The T-light
Hello Hello ladies and gentlemen. For I'm first instructable I wanted to post this cheep and safe alternative to the common tea light candle. This simple and cost effective design makes it easy to create ten little lights for just a few dollars. The name "T-light" is derived from "Technomancer's light" my little nod to the nerdy side. (please note I am relatively new at this so I'll try my best any helpful comments would be greatly appreciated. Please be gentle.)
The Materials
The materials you will need are:
-5mm LEDs (I went for high brightness white LEDs but diffrent colors would be neat as well.) should set you back about $2-3 for a pack of 100.
-3 volt cr2032 coin cell batteries. I bought mine for around $3 for a pack of 10 on ebay.
-Micro slide switches. Once again around $2 on ebay
-And finaly cr2032 battery holders. For just a few dollars.
-5mm LEDs (I went for high brightness white LEDs but diffrent colors would be neat as well.) should set you back about $2-3 for a pack of 100.
-3 volt cr2032 coin cell batteries. I bought mine for around $3 for a pack of 10 on ebay.
-Micro slide switches. Once again around $2 on ebay
-And finaly cr2032 battery holders. For just a few dollars.
Tools Required
The tools you will need include:
-A pair of wire snips.
-A soldering iron.
-And solder (naturaly).
-A pair of wire snips.
-A soldering iron.
-And solder (naturaly).
Attaching the Switch.
The easiest part to add is first the switch. Attach the positive termanal of the battery holder, which is the part making contact with the smooth side of the battery marked with a "+", to the center pin of the slide switch. This is best done with no battery in the clip to prevent any damage to the battery.
Attach the LED.
Bend the LED flat with the leads apart. Take note of the shorter cathode lead and join it to the remaining contact on the battery clip. This is best done with the LED in the center of the assembly.
Completing the Circuit.
Join the longer anode pin of the LED to the closes pin on the switch.
Adding the Battery and Cleaning Up.
To finish the design clip off the remaining material on the LED's leads and add the battery. Be sure to insert the battery with the correct polarity.
And Your Done
Replicate the several times to make a whole batch of throwie-sque tea lights. Perfect for black outs or any time you need a quick little light. you can make them even more versatile by adding a magnet to the bottom to attach them to magnetic surfaces or try diffrent color LEDs for diffrent lighting effects. If anyone can think of other ways to improve this please post a comment~