I have a bizarre interest in a few things - switches of all kinds, led's, and candy tins of all sizes used for project boxes. In order to teach my daughter about how switches work and make a useless gadget that could be like a 'stress ball' (switches will light the led's when switched to the correct state), I quickly put together this guy.

Step 1: The Parts

- Altoids tin or any tin for that matter that can house switch bodies, led's, and battery
- led's of various colours
- led holder
- switches
- 9v battery
- resistors for led's
- control wire

Step 2: Assembly

Wire the switches in series or parallel depending what kind of setup you like. I have the pull switch wired in parallel and the two toggles wired in series to the push button so that my 4 year old daughter must remember the correct settings and test it with the pushbutton after I mix them up. I used a rechargeable 9v to run the lights. Remember to place resistors before the led's so they don't blow out (Google for more info on this). Punch holes in the lid to accommodate whatever switches and lights you use.

Step 3: Wiring Diagram

Step 4: The Final Product

Now I have a place to keep some switches (can always rob them from this when I need them), a teaching aid for my kids about switching circuits, and something to mindlessly fidget with while doing something else.