How to Build This Amazing Spinning Rainbow Light Wheel!!!

On this instructable I will show you how to make a really cool spinning rainbow light wheel!

This is my entry into 'LET IT GLOW' contest.

I made this spinning rainbow light wheel from what ever the parts I have sitting in my shed. This project is a bit difficult to build, but the part are easy to get, I brought some part from the electronic store a while ago and I reused some parts.

This project not that expensive to build, it really depends if you reused parts or buy new parts. This project cost me about less than £10.

The spinning rainbow light wheel can be used in stores, business , parties, disco or advertisement to grab people's attention, or it can just be used for fun.

Please note that I am only 15 years old and I am not very good at grammar so if you find some parts of the instructable confusing, please let me know and I will try fix it.

Please beware this instructable involves building a high-speed device which can harm people if they touch this device during operation so I am NOT responsible if anybody gets injured by this device.

Ooh, just look at that beautiful rainbow... More great pictures on step 10!!

Step 1: Requirements

The parts you will need...

• Super bright red LED
• Super bright orange LED
• Super bright yellow LED
• Super bright green LED
• Super bright blue LED
• 7 1K resistors
• Solder (I used lead-free type)
• Breadboard
• glue sticks
• small motor (you can find those motors inside a VCR)
• holder for the small motor (I used a small spool)
• Aluminum tape
• lots of wires
• Thin flexible wire
• VHS cassette that you don't mind destroying
• Masking tape
• 6v power supply

This is all optional parts if you want a flashing spinning light wheel...

• 555 timer IC chip
• 4.7uF (or similar) capacitor
• 4.7K resistor
• 10K potentiometer
• 3 2N5551 NPN transistors or similar

The tools you will/may need...

• Temperature controlled soldering iron/gun
• Wire stripper
• Wire cutter
• Hot glue gun
• Long-nosed pliers
• screwdrivers
• a tool for cutting veroboard into pieces (I use dremel)

The abilities you need are...

• Good using soldering iron/gun.
• Read schematics.

Step 2: Hack the VHS Cassette

Find a VHS cassette that you don't mind destroying it.
First take apart cassette with a screwdriver or you might have to break it open with a hammer or something if there are security screws holding the cassette case together.
One you got the case open, take out a spool that has the less or no tape on it, if there is some tape on the spool, take it off and do what ever you like to do with the tape.
Now you need to break the clear part of the spool off the white part of the spool and be careful not to damage the white part of the spool.
And you should end up with the white part of the spool, that will be used to support the LED's.

Step 3: Attach the Spool Onto the Motor

Once you got the white part of the spool out of the VHS cassette, you need to make a hole on the center of the spool for the motor's rotor to fit through, I used my soldering iron's tip to melt a hole on the spool.
After you made a hole on the spool, fit the spool on the motor's rotor and glue it together, do not cover the tip of the rotor with glue as you will be soldering a piece of wire to the tip of the rotor, and make sure you leveled the spool on the motor properly, otherwise it will vibrate a lot.

Step 4: Attach Wires on the Spool

This is the difficult part, giving the LED's a power source while on the spool and spinning.
First I soldered a piece of wire on the rotor of the motor and I soldered another piece of wire on the motor case, this will be the positive power input.
I made two aluminum rings using aluminum tape (you can use one ring if you like) and taped it on the bottom of the spool and I attached the wires to both aluminum rings, that will be the negative power output.

Step 5: Install the LED's on the Spool

After you solder the wires on the motor and taped the aluminum foil tape on the spool, it is now time to install the LED's on the spool...
Cut out two pieces of 3X12 veroboard from a big piece of veroboard using the dremel tool or other cutting tools.
Solder LED's, resistors, wires, and cut track like in this diagram below, and watch out for the polarity of the LED's!
Once you have done all of the soldering, glue the veroboard with LED's onto the spool, and make sure you glue the veroboard with LED's and wires very well onto the spool otherwise thing may go flying straight off the spool and hit other things or people if they are close the device.

Step 6: Adding the Holder Onto the Motor

I used a small spool that was once used to hold wires but it is now used to support the motor.
The core of the small spool was slightly wider than the motor so I simply wrapped about 10 turns of masking tape around the motor and it fits smugly into the core of the small spool, and I put some glue between the motor and the small spool.
I had also soldered two wires to the motor's leads.

Step 7: Making an Electrical Contact Between Aluminum Tape Rings to Wire

This is another difficult part, making an electrical contact between aluminum foil tape rings to the wire without causing so much friction...
I will tell/show you how I did mine, I used some thin flexible steel wire to make an electrical contact with the foil tape.
First I made a small hole on the motor's holder and made a loop on the flexible wire and put two ends of the flexible wire in the hole on the motor's holder and make sure the flexible wire is gently touching the foil tape and glued the flexible wire in place and I soldered a piece of wire on one end of the flexible wire.
I also supported the flexible wire with some pieces of wood that is glued onto the motor's holder next to the flexible wire to stop the flexible wire wiggling everywhere. And I did the same thing to the other flexible wire.

Step 8: Build the Circuit

The 555 timer oscillator is optional if you want some cool flashing effects.
Read the schematic carefully and build the circuit on the breadboard or on the veroboard, your choice, I used the breadboard.
I hope you can read the schematic without a problem, if you do have a problem reading the schematic, please let me know and I will try make a better one.

If you do use the 555 timer oscillator, you may get some very interesting flashing effects.
If you don't use the 555 timer oscillator, you may get just a circle rainbow.

Step 9: Testing... Testing...

I finally got the spinning rainbow light wheel built, now it is time to test it to see if it works!
Testing... Testing... 3... 2... 1... Failed...
Damm, the LED's still glows, but it is not spinning!
It did not take long until I found the problem, the flexible wire that is making an electrical contact on the outer aluminum tape ring is causing way to much friction and it is preventing the motor from spinning! So I had done some adjustments on the flexible wire and it is now causing less friction and the motor can now spin, but one set of LED's are not glowing! I had kept making adjustments on the flexible wire that is making an electrical contact on the outer aluminum tape ring for more than 20 minutes, but I can never get it perfect. I wish I had some giant washers... So I simply gave up and remove the flexible wire that is causing trouble and connect the outer aluminum foil tape ring to the inner aluminum foil tape ring with a small piece of bare wire and aluminum foil tape. I have also modified the the 555 timer oscillator circuit, so now both sets of LED's can be controlled from one negative output.
After I got the problem fixed, I tested the spinning rainbow light wheel again and...
IT WORKS!!! Both sets of LED's are glowing and the motor is spinning the spool fast... IT WORKS!!

Step 10: Spinning Light Wheel in Operation

Now I finally got the spinning light wheel working!!!
If you just want a circle rainbow, connect the LED light sets to a 6v or 9v power source.
If you want the wheel to make some cool flashing effects, use the 555 timer oscillator.
Whether the light spinning wheel is flashing or not, it still looks awesome and it is even far more awesome if you operate it in the dark!!!

If you like the pictures and the instructable, please vote! Thank you!

Oho... Beautiful rainbow... Enjoy the photos!!