LED PVC Chair W/ Reading Light
With minimal material requirements, you can turn your homemade PVC chair into a comfortable reading space- even if it's in a dark room! By attaching LED lights to a simple everyday CD, you can read at all hours of the night.
YOU WILL NEED:
- 2 CDs (preferably unused)
- 9 LED lights (color according to preference; white is best to read by)
- 18 120 ohm resistors
- Speaker wire
- Normal wire
- Soldering iron
- Solder
- PVC Chair
YOU WILL NEED:
- 2 CDs (preferably unused)
- 9 LED lights (color according to preference; white is best to read by)
- 18 120 ohm resistors
- Speaker wire
- Normal wire
- Soldering iron
- Solder
- PVC Chair
Assemble Materials
Materials
- Speaker wire
- 2 CDs
- 18 120-ohm resistors
- 9 LEDs (color according to preference, ours are white)
- Red and Black wire (colors should be adhered to for positive and negative identification)
- Solder
- Soldering iron
- Hot glue & gun
- Speaker wire
- 2 CDs
- 18 120-ohm resistors
- 9 LEDs (color according to preference, ours are white)
- Red and Black wire (colors should be adhered to for positive and negative identification)
- Solder
- Soldering iron
- Hot glue & gun
Assemble Individual LED-resistor Couples
1. Gently & slightly separate the tails of the LED to make working with the LED easier in the following steps. Tails should form a V-shape.
2. Hold 2 resistors so that one end of each is crossing the other to form an X shape. Fold each end over the other and then continue to wind them together.
3. Repeat step (2) with the other ends of the resistors.
4. Wind the coiled end of the pair of resistors around an LED tail (it does not matter which).
5. Solder the connection between the resistor couple and the LED tail to ensure that it is a firm connection.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 for the remainder of the LEDs. In total you should have 9 LED-resistor couples.
2. Hold 2 resistors so that one end of each is crossing the other to form an X shape. Fold each end over the other and then continue to wind them together.
3. Repeat step (2) with the other ends of the resistors.
4. Wind the coiled end of the pair of resistors around an LED tail (it does not matter which).
5. Solder the connection between the resistor couple and the LED tail to ensure that it is a firm connection.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 for the remainder of the LEDs. In total you should have 9 LED-resistor couples.
Prepare the CD
Drill holes in the CD wherever you'd like there to be LEDs. To do so, place the CD over a gap between two tables. Get the drill bit spinning at a good speed before touching it to the CD, at which point you need to apply an increasing amount of pressure to ensure that the hole is cleanly drilled.
Attach Wire to Each LED-resistor Couple
1. Cut roughly 12 cm of black wire and strip both ends of it.
2. Wrap one end around the loose end of the resistor pair in the LED resistor couple.
3. Solder this connection.
4. Insert the LED through the hole in the CD that you drilled in the previous section and thread the newly attached wire through the center hole of the CD.
5. Hot-glue the soldered connection (pictured) to the CD so as to hold the LEDs in place.
5. Repeat steps 1-5 with all LEDs.
2. Wrap one end around the loose end of the resistor pair in the LED resistor couple.
3. Solder this connection.
4. Insert the LED through the hole in the CD that you drilled in the previous section and thread the newly attached wire through the center hole of the CD.
5. Hot-glue the soldered connection (pictured) to the CD so as to hold the LEDs in place.
5. Repeat steps 1-5 with all LEDs.
Solder Together ALL Black Wire Tips
1. With all the black wires threaded through the center of the CD, they should all be close to each other. Twist them all together to the best of your ability.
2. Solder together this large clump of wires.
3. Cut a long segment of black wire from the spool and strip both ends of it. Solder one end to the large clump of wires you just created. This single wire now feeds electricity to all the LEDs.
2. Solder together this large clump of wires.
3. Cut a long segment of black wire from the spool and strip both ends of it. Solder one end to the large clump of wires you just created. This single wire now feeds electricity to all the LEDs.
Take Care of the Other LED Tail
Each LED still has a single tail that is not connected into the circuit. They also need to be attached.
1. Cut a segment of red OR black wire that is long enough to wrap around the circumference of the CD.
2. Strip the entire wire segment so that it is only metal.
3. Bend this wire into a circle that wraps around the CD.
4. Lay this loop over the vacant tails of the LEDs, and one by one, wrap the tails around the wire. DO NOT ATTACH THE CIRCULAR WIRE TO ITSELF AFTER IT HAS LOOPED COMPLETELY AROUND THE CD. The circuit is wired in parallel and is therefore already complete, despite the appearance of the gap between the ends of the looped wire. Ensure that there is a small cap between one end of the looped wire and the other.
5. Delicately solder the connections between the circular wire and the LED tail.
1. Cut a segment of red OR black wire that is long enough to wrap around the circumference of the CD.
2. Strip the entire wire segment so that it is only metal.
3. Bend this wire into a circle that wraps around the CD.
4. Lay this loop over the vacant tails of the LEDs, and one by one, wrap the tails around the wire. DO NOT ATTACH THE CIRCULAR WIRE TO ITSELF AFTER IT HAS LOOPED COMPLETELY AROUND THE CD. The circuit is wired in parallel and is therefore already complete, despite the appearance of the gap between the ends of the looped wire. Ensure that there is a small cap between one end of the looped wire and the other.
5. Delicately solder the connections between the circular wire and the LED tail.
Create Second Wire
1. Cut a segment of red wire qual (even a bit longer) than the longer black wire you cut in the last step, and again, strip both sides.
2. Wrap one end of the red wire around one end of the loop of wire that encompasses the CD. Solder this connection and then thread the rest of the red wire through the CD hole with the rest of the wires.
2. Wrap one end of the red wire around one end of the loop of wire that encompasses the CD. Solder this connection and then thread the rest of the red wire through the CD hole with the rest of the wires.
Secure the Second CD to Prevent Injury to the Circuitry
1. Grasp all of the wires that are threaded through the center of the CD and thread them through the hold of the second CD.
2. Generously apply hot glue to random locations between the 2 CDs and then clamp them together firmly until the glue has dried.
3. Wind together the red and black wire to make them easier to work with.
4. Attach the stripped ends of these wires to the corresponding ends of the speaker wire that is threaded through the chair. Solder these connections.
2. Generously apply hot glue to random locations between the 2 CDs and then clamp them together firmly until the glue has dried.
3. Wind together the red and black wire to make them easier to work with.
4. Attach the stripped ends of these wires to the corresponding ends of the speaker wire that is threaded through the chair. Solder these connections.