How to Make a USB Light

This night lamp isn't only cheap, it is also very easy to make. All you need are cheap and easy to find electronic parts and a little of soldering knowledge.

If you are one of those who has a roomate and need to work on night but he/her needs to sleep, this lamp is very useful for you. All you need to do is connect your lamp, turn of the light and your roomate can get some sleep, and you're still available too see your keyboard!!!

Tools:
- Hot glue gun (optional)
- Soldering iron
- Solder
- Welding grease
- Cutting pliers

Materials:
- 1 USB male connector
- 1 white light LED
- 1 120 Ohm resistor
- About 20 centimeters of cable for speakers
- Wire of a notebook
- Same size of heat shrink tube (5mm in diameter)
- A small piece of another heat shrink tube (around 10mm in diameter)
 
A tip from my brother: sanding the LED so the light spreads and it will look brighter

First of all, you must remember that the longest tip from the LED is  the positive side of the led , this is the place where the energy is going to enter so here is where we're going to solder the resitor (it doesn't matter which tip of the resistor you use) to protect the LED.

After that all you have to do is strip the cable and solder it with the LED, normally the red wires are positive (the color won't change the polarity) so we'll use red for positive. In my case, after soldering the wire was vulnerable so I added some adhesive tape to it.


A tip from my brother: sanding the LED so the light spreads and it will look brighter

First, you have to straighten the wire by removing the spiral shape it has. You can do this by wearing gloves and trying to stretch the wire, you may need to use some strenght depending on the size of your wire.

I bent it in two so it's stronger but it depends on you, I recommend to make some testing before continue.

Now, take a piece of the 5mm heat shrink tube that measures a little less than the cable and place it around the wire and the cable. Then, just heat it up until it fit perfectly around everything.

(You can skip next step is optional is just to decorate)

The plastic cover was too big so I measured it and cut it then I pierced it with the soldering iron and simply pasted it with hot glue.

After that, I run the wires through the hole and pasted the LED in position.

Seeing from the bottom the right side of the USB connector is the positive side and the left side is the negative (as seen in the first picture) So in the rigth side you must connect the red cable or the wires that go to your positive side of the LED and in the left side the the negative wires.
 
BUT before soldering make sure you get a piece of the widest heat shrink tube to place it over the USB connector the size depends on you.

Solder everything in place, place the tube and heat it up...

DONE!!!

Time to prove your USB light.