Easy LED Flashlight

Hello,
Welcome to my Easy LED Flashlight

What do I need?
(1) LED Light--White or Blue. Make sure that on the box it says 3 Volts or more.
(1) AA Battery Holder
(1) 9 Volt Battery Clip
(2) AA Batteries
(1) Altoids Case, Chewing Gum
(1) Push button switch with two leads on the bottom.

Purpose- The purpose of this project is to make an easy, affordable, AA battery LED Flashlight. The light is good for little nooks and crannys, and also for finding your wa around the house at night.

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Step 1: Drilling hole for Pushbutton and LED

Ok, so this is an easy step.

First, with a Sharpie marker, draw a dot where you want to put your Push button and your LED. On my Altoids Flashlight, I put my light on the front, and the PB (Pushbutton) switch on the top.

Take a drill, and drill the holes to size. Make one hole, check it, and then make it bigger if it is needed.

I used a Dremel tool to drill the hole, but you can also easily use a drill.

It cannot be that hard.

chuckr44 says: Aug 9, 2012. 4:27 AM

You don't have a resistor so the 4.5v LED just blew from giving it 9v.

cry_wolf says: Dec 2, 2007. 11:05 AM

I want to make this project so badly, but i don't have a soldering iron...

Adambowker98 in reply to cry_wolfJun 20, 2012. 9:52 PM

radioshack sells a soldering kit for about $10

Brennn10 (author) in reply to cry_wolfDec 2, 2007. 11:27 AM

You don't necessarily need a soldering iron, you can try twisting the wire around the leads.

nodoubtman says: Oct 8, 2011. 4:22 PM

why a 9V battery when you can use a 3 v battery with a protective resistor?

to find the proper resistor the formula is this one :
9V - (voltage of your led) / (led intensity in A)

thanks!
:)

brandon-scott says: Jul 5, 2010. 11:01 PM

One suggestion is add a Resistor so you don't blow the LED just place one between the positive on the battery and LED.

Gamernotnerd says: Aug 15, 2009. 5:54 PM

Here's a proper schematic with protective resistor, feel free to add it to your instructable.

lawizeg says: Feb 22, 2009. 6:03 PM

You should add a resistor.

poop11346 in reply to lawizegApr 27, 2009. 9:47 PM

ohms?

schimmi says: Feb 23, 2008. 9:28 AM

(removed by author or community request)

schimmi in reply to schimmiFeb 23, 2008. 10:06 PM

(removed by author or community request)

Brennn10 (author) in reply to schimmiFeb 24, 2008. 6:51 AM

Nice job!

awang8 in reply to Brennn10Dec 7, 2008. 1:29 AM

Umm... *walks away*

timntek in reply to awang8Dec 17, 2008. 2:47 PM

i dont get it

pyro man says: Dec 11, 2008. 11:34 AM

ok,you lost me. the nine volt clip is suppossed to clip onto the AA battery holder?!?!!?!?!?!

fallenspirit123 in reply to pyro manDec 11, 2008. 4:21 PM

yes

pyro man in reply to fallenspirit123Dec 11, 2008. 5:35 PM

well ''excuse'' me but iv never seen a battery holder like that

fallenspirit123 in reply to pyro manDec 12, 2008. 1:22 PM

all I did was answer your question! man its true! You get jealous way to easy

pyro man in reply to fallenspirit123Dec 12, 2008. 6:57 PM

hold on! wtf do you mean its true?

fallenspirit123 in reply to pyro manDec 13, 2008. 4:27 PM

Its true that you get jealous easy!

pyro man in reply to fallenspirit123Dec 12, 2008. 3:32 PM

jealous? how i that jealous? and i was joking anyway. you care '''WAY''' too much

fallenspirit123 in reply to pyro manDec 13, 2008. 4:28 PM

Nope...not really I just answered your Q and you went off like I was yelling at you

pyro man in reply to fallenspirit123Dec 13, 2008. 4:31 PM

w/e have you seen a battery holder like that?

fallenspirit123 in reply to pyro manDec 13, 2008. 6:28 PM

radioshack sells them

pyro man in reply to fallenspirit123Dec 13, 2008. 9:06 PM

figures

fallenspirit123 in reply to pyro manDec 15, 2008. 1:58 PM

haha! lol well...yo!

Coonie says: Dec 8, 2007. 8:20 PM

great Instructable! but its kind of harder than it should be to figure out. try searching "altoids led flashlight" and click the first one. its a little more easy to figure out and it was my first ever led project and it was sooooo fun!

pyro man in reply to CoonieDec 12, 2008. 3:34 PM

umm... *walks away*

xproplayer says: Jun 11, 2008. 12:07 PM

what is the next best place to get all this rather than ripoff shack locally in boise idaho

finnster says: May 7, 2008. 12:54 PM

where do u by buttons /switches

Brennn10 (author) in reply to finnsterMay 7, 2008. 3:31 PM

Sadly, I had to buy them from Radioshack. But any online store will also have these supplies.

olvegrn says: Nov 4, 2007. 9:45 PM

People love mine! I have made 3 so far. one is just a single blue LED with resistors of course, and the other ones are double LED ambers with resistors of course. THANKS FOR THE FUN!

Brennn10 (author) in reply to olvegrnNov 6, 2007. 7:27 PM

AWESOME!!! Glad to hear it!

theatre_tech_guru says: Sep 22, 2007. 2:57 PM

i am 17 i don't have a credit card and Radioshack is a block away i don't have to wait for them to be shipped

Brennn10 (author) in reply to theatre_tech_guruSep 22, 2007. 3:05 PM

Ohh, I see. You should get a Wachovia Visa Buxx card. It is for teenagers, and your parents can upload your allowance onto the card. You can use it anywhere. I love mine.

theatre_tech_guru in reply to Brennn10Sep 22, 2007. 3:10 PM

i don't have an allowance but hopefully i am getting a job at radioshack soon i go for my interview on monday

Brennn10 (author) in reply to theatre_tech_guruSep 22, 2007. 3:17 PM

Good Luck man, if you are hired, you will get discounts on everything!

theatre_tech_guru in reply to Brennn10Sep 22, 2007. 4:14 PM

it would make my wallet happier since i am broke and it would make my parents happier because i would have finally got a job so i can pay for gas for the truck i will be driving.

theatre_tech_guru says: Sep 22, 2007. 2:32 PM

Radioshack is all we have in canyon country so leave it alone

Brennn10 (author) in reply to theatre_tech_guruSep 22, 2007. 2:54 PM

Why don't you order from the internet? That was what I was referring to. I have yet to find a store near my home that sells LED at bulk.

theatre_tech_guru says: Sep 22, 2007. 5:57 AM

heres the url

http://www.radioshack.com

Brennn10 (author) in reply to theatre_tech_guruSep 22, 2007. 6:32 AM

Radioshack is a joke compared to other electronic component dealers. I bet somewhere else, I could find 10 of those for that price.

theatre_tech_guru says: Sep 21, 2007. 9:20 PM

they sell LED'S with resistors.

Brennn10 (author) in reply to theatre_tech_guruSep 22, 2007. 5:07 AM

With resistors already soldered on? Hmm, I never seen those. Could you post a link?

HIGHVOLTAGE-Z says: Jul 10, 2007. 7:12 PM

would it work if the pushbutton has two PRONGS instead of two leads please answer

Brennn10 (author) in reply to HIGHVOLTAGE-ZJul 13, 2007. 12:19 PM

Are they the same thing?

HIGHVOLTAGE-Z says: Jul 9, 2007. 2:40 PM

hey gobob29 how did you make yours? please reply

AlbinoBlackSheep says: Jun 18, 2007. 7:07 PM

Thanks so much!!! I made one for my Mom as a birthday present. I really liked gobob29's (I think. The link was broken, so I assume it was gobob29's) idea to have 2 LED's and 2 switches. Mine has blue and white. She'll really like it for navigating the house at night.

Ian01 says: Feb 11, 2007. 8:31 PM

How did you collaborate with yourself!?

Brennn10 (author) in reply to Ian01Feb 12, 2007. 6:27 AM

Do you wanna know "how" i did it or "why" I did it?

Ian01 in reply to Brennn10Feb 26, 2007. 6:56 PM

both.

Brennn10 (author) in reply to Ian01Feb 27, 2007. 5:19 AM

Well when you go to collaberate at the end of your instructable, you can collaberate with groups and users. Click users, and type your name in. I guess its as easy as that.

Ian01 in reply to Brennn10Apr 22, 2007. 12:24 PM

but why?

Brennn10 (author) in reply to Ian01Apr 22, 2007. 2:05 PM

i did it by accident.

gobob29 says: Feb 23, 2007. 6:41 PM

i made a easier one

gobob29 in reply to gobob29Feb 23, 2007. 10:12 PM

http://www.instructables.com/id/E76Q44MHS6EYJ3I3DK/

jknight says: Feb 10, 2007. 8:57 PM

i like this very much i think it was a great idea and try puting two lights on it and two switches one for a colored light and the other for the white light.

theHankster says: Feb 9, 2007. 4:37 PM

Nice work! I made a similar one recently with a 9v and 3 leds in parallel (each with its own resistor). Very bright! I used a little bit of silicon to locate the battery so that it wouldn't slide around in the tin. (I didn't have a snap connector at the time, so I just soldered the leads directly to the battery. Keep up the good work! - Henry

Brennn10 (author) says: Feb 9, 2007. 5:18 AM

I have not tried any resistors. I was shooting for a way to do it without resistors to make it easier on some people. But LED's can last a VERY long time.