Here’s what we used to make our Netflix socks. Feel free to experiment and make substitutions based on your own particular sock ambitions.
- Knit socks
- Arduino microcontroller
- IR LEDs
- LED indicator light
- Battery
- Momentary button
- Accelerometer
- 12” x 12” piece of felt
Arduino microcontroller. We used an Arduino Pro Trinket. We like it for its small form factor, ease of use and onboard USB. Plus it has plenty of I/O pins for playing around with advanced features (see below). You can also use something like a LilyPad, though it will change some component requirements.
IR LEDs. We used two wide-angle IR LEDs to ensure the pause signal reaches the TV, even if your feet aren’t in an optimal position. These can take quite a bit of power, so we used a MOSFET to pulse them.
LED Indicator light. Our RGB indicator LED is a single Flora Neopixel, and we didn’t see any issues when powering it at 3.3v.
Battery. We used a 500mAh battery. Because the IR LEDs only activate when firing a signal and the Arduino goes into sleep mode when not being used, this should provide plenty of power. For charging the battery, we used the Adafruit Trinket LiPoly backpack, which uses the micro USB connector on the Trinket.
Felt. We used 2mm wool felt as the backing for our electronics. It is non-conductive, flexible and can be cut easily with an X-ACTO knife. And it’s really cozy.
Check out our parts list here.
