Introduction: LED Bottlecap
Light up your party drinks/sodas for special effect.
I was thinking of something special and new to do with LED's this afternoon and came up with this.
Step 1: What You'll Need
****What you'll need***
-Bottlecap
-LED(white) with button batteries and battery holder
(i took mine out of a lighter i bought for less than a 1$)
-some wire
***tools you'll need***
-soldering gear
-scissors
-screwdriver
-hot glue gun
-cutting knife
Have fun making... :D
Step 2: Taking Apart the Lighter
(removing the LED flashlight from the lighter)
**Tools required for this step:
-Screwdriver
--The backplate of the lighter easily comes off by removing the small screwdriver.
But removing the flashlight was harder and i had to break ot out using the screwdriver.
Step 3: Modifying the Battery Holder
**Tools needed for this step:
-cutting knife
-glue gun
-wire
-pliers
--Since the battery holder is way too long to fit into the bottlecap, i had to cut one battery section off and stick it to the side of the other two as shown in the picture.
--first i took out the batteries
--then i cut one of the sections off
--i used the glue gun to stick the section onto the side
--add the batteries and connect the relocated one to the other two with wires as shown in the picture, make sure to get the polarity right.
Step 4: Finishing Off
**tools needed for this step:
-hot glue gun
-cutting knife
-patience
--The bottle caps i have have a thin low 'second wall' which you can see in the pictures
I used the cutting knife to cut thin slits in it for the two wires to pass through.
--the wires are posititoned such that when the bottlecap is screwed onto the bottle, the edge of the bottle pushes the two wires together closing the circuit, when the bottle is screwed off the elasticity of the top wire separates the two, turningt the light on.
--the mechanism isn't perfect but works, but im open to suggestions and improvements.
Step 5: Product Photos
Hope you have fun making it!!!:D
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27 Comments
7 years ago on Introduction
Do you want to illuminate your active drinking bottles or do you want to turn original bottles into lamps?
If so, the second choice, then use some non-conductive fluids instead, like some coloured vegetable oil or something. This will also prevent any shorting of the electrical part.
12 years ago on Step 5
Does it stop working if it gets wet?
13 years ago on Introduction
Also, id recommend covering the whole mechanism with the hot glue gun and make it waterproof. Leave only the 2 wires that are used as the switch uncovered to keep them functioning.
13 years ago on Introduction
Very cool video. But you dont have to ruin the lighter for the led. If you press the button hard enough, you will be able to take it out without breaking the lighter plastic. Thats how i do it. Also, can you tell me what music did you use for the vid? :D
14 years ago on Introduction
Very cool, What happens when the liquid moves around and splashes on the light?
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
You should probably try to put some plastic around it. Maybe making the bottle cap a bit larger , so you can put the batteries and the led further back so you can put plastic circle or something in front of it.
14 years ago on Introduction
Seriously, what kind of lighter has a built in LED and battery?
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
well the ones i can buy in the country i live in have...and they are super cheap, like 20c
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Really? A coin cell costs like $3 at my country.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
a cell costs 12c in my country
14 years ago on Introduction
I could use this to mark each tent peg when the boy scouts go camping. Q: How many boy scouts trip over the tent pegs? A: All of them! :)
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
nice idea, each led/battery would give you a night's 'light'.
14 years ago on Introduction
I like this idea, only can't find a lighter like this one, LOL. but I'm going to use a little pocket led flashlight instead. And I'm going to fill the pop bottles with glittery water, so it'll be kind of like a cold lava lamp for the kids. Thanks for the inspiration!
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
You have to go to a gas station or convenience store for these lighters.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
yeah, sounds good. You could try colouring 2 different oils(vegetable, and low fat vegetable oil) different coulours using food colour. Then put the heaviest oil(vegetable oil) at the bottom, then trickle the low fat oil onto the top taking care to keep them separated. Then on tp of these two layers you could add a layer of water. So your 'lava lamp' would have 3 multicoloured layer. Then you could add some glitter and transparent plastic beads... :D
14 years ago on Introduction
I like it! Never loose your drink in the dark again, LOL. Awesome!
14 years ago on Introduction
Couldnt you do this with a 3v button cell? like the one for throwies? they fit pretty well
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
yeah, good idea. I just used what i had...
14 years ago on Introduction
This is pretty cool, but...is it a shocking hazard? Or will the light just break if it gets wet?
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Thanks :D, no it is not a shocking hazard as the voltage is so low, and the light would just break if it got wet for a long time, i tried it for a short time and it stopped working, but after it droes it was fine again...you could also try putting hot glue all over the circuit to waterproof it though...