LED Patio Umbrella Jar Lights

Step 6 Future Changes and Improvements

Securing the lights

Now there is one... I don't want to say "design flaw". But definitely a bit of room for improvement.

Hanging them from the power connecter isn't the greatest idea in the world. The lights aren't particularly heavy and they do hang from their connecters perfectly fine... as long as they're still. But if you knock one and cause a light to bob up and down on the string, then odds are it'll fall off and break.

Oddly enough when one of mine fell to the patio, the glass jar was fine and it was the plastic lid that shattered! Which wasn't that bad since I had accidentially drilled one too many lids anyway!

Another option would be to get some locking DC barrel sockets and plugs. They're exactly the same as the usual panel mount sockets except that there's some extra thread on it that is matched on the plug. I did consider getting these, but I couldn't find them at a non-hideous price. Seriously, we're talking ≈£2.50 per plug and ≈£3.50 per socket! Sod that! Of course if you have a different kind of locking socket, that'd do fine, just make sure it's ok to carry 12vdc.

I'm thinking of using some small hooks in the lid and short lengths of small, fine chain to hang them from. That would give plenty of support and I reckon would have a nice finish to it.

Weatherproofing for permanent installation

This could be achieved by either paying a little more for weatherproof connecters, which would probably be bulkier and I think would ruin the asthetics of the lights a bit. Another option would be to omit the connectors completely, feed the wires in through the hole and solder directly to the LED arcs. Don't forget to use a bit of hot glue or mastic in the hole for the wires. This would be a little more fiddly in construction I reckon. But it would also allow you to save a bit of cash on the connectors.

Colours

The Superflux Piranha LEDs come in many colours, including Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Ultra-Violet, "Cool" White and "Warm" white. So the obvious thing would be just to make them in a variety of different colours with those. You can also get them in a single RGB LED package, both common-anode and common-cathode varieties are available.

I have plans to build some RGB Jars. The particular construction method used in these lights is only really suitable for single-colour LEDs. So my RGB jars will have the LEDs mounted on custom PCBs and as a result will need a 4-way connector on the top and probably larger jars too.

Dimming with PWM

This isn't strictly an improvement to be made to the lights themselves, but I'll mention it because it's relevant. You could dim these lights by reducing the supply voltage going to the LED arrays. A few resistors could do this, provided they're powerful enough. Or you could use an adjustable voltage regulator circuit with a potentiometer to alter the output voltage. Neither of these are ideal though. A much better plan would be to use a method called PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). This basically means flashing the lights so fast that you can't see it, then you can dim them by varying the ratio between off-time and on-time.

You could build a PWM controller for these LEDs using a simple 555 timer astable circuit. The common "LED Blinker" circuit, you just want it to go much faster. You'll also need to use a power-transistor on the 555 output to drive the LEDs with just to avoid damage the 555 chip. As the LED Array Wizard tells us, each light will pull 75mA from the power supply, making 600mA for the whole string. The 555 can only handle up to 200mA output. A relay would not be suitable since it can't switch fast enough. There are many PWM circuit examples out there since this technique is also commonly used to control motor speed.

Motion Activitated

Again, this is more about controlling them than improving them directly, but using a PIR (Passive InfraRed) sensor and a couple of other components you could make them turn on when somebody walks by and fade out over time. Similar to security lights. I don't have many details on this since I haven't done it fully yet but I will, and when I've come up with something, I'll post the details of the build.

Alternative uses

- Emergency lights. Consuming very little power, they would run on batteries for ages. I won't suggest a timescale, that really depends how big your battery is! On my battery, at least a couple of days!
- Night lights. Used in conjunction with a PWM dimmer, these would make great nightlights!
- Torch light. Get a bit of PVC pipe, shove batteries down it, stick one of these on top and you've got yourself a modern-day Indiana Jones-style torch! Except that this one won't go out as easily or burn you! Add a microcontroller to give it a real flame effect!
- Table lamp. Really just need to make a weighted base with a DC plug on a stick, a shade too, pop the jar in like a lightbulb!

In closing
These lights have been well worth it to me. They put all the commercial equivalents I've seen to shame and aren't limited to one use! If you have any questions regarding these lights then please leave a comment below and I'll do my best to answer. Thanks for reading and remember, if you liked this instructable then please rate it accordingly!