LED light tree

How to make a light-tree from a piece of tree and a lot of LEDs.

This make combines both natural materials and the very much synthetic. I like copper on wood, I don't like PCBs.

The video shows what you can do by twiddling the "Dial-a-LED" controller, otherwise there are 10 fixed configurations, and 2 off-positions.

Step 1 Materials & Tools

A piece of wood (Hawthorn) from the woods.
Some local stones
A copper ornament / tourist souvenir
An unusual Japanese telephone
A USB cable (for a camera, from before card-readers were common)
Red micro LEDs 10x from the slider-bars of an old stereo
Yellow 5mm LEDs 8X from old Christmas-tree lights
Green 5mm LEDs 8X from old Christmas-tree lights
Violet/UV LED (bought)
Solid-core bell-wire
Solid-core mains cable (30A)
Some capacitors from an old stereo

A drill
A soldering-iron
Screwdriver
Scissors / knife
2-part epoxy glue
Car body filler (styrene / polyester resin)

Comments

[egbertfitzwilly]

There's a guy in India who commented on my CO2 scrubber. He says he's got 30 LEDs running from microbial fuel cells. With a good design and some septic tank starter we could create the most novel solution ever for what to with kittly litter and backyard pooper scooper rewards. We could call it "The Direct Crap Fuel Cell"... I wonder if we could drive an array of those lawn lights everybody loves so much.

[teslafan100]

oh o.k thanks

[teslafan100]

WHAT THE HECK DOES L MEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[lemonie]

It's an initial L

[eyebot117]

How about a twisted wire LED tree? The LED's could be the leaves, and the leads could be twisted in and hidden with the other wires that make up the tree. You could even mix in tumbled stones for extra leaves, and if you have lapidary equipment, you could cut a natural stone base for it. Possibly with a few more trees on the same base, and it would make a great.............thing for a centerpiece, sculpture, desk toy, or a fountain or garden. I had an idea for a rolling ball sculpture (more info about these amazing works of art at http://www.eddiesmind.com) that had wire trees on large stone spheres that could be held by the frame. They could also be attached to the track, hanging upside-down, etc. The track could travel through holes in the tree, around it, through it's wire branches, whatever...But anyway, there's a million awesome things one can do with these trees!

[lemonie]

I made one of those years ago, using lacquered wire from a transformer. I'm not so inclined to do it again, but I do have a lot of red LEDs left for something.

L

[sharlston]

wow nice job lemonie .but is there anyway to disguise the wirre in the wood by splitting the wood then insert the wires then put the two pieces of wood back together?

[lemonie]

I didn't want it to be disguised, I like the copper. But that is a nice idea. I may do something like this again, we'll see. L

[sharlston]

orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr its not fair lol youve got a patch.i wish someone will send me a patch lol!

[lemonie]

I can send you a patch, what do you want? (only last's a month though) L

[sharlston]

any you decide oh i nearly forgot to say thatnks so thankyou

[sharlston]

i just finished making something like this for my dads aerial on his car it was simply a couple of leds connected in parrarell to a 9v battery in waterproof casing

[lemonie]

Can you post a picture? I was thinking of attaching a sparkler to my dad's aeriel: since he drives it like a dogem it might as well look like one... L

[sharlston]

maybe a piezo electric ignitor hooked up to a switch so it goes of continuesly?

[lemonie]

Mmm, interesting idea... L

[sharlston]

might be a bit hard to make it go off continuesly but you could get a lighter then hook up a motor to the flint wheel so it strikes the flint but you would need to replace the flint

[sharlston]

i havent got a mobile or a camera any more but for your sparkler idea maybe some kind of spark plug or a electronic lighter and just remove the bit that sparks