Dollar Store LED Egg Easter Tree

So as you might have guessed this project is very awesome and cheap.  It's also very flexible, and if you have the know how you can make this into one crazy project.

So what exactly is an Easter Tree?  To be honest I don't know.  My mother has been making them and putting them around the house ever since I was a small child.  It's more or less a branch with eggs hanging off of it.  Maybe some candy.  I thought that this year I would spice things up by making her an LED Easter Tree. 

It's an easy project that you can do with kids. If you make a nice version there is no reason you can't save this and use it for many years to come.

For a simple analogue version the total cost is only $10-15 and requires only basic soldering skills.  It takes between 1-2 hours to put together, which does include the boiling and dying time.  It took me less than an hour.

If you want to go crazy and use AVR, Arduino, or fun IC the sky is the limit for the price.

Step 1 What You Need

I've divided this into several parts depending on which version you're going to make.  The supplies are highly flexible and most you can buy from a trip to the $1 Store.  Don't go to Radio Shack.

Outdoors Supplies
A Stick

$1 Store Supplies (AKA generic supplies.)
Easter Bucket or Pot
Fake Colored Grass
Foam Base
Floral Wrap
LEDs - More on that later

Egg Supplies (Pick which is best for you)
Eggs
Dye
Markers
Plastic Eggs

Electrical Supplies
Magnet Wire - The thinner the better
LEDs - More on that later
Resistors
Switch
AC to DC Wall Wart (Salvage one from an old appliance.  $2 otherwise.)

Tools/ Generic Supplies
Soldering Iron
Solder
Drill
Tape
Glue
White Spray Paint

AVR?  Arduino? Whaaaaa?
If you know what any of this means you probably already know what you need.

Butttt.....
If you're an analogue junkie you could always use a 555 timer circuit to make the LED pulse at different adjustable speeds.  I'll link explain more later, but it's a very simple process, and the circuit costs all of $0.50 to make.  A very easy way to do fun things with the lights and avoid any kind of programing.

Comments

[folklife]

You need to get a real JOB, man! This NOT the way Steve Jobs started.