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Step 5Solder the LEDs and the copper wires together
It's time to assemble the LED "arms" coming out of the tube. The most annoying part of making these is that you have to burn and/or scratch the enemaling off the copper wire. This can be quite time consuming, so be patient.
Before you start cutting the wires, you should know how far from the tube you want to have the LEDs hanging. I found out that 30 cm was a good distance for my painting. Keep in mind that the wires should be long enough to come out of the end of the tube. I reccomend making the wires a little longer than you want them, because then, if they are too long, you can always cut a bit off.
I used two different diameters of enemaled copper wire to make it easier for myself to identify the polarity. I used the thicker wire for the positive connections and the thinner wire for the negative connections.
There are three ways to find out which LED lead is the positive (the anode) and which one is the negative (the cathode). 1. Almost every through through hole LED has a shorter lead, which is the negative and a longer one, which is the positive. 2. Most through hole LEDs have a ring at the bottom of their housing, and the ring has a flat side, and the lead closest to that flat side is the negative. 3. If you have a clear LED, you can see that there are two pieces of metal inside it. The biggest piece of metal is usually the one that connects to the negative leg of the LED.
I used a drill to twist the wires.
Always remember to slide the heat shrink tubing over the wires before you solder them together with the LEDs.
I started with the two outer LEDs which had the shortest wires.
Follow the instructions on the pictures below.
Before you start cutting the wires, you should know how far from the tube you want to have the LEDs hanging. I found out that 30 cm was a good distance for my painting. Keep in mind that the wires should be long enough to come out of the end of the tube. I reccomend making the wires a little longer than you want them, because then, if they are too long, you can always cut a bit off.
I used two different diameters of enemaled copper wire to make it easier for myself to identify the polarity. I used the thicker wire for the positive connections and the thinner wire for the negative connections.
There are three ways to find out which LED lead is the positive (the anode) and which one is the negative (the cathode). 1. Almost every through through hole LED has a shorter lead, which is the negative and a longer one, which is the positive. 2. Most through hole LEDs have a ring at the bottom of their housing, and the ring has a flat side, and the lead closest to that flat side is the negative. 3. If you have a clear LED, you can see that there are two pieces of metal inside it. The biggest piece of metal is usually the one that connects to the negative leg of the LED.
I used a drill to twist the wires.
Always remember to slide the heat shrink tubing over the wires before you solder them together with the LEDs.
I started with the two outer LEDs which had the shortest wires.
Follow the instructions on the pictures below.
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