How to Tape Wires for Circuit Bending

Circuit bending is a popular hobby that involves short circuiting ("bending") an electronic toy or instrument to utilize the circuit board to create new sounds you control by additional switches you install on the toy. In order to circuit bend and keep your area neat, it helps to tape the wires' ends together after you work with them, as explained here.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Soldering iron
• Solder
• Jeweler's screwdrivers
• Tape
• Wire
• Wire cutters/strippers
• Batteries
• Switches
• Alligator clips
• Drill/drill bits

1. Decide on the electronic toy you are going to bend and set up your work station. This should include a heat-resistant surface. If you do not have a heat-resistant surface, purchase a heat-resistant mat from a hardware, home improvement or craft store.

2. Gather the other tools you will need. You may find along the way you need to add tools to your circuit bending kit, such as needle-nose pliers or other handy items. The items involved are not set; use what is comfortable for you.

3. Explore the circuit board with the alligator clips to find different bends you can create and attach to installed switches, buttons and body contacts. Once you have found a bend to use, install the switch, then decide how the wire is going to connect the two.

4. Install the switches and connect the wires to the switches. Once you have installed everything you want to install, clean up the inside wires with tape. Do this by gathering wires running the same direction together in the middle and put a piece of tape around them. This process is similar to organizing cords behind a computer or home entertainment system.