Introduction: LED Christmas Tree Decoration
Hello everybody. As Christmas is coming, I have decided to create a beautiful Christmas tree decoration with some LEDs, some resistors, and a 555 timer IC. All the components needed are THT components, these are easier to solder than SMD components. Also, there is no programming involved so this is intended for people who are willing to start learning to solder without getting in trouble with little parts or difficult bits of code. Plus the result is something that you can hang on your Christmas tree and tell everybody you made it!
It also makes a great Christmas gift for those people who love electronics. In this instructable, I'm going to show you how to make this beautiful decoration with all the steps needed and I will also leave the link to my Tindie store if you want to purchase it as a gift.
Let's start!
Step 1: Parts and Tools
For this project, we just need a bunch of simple, easy to find components:
1x 555 Timer IC (eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/10-20-50-NEW-NE555N-NE555...)
17x 1K Resistors (eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/100-PCS-1-4W-0-25W-5-1-K-...)
1x 100uF Capacitor (eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/20pcs-Electrolytic-Capaci...)
1x 10K Resistor (eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/50Pcs-Resistors-10K-Ohms-...)
2x 2025 Coin Cell Holder (eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/10PCS-Button-Coin-Cell-Ba...)
8x 5mm Red LED (eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/50pcs-F5-5MM-RED-COLOR-RE...)
8x 5mm Green LED (eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/20PCS-LED-5MM-Super-Brigh...)
I have also left an excel file with all the components and the links (BOM).
When it comes to the board, we have two options: as it is a double layer board, the easiest thing to do is use a PCB manufacturer to make the board for you. They are quite cheap and there are a lot of good offers and discounts on the first order out there. Some of the manufacturers that I use are PCBWay, JLCPCB, and SeedStudio.
The other option would be buying the kit from my Tindie store. This is the simplest way to get this because everything comes together. I sell all the components and the board. I also have the option to solder them and send the finished board.
Electronics Corner Tindie store link: https://www.tindie.com/products/Alexisgm/led-chris...
However, I will leave the Eagle file for you to choose the solution you prefer.
Tools needed:
-Soldering iron
-Rosin core solder
Step 2: Soldering!
Once we have all the components, it is time to solder.
First of all, we are going to solder the 555 Timer. Bend the legs a little bit, put it in place and solder it
Secondly, we are going to solder the 10K resistor. This resistor is named R1 in the board, so let's solder it in place.
After this, we are going to solder the 1K resistors (17 of them!). These go from R2 to R18. Start soldering them with a bit of patience as there are a lot of them!
One we've soldered the 1K resistors is time to solder the LEDs! Following the picture of the finished board, we are going to solder the red and green LEDs alternatively. Start with a red one (L1) and continue with a green one (L2). Keep doing this until you run out of them!
LEDs have two legs, the positive one and the negative one. The long led is the positive and the short one is the negative. In the PCB, all the negative legs go to the left side and all the positive legs go to the right side.
After soldering all the LEDs, is time for the capacitor. When it comes to polarity, capacitors have two legs as well, the long one is the positive and the short one is the negative. Solder the capacitor following the sign in the PCB.
We almost done! Now, we need to turn around the board and cut all the component legs.
Finally, we are going to solder the coin cell holders, to do this, simply follow the PCB image and you are done!
Step 3: Power It Up!
Now we have finished soldering we just need to add two CR2032 coin cell batteries to light it up!
I hope you enjoyed making this Christmas decoration. Now you can hang it on your Christmas tree and enjoy the light show! It is also a good ornament even if it is off!
Merry Christmas!