I've decided to build my very own car-themed lamp for my living-room. A brake-disc is the perfect choice for that, since it already comes with openings for the wheel-hub and wheel bolts that can be used for LED light sources.

Additionally it looks really cool even to people that don't recognize it as a brake disc and think it's a futuristic or UFO-themed lamp.

Once you have all parts, the build is very easy. I've built the lamp yesterday in less than 2 hours.

Step 1: Get It!

Here's a short list of what you need. Since the opening diameters depend on the brake disc you plan to use, you maybe have to adapt the chosen LEDs.

- 1x brake disc: I have bought the cheapest drilled (adds cool looks! ;)) brake discs I could find: In my case these were Rotinger brake discs for the BMW 3 series for around 70€ for a pair. A drilled disc has another advantage: The drillings can be used to attach the lamp to the ceiling using a steel rope. However, since there's a huge choice you might want to see what fits your needs best.

- 1x central LED panel for the wheel hub opening: I bought a cheap 6W LED-panel (cost: 6€) which came with a LED-trafo from amazon. Sadly that specific panel is not available anymore. You find lots of LED panels on ebay, though. Just make sure it fits your wheel hub opening.

- 5x LEDs (e.g. G4 socket): Once again, make sure the G4 LEDs' diameter matches the wheel bolt openings of the disc. Adapt the amount of LEDs to the number of bolt openings. I went along with these 3W LEDs for ~3€ each.

- 5x Socket for the LEDs: I bought pre-wired sockets from amazon (7€ for 10 sockets)

- 1x LED trafo for the 5 LEDs: The trafo's power rating should be slightly higher than the combined power rating of your LEDs. I went for this 18W trafo for 10€.

- Steel rope and 2 clamps: You can find both in your local hardware store for a few Euros. The lenghts depends on the desired distance between ceiling and lamp.

Total cost: ~80€ if you consider the cost for one brake disc.

Step 2: Build It!

The trafos transform AC to DC and therefor the input side needs to be connected to the power outlet in the ceiling. The outputs have to be connected to the respective LEDs. I have separate trafos for the LED panel and the G4 LEDs.

The LEDs have to be connected in parallel with the trafo. Therefor wire the G4 sockets in parallel and then connect them to the 18W Trafo's output.

Connect everything and attach it in the brake disc (lots of hot glue engineering involved in my case).

Obligatory Disclaimer: AC power can kill or hurt you. Be careful, and never handle any circuitry without unplugging everything. I am not liable for any damages or injuries that occur from following the instructions of this tutorial.