Introduction: USB LED Hotwheels Car
Pimp my Hotwheels Car
Step 1: Tools Required
1. Soldering Iron
2. Hot Glue Gun
3. Rotary Drill (Dremmel)
4. Scalpel Set
5. Pliers
6. Wire Strippers
Step 2: Materials Required
1. Hotwheels Car.
2. USB Cable with male plug.
3. LED & Resistor (Use the web to match your choice).
4. Wire, 2 Colours.
Step 3: Strip the Wires
Use the Red (+5v) & Black (Gnd) wires, and cut off the rest.
Step 4: Prepare the LED
The long leg on the LED is +, so the Resistor should be soldered to this, the shot leg is - or Gnd.
Please ignore the white cable in this Pic it should have been the black one!
Step 5: Solder & Clean Up
As space is limited inside the car, use a scalpel or file to clean up the solder, unless not like me you are a tidy solderer.
Step 6: Dismantle the Car
Use a small HSS drill bit in the dremmel to drill out the rivets.
Step 7: Cut Out the Spacr for the LED
Every car is Different, just be careful not to cut into the interior.
Step 8: Glue in the LED
Use the hot melt glue to fix the LED in place, using just a little glue at a time, be careful not to glue lower than the Wheels.
Step 9: Ready to Plug In
Plug in and stand well back!
Step 10: All Done
Just switch out the lights!
45 Comments
13 years ago on Introduction
mine works now i had the wires wrong
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Well done, lets see some pics then ?
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
i got some pics of mine for led hotwheels car check it out
i know you posted this along time ago so idk if u care
12 years ago on Introduction
Here are mine... i made two. one is a '34 ford an the other is some cheap one that looked cool from target. I used a wire that the ends were stripped and use a 3-volt on it because i was too lazy to find a usb cord.
(P.S.) macro rocks!
13 years ago on Introduction
coundt u just put some watch batteries or whatever was in your headlights tut inside the car to power the undercarriage lights?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
if so... Could that work while installing into a die-cast car?
13 years ago on Introduction
add a memory stick
13 years ago on Introduction
mine wont work
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Thats a shame, try harder !
13 years ago on Introduction
is it a flash drive?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
No, just a light.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
oh. =|
13 years ago on Introduction
have you gone nuts
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
No, I'm nuts to start with!
14 years ago on Step 10
is there a way to put in a battery and maybe like a switch, so its portable underglow?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
see: Battery Free, USB Powered LED Torch
just mod it a bit and put in a usb jack instead so u can charge it with a 2 sided usb plug cable...
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
I have an intractable like you described comming soon.
14 years ago on Step 1
I have that same hobby knife set. I got it from the 99 cent store.
Reply 13 years ago on Step 1
i got the same one also for cents but i gave it to my dad and got this one http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/96500-96599/96551.gif for 5 dollars
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
99 Cents?, I live in the UK & the knife set cost me 1 Pound, looks like I was ripped off!