Christmas Lights to Music Using Arduino

Step 7 Put It All In A Box

I started by hot gluing the circuit board into the clear plastic tub.

I had an extra powered USB hub laying around so I decided to use that to power the Arduino.  I hot glued the power adapter for the hub into place and plugged the 11th 6' extension cord (the only one not cut up) into it.  I also glued the hub in place.  Into the opposite side of the extension cord, I plugged in the circuit board's 120v plug.  The USB cord going to the Arduino from the hub is a $1 extend-able cord from Dollar Tree but any USB cord would work.

To run the cords through the side of the tub, I used my soldering iron with the tip removed (effectively a mini heat gun) to melt away the plastic.  I then used hot glue to secure the cords in place.  I did this with the lights' power cords (top of the picture below) and the power cord for the board (bottom).

I finished it up by using wire nuts to connect the power going out to all the lights to the test wires I had already hooked up (adding an additional two for the 7th and 8th channels).  Add the lid and you're all set.  Should be waterproof-enough for me and it's protected by the front steps of my RV.