![]() ![]() With the huge selection of disco lights available on eBay, you are sure to find the perfect way to brighten the mood or illuminate an office gathering at a very affordable price. I don't expect anyone here to educate me, just point me in the right direction to get started, please? I love this cool project.You don't need a high-end venue to throw a memorable party as disco lights can help add a professional touch to any event. I just don't have any electrical "sciency" knowledge and honestly don't want to study for two weeks before I can make something. I even have some heatshrink I bought at an electronics supply store to make tubing necklaces. Can you recommend something like a "For Dummies" place to start for a total noob that only knows how to screw in a 110v light bulb? I am familiar with most of the components you mention. I understand most of this instructable, and would like to extrapolate to a same-color-LED not-in-a-jar application, but there are things said that assume I know more, like what kind of switch, assuming they come in different sizes/voltages(?). I've rewired lamps, but that's about the extent of my "electrical knowledge". I mean I can do things like use a soldering iron, solder & repair copper water pipes, and have been a silversmith, more. I'd love to get started on an easy LED project, but not sure if this one is even too advanced for a total noob. It's been decades since high school and I must admit science class was a snooze fest at that time and the coach teaching the class skipped whole chapters in Physical Science. ![]() I'm highly skilled in other areas but not this. I am a crafter and tend to be smarter than the average bear, but I've never learned anything whatsoever about electronics. ![]() The LEDs have a longer lead (positive) and a shorter lead(negative) when I made my Disco Light I made sure that the long lead was towards the resistor on every branch. To anyone who has played with LEDs this will seem obvious, but to beginners remember this: OBSERVE POLARITY! LEDs will only light if connected in the right direction, and while nothing will blow up if you hook them up backwards they certainly won't light and you'll be sad. Finally, solder on the last wire so that it reaches all the way back to the resistor. Solder another wire, then the second LED. This is where the "helping hands" clamp comes in handy the pieces tend to move around! Then solder an LED to the other end of that wire. Start with the resistor, twisting a bit of wire around one lead and soldering it down. Try to make a wide range of branches, but also make sure they will fit inside the jar! The assembly is relatively straightforward. I spaced the LEDs in each branch at a random distance, so that when they were place in the jar they would appear randomly placed. You may want to start by "frosting" each LED using a piece of 800-grit sandpaper to diffuse the light a bit. Don't exceed this value! Those 12 branches are then connected in parallel with each other, so that each branch receives about 6V (3V + 3V + a nominal amount across the resistor). Each LED receives about 3V, as dictated by the LED's datasheet. ![]() The 24 LEDs are arranged in 12 branches, each comprised of a single current-limiting resistor and two LEDs, all connected in series. Yours may use more or less, depending on the size of the jar you've got. ![]()
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