How do I add LEDs to bark carvings...

[JimSawyer]

I've had this idea of adding LEDs to bark houses.
I found some nice orange LEDs with a resister built right in.
That's as far as I've gotten.

I don't know enough about electronics to make them work.
The guy at the store was no help...

I'd like to find some resource that will help me to put these together myself.

I'll be adding different amounts of LEDs to different houses....

[Robson Valley]

The built-in resistor is probably a 1.5k or 1.8k (Ohms), which is a current limiting resistor meant to keep the LED from cooking. Most need no more than 1.5VDC to burn pretty brightly.
Are your LED's the newer, multi-element types (very, very bright) or the old ones with a single device inside?
1. The LED's may have a little flat spot on one side which you need to get the polarity correct.
2. Mess around with a few and a AA battery to get a sense of how to get them to go. They are Light Emitting Diodes. That means you have to get the +/- polarity correct or they actually block the current. So you cook a few, you'll figure it out.
3. Voltages add. You can daisy-chain about 8 of them and drive the lot with 12VDC.
(8 LED x 1.5VDC = 12VDC) In which case, you need just one current-limiting resistor.
4. Most junk computer power supplies deliver +5, -5 +12 & -12VDC. . . $5 and you're good to go.

In a past life, I moonlighted in the FX, pyrotechnics industry. I built more than a dozen control boxes, some for 64 or 128 device functions. Gasoline cannons, compressed air cannons, you name it. Eventually, I had to go up to 24VDC but that's no matter here. I don't have a Supervisor's Ticket for commercial fireworks any more but I have kept my TV/Film pyrotechnician's ticket up to date.

[RiverOtterRustics]

I have done this for a number of years now myself. I prefer using cheap flicker flame LEDS that come in a batt operated tealight candle, taking them apart and adding a bit of wire with a soldering iron, and adding lights along the string. I use a forschner bit to sink the tealight batt compartment with on/off switch into the back. You can bury the wires in a pre cut groove along the back to hide the wire in. Running your lights into the cavities you hollowed out for the windows. To cover the wires in the groove you made, use a hotglue gun and run a layer over the wires, then take fine Cottonwood sawdust and tamp into the hot glue to neaten things up. (As seen toward the top of the carving in pic 3) Battery time is reduced slightly when you add more than one light, but I still get a good 6-8 hr on three button batts, running three lights and haven't had one burn out yet. Here are some pics for inspiration. Good luck Jim!

Jon

[carvingbarn]

Thanks for sharing that Jon. Simple and effective.

[JimSawyer]

That was very illuminating Jon...(sorry, I couldn't help myself...lol).
I have a bunch of those too..
I may just give that a try...
Thanks..

[Robson Valley]

I bow in deference to ROR/Jon.
He has got this figured out. Do it his way.

I sometimes try to imagine living in a house that really does look like that!

[enjward]

I am rather new to this forum, that said the thought (like Jim) of using LED components and wiring from a central battery pack and switch has got the creative juices flowing. Up until now I have been alluminating my work similar to Jon with the "cheep flicker flame LED's from the dollar store. I would like to move on to using component led's in my carvings (something that dosen't flicker) I would like "Robson Valley" to give me a little more insight into using the "older ones" in the windows of my carvings from a central battery pack and switch.
Questions for Robson Valley;
-would you consider giving me your email address? mine is enjward@gmail.com
-what all would I ask for at an electronics supplier?
-what size wire do I use?
-could I use one of the flicker flame bases for my battery pack and switch?
-consider that I am not a pyrotechnician and possibly others on this forum arn't either, but we need your help on a "grass roots" (basicaly stupid) level.
Thank You., Elwood Ward.

[JimSawyer]

I'm still going to go to the library and do some research.
I'd prefer to use AA or AAA batteries. And I want them to look more professional.
The battery life on the cheap flicker lights is marked as 120 hours. I guess when you daisy chain them, it must put more drain on the battery. 6-8 hours doesn't seem to me to be enough.
If I find out anything at the library, I'll be sure to come back and share what I learn.....

[Robson Valley]

If you wanted to go my route, you first need a source of LED in the colors that you want.
For window lights, I'd try to find clear/white, you can trick them up with a felt pen.
Looking above at the gorgeous house carvings, I can't imagine red or green!
Those flicker candle LED have a nice warm light.
RFE (Removed From Equipment), the leads are usually quite short when desoldered from a PC board. If the backside of the printed circuit board was really hard-pruned after stuffing, the leg leads will be so short (1/8") that they aren't worth the watts to desolder them.

Make some sort of a crude test bed with a battery and a current-limiting resistor.
After ever step in the recovery process, it's worthwhile testing to see if it still works.

Got some old-fashioned telephone line in your house? It's about 20ga and had to carry the 60V ringer voltage, it'll do just fine. Put a heat sink on a leg of the RFE device and solder on 4-6" new wire. Test it. Do the other leg. Test it. If you don't use a heat sink to protect the junction in the LED, it can be cooked in the soldering process.
You can buy various sizes and shapes of battery holders for AA and AAA. Radio Shack used to have them. Maybe crush a baffed out battery operated toy for the battery box? Could be some LED and possibly a useful motor, too.

[Robson Valley]

Thinking of LED applications, here's another source:

RC LED Lights