LED Frosties

Light up your cooler with some waterproofed LED lights. They're simple to make and easy to reuse.

Step 1: Light it up

All you need is a couple dozen 10mm diffused LEDs and some CR2032 batteries. Clip the leads a little and slide the battery up between them. If it didn't light up, flip it the other way.

Now tape it up and repeat until you have a small pile of glowing lights.

Comments

[jnixon]

I love this idea! Where's a cheap place to get LEDs?

[Bot1398]

Ebay

[AngelInTheNight]

Christmas ornaments or halloween decorations when they go on sale. Most light up ones have LEDs in them.

[doo da do]

some of the toys in many of the kids meals have toys with lights you could recycle those From Doo Da Do

[imarzouka]

From where did you get your LEDs fungus amungus? I've been searching for diffused 10mm LEDs with internal resistance but I couldn't find them online.

Iyad Marzouka
http://ledcalculator.net

[godmode]

Ebay is the best place. I got 50 leds + 50 batteries for about $30. Didnt have to pay customs since its marked as a "gift"

[lukeair45]

you can find them at radio shack

[fungus amungus]

I've found RS LEDs to be dimmer and more expensive and have a slim selection of colors. If you want to play with LEDs, you're much better off ordering them online.

[fungus amungus]

We got these from here. The batteries have the internal resistance, not the LEDS.

[geeklord]

Yea, don't buy LED's from radio shack if possible, trust me their a lot more expensive than eBay's, and they SUCK!!!! >:(

[The_Beast]

true that Radioshack blows when it comes to LED's, I bought (then returned) a 5 watt blue LED that I payed $4 for and it wasn't even that bright

[Koil_1]

Wow, add some small magnets and you got throwies!! ^,

[crak-a-bottle]

yaaaaaaaays
waterproof throwies =]

[inventorjack]

Using this tonight for New Years party :)

[fungus amungus]

Have fun with that!

[nrlucre]

Pretty!

I bet you could do this via klee27x's "Pocket Full Of Anything""Pocket Full Of Anything" technique to make a tidier container for your LED.

[sjrSpike]

You know, if you put these in the heat-sealed plastic bags, but made the bags kind of sculpted so the narrow LEDs and wider battery couldn't change places, *and* left a little air in on purpose, would these float in water?

Depending on the amount of air, could you get these to float at different levels in the pool?

[fungus amungus]

That would be nicer. I've been meaning to try some soldering iron heat-sealing for a little while now.

[stanstan009]

wow! thats like really awesome! :D

[pixelitis]

^{this right here - - is downright fackN awesome! - - it's a definite party.pleaser! tnx!}

[pestan]

I have a question. how long do they last?

[fungus amungus]

Several days. If you undo them at the end these can last for plenty of parties.

[darkmuskrat]

sweet, i will probably use some solor changing leds and do this :P

[DELETED_bbrainmonkey]

(removed by author or community request)

[Derin]

they make self cycling rgb leds

[schmidtty]

hey looks good, nice idea, sweet effect

[Learndy]

Uh? LED directly connected to battery? No resistor to regulate current???

Yesterday I had a look at a datasheet of a super-bright in another context to find out that the current is kinda exponential in voltage. Maybe a resistor of 10 Ohms or so would also help the battery to stay alive and the ice to stay firm a little longer...

--
Airspace V - international hangar flying!
http://www.airspace-v.com

[fungus amungus]

The same exact thing is found in LED keychain lights. Squeezing pushes the leads against the battery. The CR 2032 has an internal resistance.

[Artificial Intelligence]

This is pretty cool. do you know if it's possible to put one of these down in some water and put in the freezer, so you can make a icecube with a LED inside it, or would that damage the battery?

[fungus amungus]

The would be the ice bulb.

[rickfmdj]

I have done this and works marvolusly with changing LEDS

[CameronSS]

I wonder if it would diminish the effect to embed the LEDs in the side of the cooler (sealing with clear silicone), and have either a larger battery pack or external power. That would save on batteries, at least. This is pretty cool looking! I like the idea of the color-changing LEDs.

[pbwingman11]

Now theres an idea! A cheap styro cooler, put them through the sides and secure/seal with silicone, wire'em all together, and run off a wall wort or old car battery! It would last for the life of the cooler!

[Itsgoofytime]

Its not really original, although you do make great instructables.

[robomaniac]

who care if he is not original. Do you think your tic tac toe joule thief light is better?

ps- Itsgoofytime, if you use a webcam to make your instructables, there is a ring on the edge of the lens to change the focus. If you use a camera, there is little flower and it is call macro.

I like this instructables, simple and cool!

[Itsgoofytime]

Wow im just saying a LED throwie in a bag is not that different.

[fungus amungus]

And a throwie isn't that different from regular keychain LED lights which have been around for years before that.

[robomaniac]

true! :P

[SurferGeek]

Zing... ;)

[fungus amungus]

The lights are basic and have been done before, but I haven't seen them uesd as a decoration in ice before. Am I missing something?