The very first LED shoes were powered by stepping down, blinking and flashing as kids walked, ran, and jumped around the playground. There may also be connection issues between the battery and the LED strip or individual LEDs. The LED shoe fell out of fashion for a couple of decades, but recently, its made a comeback. It takes only 30 minutes on a hot day for the interior of your car to reach over 120. Hook it back up and test to see if your shoes will light once again. Otherwise, the LEDs in your shoes will fail to light. In the original LA Gear shoes, the sensor contained mercury. Here, we go over some of the main reasons that people find their LED shoes failing to light up. It may be that your battery isnt touching the terminal completely. If you had to lift the insole to reach the battery compartment, make sure that you put it back in place before wearing your shoes. Many modern LED shoes have a wire running up along the interior side that connects the battery to a USB charger. You can conveniently charge the shoes with the USB charger which is included with your purchase. Typically, LED shoes are fashioned like regular sneakers. This feature earned them the nickname of sneakers.. You can usually view the wiring of an LED shoe by stripping away the insole. One end connects to your shoe inside by the ankle and then you can plug the other end in your laptop or other USB socket. *Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. Its important that the spring is oriented in the right direction. Excessive shaking or hard impacts, such as kicking something or stubbing your foot against something, can rattle the wiring loose. It takes 3 hours to fully charge and they last for about 6 hours. If water gets inside, it can oxidize metal contacts and render the entire battery useless. If they do, make sure that all the wires are back where they belong if you moved them, and lay the insole back flat against the sole again. Some are molded into the rubber, and so if the battery dies, the footwear cant be fixed. Its important to keep LED shoes as dry as possible when wearing them. Whats more, by housing the setup under the insole, shoe manufacturers didnt have to sacrifice comfort for the sake of fashion. This establishes the connection between the signals. Without these two components connected, your shoes wont charge properly and wont have the power to light their LEDs. If your shoes arent lighting up and dazzling passers-by, you may be able to fix them without giving yourself a headache. You can use a variety of materials such as pennies, cotton, loose fabric, foam, cardboard, and more to close the gap and keep the battery fully connected to its terminal. LEDs, or Light Emitting Diodes, are a type of bulb thats safer and more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs. Try to avoid wearing them when walking on rugged terrain, instead of reserving them for days when you know youll be walking on smooth, even surfaces. Minnesota even banned the sale of these sneakers over health and safety concerns. Most are resistant to some degree of water damage because the electronic components are designed to stay protected from the environment inside the rubber sole. Whats more, with advances in LED technology, these shoes are safe, convenient, and more affordable than ever. Often, there are wiring grooves heading away from the battery compartment and either up the side of the shoe or along the sole. You can also break connections without realizing it as you slip your shoe on and off of your foot. Copyright 2022 Heelys. If the wires connecting the two become loose and break apart, the LEDs wont receive the power they need to light up. This feature may make the sole of the shoes a little bit thicker than average by design because there has to be enough room available to house lighting elements. You can also strengthen the connection between the batteries and the rest of the circuitry in your shoe if youre having issues getting them to work. Question? This can also help to hold the wiring in place. LED shoes can use a variety of different battery types. Typically, on a full charge, the LEDs will remain bright for 6 hours, but they can last much longer, just slightly dimmer. This will allow the sensors to communicate between the shoe and control. The shoes will blink red when charging and turn solid green when when fully charged. You can hook your shoes up to just about any device to charge them, and most have batteries that offer around six to seven hours of wear time. You may also want to avoid wearing them outdoors to prevent weather damage. Dual prong charger included in package so both shoes can be charged at the same time! You should examine the heel for a tab or slot that opens to the battery compartment. Even if the wiring appears fully hooked up, a weak connection can cause your shoes to malfunction or stop working entirely. As the price of shoes went down and families gained access to disposable income, more and more people made the switch to sneakers. LEDs can have a life of up to 50,000 hours, meaning that its rare for a bulb to burn out in your shoe. Some use simple AA or AAA batteries, which most of us already have sitting around the house. Once parents found out about the mercury in LED shoes, they were worried about the effect it might have on their children. LED lights are rechargeable. To activate the remote you must pull and remove the thin plastic strip located on the bottom. Unfortunately, the success of the LED sneaker was short-lived. It also offers a sleeker, more modern look than the LED shoes of the 90s. However, with frequent use, burning out LED bulbs isnt impossible. You can opt for a solid strip of light, flashing, or even color changing. Without proper care, they may break, possibly irreparably. If it comes into contact with skin, its highly corrosive, and toxic if ingested. These shoes were designed for athletic activity, and unlike traditional shoes, were quiet on most surfaces. In most cases, the circuit was set up in such a way that each LED could blink separately. Turn on your shoes by pressing the red button and his will allow you to cycle through the different light modes. The rubber sole underneath also helped to cushion the circuitry from hard impacts. You may want to limit wearing your LED shoes for special occasions if you want them to last longer. Like any other footwear, LED shoes arent invincible. Initially, they were relatively expensive and marketed solely towards children. LED shoes wouldnt be a fashion phenomenon if it werent for the introduction of the first rubber-soled shoes in 1917. Not all LED shoes have a battery compartment thats designed for accessibility. Sometimes during transit your shoes may run out of battery. Typically, the battery is housed in the sole of the shoe, around the heel of the foot. It may be necessary to get a knife, nail file, or flathead screwdriver to help you pry the cover open. If they get too wet, water can still get into the electronics. Individual, solid-state LED lights were usually either sewn into the fabric on the upper portion of the shoe or embedded around the heel in the outer sole of the shoe. If youve put new batteries in your shoes and noticed no effect, then the issue could be with the wiring. Its a good idea to test the shoes out with your hands on a flat, smooth surface to make sure that the lights are working again. Inside the sole of the shoe, a sensor detected when the shoe was shaking around, triggering an LED pattern to light up in turn. If you find that you simply cant keep the wiring in your shoes from coming loose, you can always permanently affix the connections using glue or epoxy on the housing components. Theres a good chance that youll be able to salvage the pair. In many cases, you dont necessarily need to shell out the cash for a brand new pair. Squeezing the metal battery holder with your fingers, or pressing on it gently with a tool such as a hammer can compress it and bring it into closer contact with the batteries. If theres a cover plate, make sure that you close it all the way and fasten it if necessary. Nowadays, though, if you see a motion sensor in an LED shoe, its generally a safer spring-operated mechanism. Shoerazzi is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. If your shoes are left in a hot environment for more than just a few minutes at a time, it may cause permanent damage to the battery. Some are even housed in plastic or rubber casing for further protection from moisture, especially due to sweat. Others, however, use specialty watch batteries. Moisture can lead to anything from malfunctioning shoes to complete destruction of the inner electronic components. If your LED shoes get dirty, the best course of action is to take them to a dry cleaner. Due to the location of this wire, it can become disconnected easily. With some LED shoes, particularly kids models, the battery is only accessible from the underside of the shoe. While some still have individually placed LED lights, many use an LED strip wrapped around the sole of the shoe to create a variety of trendy effects. While most LED shoes are resistant to water damage, total submersion isnt recommended. In the sole of the shoe, the battery was protected from moisture. When youre ready to go out and hit the town in your favorite pair of LED sneakers, it can be frustrating to realize that one shoe has suddenly stopped lighting up. Now, most LED shoes offer a variety of lighting options. Thanks to the cushioned rubber soles of sneakers, they quickly became popular as everyday footwear. Most shoes that use watch batteries use either a CR2025 or a CR2032 size. Theyre made of the same materials, including foam and rubber, for proper support around the foot and ankle. If it comes into contact with skin, its highly corrosive, and toxic if ingested. These batteries have a smaller, flatter profile, making them ideal for LED shoe designs with thinner soles. Its relatively easy to disconnect your LED wiring from the battery by accident as you move. Many of us remember having light-up shoes as kids. of reviewers would recommend this product to a friend, Rated 0 on a scale of minus 2 to 2, where minus 2 is Runs Small, 0 is True to Size and 2 is Runs Large, Rated 0 on a scale of minus 2 to 2, where minus 2 is Narrow, 0 is Just Right and 2 is Wide, Open user-uploaded video and review in a modal, Rated 1 on a scale of minus 2 to 2, where minus 2 is Runs Small, 0 is True to Size and 2 is Runs Large, Rated -1 on a scale of minus 2 to 2, where minus 2 is Narrow, 0 is Just Right and 2 is Wide, Synthetic leather upper with padded tongue and collar for optimal comfort and protection, Translucent outsole featuring bright LED's around the perimeter, Easily press the power button to scroll through the 10 different light sequences, Light sequence will flash for 4 minutes, then turn off automatically. When an LED shoe stops working unexpectedly, its often because the batterys gone bad. Connections can even break apart during shipping so that your shoes arrive seemingly broken. Wearing them as an everyday pair will speed up the rate at which the LEDs burn out, especially if you keep them on throughout the day. Please remove the plastic film strip to activate the remote signal. Once youre sure that the circuitry is connected properly, you need to close up the battery compartment to protect it from moisture and the elements. Turn your shoes on using the manual button inside the shoes then you may use the remote. Locate the charging port under the hidden flap on the tongue. You can cycle through the colors, light modes, and turn off the shoes. The battery and motion sensor, if there is one, is still typically housed in the heel of the shoe. LED lights also stay cool when lit, reducing the risk of causing burns and making them a safe choice for wearable items. Now that the kids who wore light-up footwear in the 90s are adults, theyre eager to enjoy some nostalgic fashion. Theyre free of harsh chemicals, recyclable, and offer the same output as up to 25 incandescent bulbs. They were at the height of fashion in the 1990s, and youd be hard-pressed to find a playground without seeing LED sneakers flashing. Once youve replaced the dead batteries in your shoes, double-check to make sure that theyre in the correct spot and the right orientation. There is the solid color mode and the multi-light setting which flashes all of the colors continuously. Unfortunately, the success of the LED sneaker was short-lived. A disconnected wire can break the circuit so that energy cant flow between the battery and the LED lights. Its easy for wiring to come loose or disconnect, especially in cheaper LED shoe models. One of the main reasons that the LEDs in shoes stop working is due to a simple connectivity issue. Instead of heading down to the shoe store, take a few minutes to check out your shoes and see if you can have them lighting up again with a simple DIY fix. One of the greatest thing in life Ive ever did was order 2 pairs of these bad boys, I cant figure out how to ride them but I love them. Excessive heat can do just as much damage to your LED shoes as moisture. All rights reserved. In most cases, a wire running up the side of the shoe to a USB connection allows for easy charging. The batteries used in most LED shoes are susceptible to water damage. To turn the shoes off, you need to hold down the button for 3 seconds and the shoes will turn off. Be warned, however, that this is a permanent solution and may make it difficult to fix problems with your shoes in the future. If you see a connection thats come apart, thats most likely the culprit behind your broken shoes. Theres generally a button housed discreetly within the shoe that allows you to change between settings with ease. Before chalking your new shoes up as a loss, you should thoroughly investigate the interior wiring to make sure that everything is securely connected. A weak or broken connection at any point can prevent your shoes from lighting up properly. It wasnt until 1992 that the first LED sneakers were introduced to the world. The battery, though long-living and reliable, contained Inhaling the compound can lead to symptoms of the nervous, digestive, and immune systems as well as the lungs and kidneys. Some are even specialized for athletic wear, making them suitable for jogging, running, jumping, and more. You can flip back the insole and see if theres either a compartment carved into the rubber underneath or a cover plate. If you remove your insole to check for disconnected wires, its also a good idea to test the other connections to make sure that theyre not coming loose. Whether its due to water damage heat, or any other number of reasons, replacing the battery with a fresh one can have your shoes working like new again. When lights start to appear dim, it's time to recharge. However, they were still wildly successful. You should avoid throwing them in the washer at all costs. Avoid keeping them in your car or in your trunk. The battery, though long-living and reliable, contained unsafe levels of mercury. Please charge them using the split usb cable. For many modern models, however, batteries are both rechargeable and replaceable. A battery was also housed inside the sole of early LED shoes. The shoes will turn solid green when charged to the max. If this is the case, your shoes wont light up even if everything is properly connected. It will be fully charged in 3 hours. The company that made them, LA Gear, sold over five million pairs in the first year alone. Inhaling the compound can lead to symptoms of the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, as well as the lungs and kidneys. Youll have to examine your shoes before heading down to the store for a fresh pack of batteries. While its not possible to avoid shaking and hard impacts altogether, you can take steps to protect your favorite pair of LED shoes from damage. Just press the button that turns the LED lights on and it will cycle through the colors. Right by the ankle in the shoe there is a small charging port that sticks out of the fabric. When your favorite LED shoes stop working, dont worry. Because of the circuitry cased inside the sole of the shoe, their more delicate than other footwear. It can get surprisingly hot inside a closed vehicle, especially on a sunny day. You should always store LED shoes in a cool, dry place when not in use, such as in a closet or under the bed. Call us toll free at 855-521-3077. Heat can cause batteries to bulge, bubble, and even burst at high enough temperatures. The spring bounces on impact, forcing it to make contact with the battery and complete the circuit to trigger the lights to flash. You may need needle-nose pliers to remove the batteries. In total 7 colors (red, blue, green, purple, turquoise, yellow and white) and come in two light modes so you can select which ever one you want at the time of wearing. The only real difference between LED shoes and regular sneakers is that they have lights in the sole or the heel. You may also want to fill any empty space around the battery compartment to prevent it from wiggling away from the terminal. As you walk, run, or otherwise move, your foot rubs the wire, tugging against the connection and increasing the chance of it breaking apart.