A Coin Cell Uv/white Flash Light in 30 Minutes or Less!

Hello everyone!

I recieved some UV 5mm LEDs yesterday. I've been looking to make something with these for a while. My first interaction with them was a couple of years back during a visit to China. I bought a keychain light with these and it's quite useful.

For the instructable, I made a small flashlight that's not very bright, but is useful nonetheless in less than 30 minutes. If this is something you want to have a go at, read on!

Step 1: Tools and Components

To make one of these you will need:
- a coin cell holder
- 2 tactile push buttons
- 2 cool while LEDs
- 1 uv light LED
- 2 × 100 ohm resistors
- 2×8 cm throughhole board
- some wire (I used copper telephone wire)

You will need a soldering iron, a pair of pliers, a wire stripper and snips

I source most of these items from AliExpress. They are pretty easy to find so I won't post links, but the overall cost is maybe 1 dollar or less.

Step 2: Layout

This is the most difficult part of this very easy build ? basically layout the components the way you would like your mini flash light to look. Experiment a little. just make sure you have enough space to run your wires without anything being shorted out.

Step 3: Make the Connections

Once all your components are placed where you need them to be, use some thin copper wire to make the connections all the way to the battery holder. Make sure you have no shorts or potential short traces

Step 4: And You Are Done!

That's it! a short project that is useful in less than 30 minutes! The lights are not going to be very bright, but this is not really something that will be used as a source of bright light, just a simple flash light that could be used to look for your keys and check if that banknote or ID are not fake.

Had I had access to a 3D printer or access to one most probably I would have constructed a shell for this, but for now I think this will do. I have also wanted to add a USB connection to the whole build to use a power bank maybe to run the whole thing, but the board space didn't allow for that. Maybe I would do that once I draw and order PCBs for this design, which is something that I will do very soon.

Thank you for viewing this instructable. If you liked it, please consider voting for it in the pocket size contest!