Introduction: Coffee Maker to Pico Aquarium Night Light

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Night lights and aquariums are very relaxing to look at.

I have this coffee maker that a friend gave me which broke down a few months ago. Here in Japan, you have to pay before you throw electronic stuffs away. So I got this idea and tried to resurrect this item instead of paying for it before trashing it.



Materials I used:

1. defective coffee maker
2. soldering iron and leads
3. pliers with wire cutters
4. a pair of scissors
5. screw driver
6. hot glue gun and glue sticks
7. rechargeable batteries (and a charger of course)


Optional/Additions:

1. miniature DC powered mood light
2. small circuit board switch

Step 1: Preparation

Remove base plate and gut everything. Remove all the circuits and aluminum tubes.

But don't forget to save the switch and wires for later use.

Step 2: Cleaning

Clean and prepare the pot. Since there are some prints on the front side which would serve as a distraction later, I have turned the glass pot on its reverse side to have the clear backside in front.

Step 3: Pot Light

I have used a 4.5V DC powered LED Christmas Light which I got from a 100 Yen Shop before. It has a steady option which I have switched on permanently for steady illumination.

I have passed the lights from underneath (base) towards where the hot water exits.

Hot glued the series of LEDs onto the pot's filter cap.

Step 4: Testing and Re-wiring

Here's what it should look like when powered on.

I've rewired the cables and soldered the positive wire onto the coffee maker's main switch. The battery pack is then hot glued under the heating plate.


Step 5: Mood Light Option

Since the water storage area is made of transluscent plastic, I've decided to add a mood light option.

I have this 4.5V cell battery powered mood light lying around.

I removed the cell batteries, switched its mini circuit on permanently, then tapped the wires onto the existing battery pack.

A separate switch is installed for this mood light feature since I would like to have the option of switching them on together or separately.

Step 6: Finishing Details

I attached the base plate back to hide the wirings but only used 2 screws so I could remove it easily whenever I would change batteries.

Power Option: If you don't want to use batteries, an AC to DC adapter can be used for this by tapping a power jack. But since I dont want messy power cords, I chose the rechargeable batteries instead.

Here's the final image with a moss dome I made inside the glass pot, housing one Red Cherry Shrimp.

If you have any questions or suggestions... please do leave a comment. I hope you liked it, thanks for viewing!

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