Build the Glow Circuit Assembly

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to build light up 3D designs using the Glow Circuit Assembly, which combines a light emitting diode (LED) and a coin cell battery. It's a simple way to incorporate a bit of light into your Tinkercad designs. We provide the 3D model for the circuit holder and cutout, and you incorporate it into infinite glowing fun!

You'll need 3D printing tools, a pair of wire cutters, and two electronic components:

• An LED (shown is 10mm white, but feel free to choose your own from Sparkfun, Adafruit, Amazon)
• A 3V Coin Cell Battery (CR2032 available from Sparkfun, Adafruit, Amazon)

IMPORTANT: Coin cell batteries can cause serious injury if swallowed. Keep coin cell batteries out of reach of small children!

Step 1: 3D Print the Glow Holder

Open up a new 3D design in Tinkercad, then click the Shapes Panel dropdown and select Circuit Assemblies from the list of Tinkercad Shapes.

Move a Glow holder to the workplane. You'll notice that scaling is locked, so you can't resize it. This restriction is in place because specific, real life, electronic components need to fit into the holder.

Notice how for each circuit assembly, there is a corresponding Cutout. The cutout makes a space inside your design where the printed holder will reside. It provides the perfect size of hole needed achieve a good
press fit when the Glow holder is placed into your printed object. For more guidance on incorporating the Glow Cutout into your Tinkercad designs, check out Paige Russell's free 3D Printing with Circuits Class.

Export the holder as a .STL file to prepare for printing, or download the file attached to this step. When you import the Move holder onto the Tinkercad workplane, illustrations of the electrical components are shown, but will not export/print along with the holder. They are there only so you
can see where the components sit in the holder.

Now it's time to 3D print your parts! Our recommended settings are 20% fill with raft enabled, with supports disabled.

If you've never 3D printed before, read through Lessons 3 & 4 of Jonathan Odom's free Easy 3D Printing Class. He takes you step-by-step through the process of slicing and printing.

Step 2: Trim LED Legs

Notice that one leg of the LED is longer than the other. This is to indicate which pin is positive and which one is negative. The longer pin is positive (+) and will correspond with '+' side of the coin battery used to power the LED.

If you'd like to learn more about how LEDs work, read through Lesson 8 of Randy Sarafan's excellent (and free) Electronics Class.

The length of the pins as they come are too long to fit into the Glow assembly. Use the wire cutters to snip off the shorter negative (-) pin
so that it's about 1/2 - 5/8" long.

Step 3: Add the Coin Cell Battery

Pick up your coincell CR2032 battery, and align the positive side (labelled "+") with the “+” indicator on the printed holder. Once inserted, the battery interacts with the two small grooves to create spaces just the right side for the leads of an LED, sandwiching them together.

Step 4: Add the LED & Glow!

Insert the LED from the top, making sure that the longer (positive) leg lines up with the “+” indicator on the holder.

Gently push the LED all the way in until the bottom of the plastic 'bulb' sits flush with the top of the holder.

Your LED should now light up!

If it is not lighting up, try flipping it around. Make
sure that your battery and LED are inserted in the correct direction
aligned with the “+” on the holder.

To turn off your glow assembly, remove the LED.

Step 5: Next, Try...

Congratulations, now you know how to build the Glow Circuit Assembly! Inside Tinkercad, access the Circuit Assemblies in their own category in the Shapes Panel. If you'd like a guided tour inside the editor, click and drag the Glow Circuit onto the Workplane and click on Show Build Instructions.

What would you illuminate with this design? Let us know in the comments, and also try out other circuit assemblies like Move. Here are some ideas to get your imagination going:

• Glowing House from 3D Printing with Circuits Class by Paige Russell
• LED Egg Night Light by Paige Russell
• Glowing Peter Penguin by Tiffany Tseng

Comments

[FabLab-Marymount]

Excellent work. Very well illustrated. Thanks a lot!!!

[warengonzaga]

Alright, awesome instructable!

[Eee1997]

Please beware and use caution:

Lithium and or alkaline button cell batteries are dangerous to small children. Children have a tendency to put brightly collored objects such as these lights directly into their mouths. Especially as they are attractive and look like toys. Make sure the batteries are not accessible in any way. If batteries are easily removed from enclosure there is not a sufficient gard to toddlers or infants. If a button cell is swallowed, death may result. Please see https://www.duracell.co.uk/lithium-coin-battery-safety/

[misterxp]

Thanks for the heads up but don't worry, they are not that small and already know what they can and can't eat. I will keep an eye on them anyway.

[RickO8]

Nice simple structure. I would only add one item. Rather than just describe the polarity of the LED by long or short wire. Use the actual name of the +and - lead. Anode and cathode.

[misterxp]

Nice one for the kids! Thanks for sharing! I made a 3D printer and the children are very keen to make things. This could be a good starter project. I could not get to the download page for the penguin but wanted to try drawing one anyway. Thanks again!

[circuits]

We'd love to see what you build with your kids! To use the Penguin lesson/model, you'll need to be signed in to your Tinkercad account.