Introduction: Ceramic Christmas Tree With Color-changing Lights

About: Tinkerer, DIY projects, Repairs, Machining, 3D Printing, Electronics, Home Automation, Solar Power and much more...

Let's perk up this ceramic tree. Give it a makeover and cut the power consumption in half at the same time and an added bonus of a remote control!

Step 1: Lift the Tree Top Off and Remove the Incandescent Bulb

Simply lift off the ceramic tree part, unscrew the 7W incandescent bulb inside the tree base.

Step 2: Replace the Incandescent Bulb With the LED Bulb

Then screw in a 3W E12 base RGB-LED candelabra bulb as shown.

Step 3: Add Some Additional Lighting Effect

If desired, you can space the tree top up off the tree base to let some of the interior light wash out underneath the tree. I used three small (5/16"/8mm) nuts and Bluetack to hold the tree top up and give a nice lighting effect.

Step 4: Sit Back and Enjoy the Changing Light Colors

The bulb I used has 17 static colors plus 4 animated modes; flash, strobe, fade and smooth as well as a random mode when it first powers up. The IR remote will work if you line up the emitter with some of the "bulbs" or if you raise up the tree off the base, that gap will allow the IR signal from the remote to reach the detector on the bulb

How it works:

The pure colors of the LED emitters combine with the colored plastic "bulbs" in the tree to provide interesting color changing effects. For example a yellow bulb will show orange when the LED is red, cyan when the LED is blue and yellow when the LED is white. A white bulb will follow the color of the LED directly. Some bulbs will "turn off" and some "turn on" with various LED color combinations.

Parts List:

Bulb cost is around US$8-16: eBay: search for "E12 Candelabra 3W RGB LED Candle Light Bulb & Remote Control" or use the Amazon associates link here: https://amzn.to/3Ef2na9


How-to video on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/8PYf2fMTfeU