sources. Having solar panels accessible in scale and size that allows us to integrate them into flexible forms such as wearables opens a new door in the DIY technology trend.

This tutorial will cover:

List of materials you will need
Design of the headband and the circuit arrangement
Link to the laser cut file for the headband

Step 1: Soldering the nickel strips to the solar panels
Step 2: Laser cutting instructions
Step 3: Laying out the wiring for the solar panel circuit
Step 4: Sewing the panels in place
Step 5: Sewing in the button
Step 6: Connecting to the vibration motor
Step 7: Connecting the diode
Step 8: Sewing in the elastic band
Step 9: Finishing touches

Construction time: 1 hour 30 minutes

List of materials you will need:

4 Mini Solar Panels
7”x 20” piece of Neoprene fabric
Black elastic band
Nickel Battery Tabs
Conductive Nylon Tape
Lighter/see-through fabric (we used linen here)
Conductive Thread (30 Ω/m)
3V Coin Vibration motor
Self-Lock Push Button Switch
1N4007 Rectifier Diode
Crystal clear tape

Equipment needed: Laser cutter or possibly a Cricut, (we haven’t tested this as an alternative, but neoprene is listed on the Cricut website), or another programmable cutting machine.

Design of the headband and the circuit arrangement:

This design uses solar panels to turn ON a vibration motor when the panels get exposed to strong sunlight. The vibration signals the wearer that at this level of exposure to the sun they should put on their sunglass or wear sunscreen. The vibration can be turned off with a switch on the other side of the headband.

Link to the laser cut file for the headband:

The top and bottom parts of the headband

Step 1: Soldering the nickel strips to the solar panels

We used the same soldering technique that we used to construct the solar necklace tutorial.

Step 2: Laser cutting instructions

For the headband material, we chose neoprene because it does not fray, and the thickness of the material created a window that is the perfect size for the solar panels. Keep note that the neoprene fabric has a different color on both sides and here we used blue at the front with a yellow piece behind it.

After laser cutting, this is what the bottom and top pieces will look like.

Step 3: Laying out the wiring for the solar panel circuit

Step 4: Sewing the panels in place

We recommend referring to the sewing vid eo we used for the solar necklace tutorial. It follows the same process we applied here, by placing a linen cloth over the circuit arrangement, pinning it in place, and sewing the panels in place.

This arrangement of sewing locks the panels in place, while also allowing for the headband to bend and be flexible around the panels.

This is what the back would look like. Cut the white cloth along the edge to ensure it remains within the boundary of the headband and does not spill out. Keep the edges of the conductive tape exposed to sew the other components.

Step 5: Sewing in the button

Step 6: Connecting to the vibration motor

If there is not enough exposed wire, use a wire stripper to strip off the other plastic and expose the inner wire to around 0.75cm.

Insert the vibration motor into the circular hole cut into the neoprene so that the wires lie along the yellow part. Use a piece of clear tape as shown to secure the motor in place.

This is what the front of the headband will look like after the motor has been secured from the back.

Step 7: Connecting the diode

Now we will proceed with completing the entire circuit on the headband. Lay both the pieces of the headband according to the orientation shown below. We will first connect the remaining end of the button switch to the negative end of the vibration motor. After this connection is secured, the two headband pieces will no longer be separate. To finish off the connection, the negative end of the diode will be connected to the positive end of the vibration motor.