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Step 3Hot Glue and Thumbtacks
Since everything is soldered now, you only have a little further to go until your LED module is functional. Take the hot glue gun and glue the magnets down on their sides. There isn't much need to worry about killing the magnets here since the glue gun doesn't transfer nearly as much heat to them as the soldering iron. Wait for the glue to harden before attempting the next part.
Once the glue has hardened, take the module, set it next to the speaker wire, and mark the wire where the center of each magnet would come in contact with it. This is where you'll need to insert the thumbtacks on the wire. Make sure they pierce the conductor inside the wire. This isn't easy to mess up, but if you're paranoid, you can check with a multimeter to ensure conductivity. Make sure that each pair of tacks doesn't go into the same conductor. This is how the modules are powered, and if both tacks go into the same conductor, that module won't work.
When you have the spacing right, you can use the thumbtacks you just put in as a template for the rest of the wire and since they have such a large surface, there's plenty of room for error. Another plus is that there is no need to have nails in the wall for it. Just hammer the tips of the tacks into the wall!
Now that you have your thumbtacks in your wire, connect the 12V supply and attach the module to a pair of tacks. If it doesn't work, try turning the module around. Reverse polarity won't hurt it. If it still doesn't work, make sure your connections are good between LEDs and specifically, between the resistor and its magnet.
Shown is a closeup of a working module and my hallway in near daylight. If you want to make a red module instead of a green or blue, substitute the three blue or green LEDs for 5 red ones and the 100 ohm resistor for a 1 ohm resistor.
Once the glue has hardened, take the module, set it next to the speaker wire, and mark the wire where the center of each magnet would come in contact with it. This is where you'll need to insert the thumbtacks on the wire. Make sure they pierce the conductor inside the wire. This isn't easy to mess up, but if you're paranoid, you can check with a multimeter to ensure conductivity. Make sure that each pair of tacks doesn't go into the same conductor. This is how the modules are powered, and if both tacks go into the same conductor, that module won't work.
When you have the spacing right, you can use the thumbtacks you just put in as a template for the rest of the wire and since they have such a large surface, there's plenty of room for error. Another plus is that there is no need to have nails in the wall for it. Just hammer the tips of the tacks into the wall!
Now that you have your thumbtacks in your wire, connect the 12V supply and attach the module to a pair of tacks. If it doesn't work, try turning the module around. Reverse polarity won't hurt it. If it still doesn't work, make sure your connections are good between LEDs and specifically, between the resistor and its magnet.
Shown is a closeup of a working module and my hallway in near daylight. If you want to make a red module instead of a green or blue, substitute the three blue or green LEDs for 5 red ones and the 100 ohm resistor for a 1 ohm resistor.
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Jan 18, 2010. 1:28 PMmaxwelltub
says:
awesome, i love it
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