Friday, April 10, 2015

How to make a DIY electric glowstick





Specifications:

Price - Less then a glowstick

Light time - 24h+ Much longer effective time than a glowstick since it can be turned off. Batteries can be replaced for ~$1

Light strenght - About as strong as a strong glowstick. Can light a small room.



Materials needed:
some wire
A clear straw or similar plastic object that can diffuse the light
One or more switch
One or more LED
Battery holder or similar
Batteries that total ~3 volts (2x AA/AAA/AAAA for example)

Tools needed:
Something to cut and peel the plastic of the wires with (Scissors are fine)
fine grit Sandpaper
Soldering iron
Hot glue gun

Build tutorial:

1. Sand the straw if it's clear. Sanding it will make it diffuse the light batter, making it look more like the whole thing is glowing. Use several straws inside each other to get the light more diffused.

2. Cut  wires and strip them at the end.

3. Solder everything together. The most simple version would just be a single LED connected to a switch and the batteries.

4. Hot glue the LED to the inside of the straw.

Pictures and more details soon!