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Easy Mood light

by rickharris on September 6, 2006

Table of Contents

intro: Easy Mood light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 1: The heart of the mood lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 2: The cover/display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 3: Putting it together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

step 4: Assemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

step 5: More complicated but stylish version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

step 6: The fancy bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

step 7: This is the finish article . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

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Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Mood-light/
intro: Easy Mood light
This is an easy way to make your own $50+ value mood light with a minimum of parts/effort/Cost and electrical or electronic experience. Even soldering can be avoided!.

Total cost could be as little as $2.

step 1: The heart of the mood lamp

The heart of the mood lamp is the colour changing light. Bright LEd systems driven by complex microprocessor systems are detailed elsewhere in instructables but this
uses a commercial easily available colour changing LED from www.Rapidonline.co.uk if you are in the Uk or search fro colour changing LED or rainbow LED in Ebay or
google for your country i am sure you can find them. Here they are £0.56 or so each.

The LED contains a red - Blue - Green LED and a minute microprocessor inside a standard 5mm LED package - IT IS SMALL. All you need is to apply 3 volts to the LED
to make it work.

step 2: The cover/display

The easy/cheaper option first. Find a suitable plastic vase or Glass - it should be about 200 mm tall (5 or 6 inches) at least and translucent that is you can see light
through when you look through it but not see through clearly. In the UK we call this frosted.

A 2 AA cell battery holder and a matching battery clip - you can buy or steal one off a dead PP3 9 volt battery.

And of course the rainbow LED (or more than one if you like).

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Mood-light/
step 3: Putting it together
I will assume you can solder things together or get someone to do it for you. IF not you could get this working just by twisting the wires together onto the battery clip (not
as good as solder though).

The LED has a flat on the case next to the negative leg - If you find this hard to see then it is the side closest to the small black speck you can see inside the LED - This is
the microprocessor chip that drives it.

Solder this to the connector so that when assembled the negative side of the battery (the bottom of one of the batteries) is connected to the negative leg of the LED, you
may cut the leads shorter as I did if you want but it will work long or short.

The picture shows it assembled and clipped onto the battery holder -NOTE - Only 3 volts - Thats 2 AA cells. DO NOT use a 9 volt battery it will distroy the LED.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Mood-light/
step 4: Assemble
Now if the LED lights Ok and changes colour Put Glass/Vase LED together and enjoy.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Mood-light/
step 5: More complicated but stylish version
Assemble 4 Rainbow LEDS on a board (I used strip board to do this) Attach a 3 volt battery pack and suitable switch.

step 6: The fancy bit

Gather a number of scraps of clear acrylic, The more the better - i cut tham all to be the same width and shaped like an inverted V for style.

Make a box out of some suitable wood/metal/plastig or find a box that fits.

Put the LEDs in the bottom and the acrylic on top of them and you have instant style mood light unlike anyother.

step 7: This is the finish article

The cost here was just the LEDs - the rest was scrap materials I had hanging about.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Mood-light/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Mood-light/
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Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 102 comments

marcosdjcm says: Feb 4, 2009. 10:01 AM REPLY

Whats the battery life on the 1 LED with 2x AA setup?

Also, how quickly do the colours transition? I know it phases through colours but how long does it take to do a whole cycle?

rickharris says: Feb 4, 2009. 11:09 AM REPLY

2 AA alkaline batteries will keep the LED alight bright enough to see for several days - 4 AA batteries (6 volts) wil be brighter and lasts longer.

The colour change is visible and takes about 1.5 to 2 seconds to drift through each colour. there is some overlap so the colours seem to change quite
slowly. if you use 3 or 4 LEDs the colours mix as they go out of phase with each other producing even more colours - this makes the change cycle
longer.

The LEDs are cheap enough to buy one and try it out.

marcosdjcm says: Feb 4, 2009. 1:03 PM REPLY

That sounds great for a cheap lamp

Considering spending a bit more, how could i achieve a slower colour change?

rickharris says: Feb 4, 2009. 11:19 PM REPLY

To do that you would have to programme a pic micro processor to do the colour change - there are several places on the web - and perhaps in
instructables that will tell you how to do that.

An alternative is to go down the mechanical route and turn a colour wheel slowly over a white light.

rerrett says: Jan 17, 2009. 1:55 AM REPLY

are the changes is lighting abrupt?

rickharris says: Jan 17, 2009. 1:23 PM REPLY

No very slow. the colors fade into each other. best results come from 3 or 4 LEDs that give a much wider range of colours.

A down side is multi -LEDS will go out of phase and show different colours - In some way this is an advantage.

rerrett says: Jan 17, 2009. 2:04 AM REPLY

*in

mynameisjonas says: Dec 15, 2008. 6:27 PM REPLY

wow. that's awesome, cant wait to make one.

Cheyyne says: Jan 13, 2007. 6:19 PM REPLY

This one went really well for me, it was a great gift. Thanks again for the fantastic idea!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Mood-light/
 mynameisjonas says: Dec 15, 2008. 6:24 PM REPLY
wow, what a great job.

momof007 says: Jul 20, 2007. 10:48 AM REPLY

Where did you get the acrylic?

the_better_nacho says: Dec 6, 2008. 9:53 PM REPLY

well.. problem is, acryillic/lexan/plexiglass is oil based and is uber expensive for such simple material, and typically the smallest size sheets you can
get are 12"x24" in your local hardware store.. but again, its expensive ($5-$15 per square foot).

i see all the "scraps" on here and wish i had that just laying around.. lots of projects i could do with that ;-P

rickharris says: Dec 7, 2008. 12:17 AM REPLY

Your school - if you are at school will often have scraps you may be able to use if you ask and have a good project to do with it.!

In addition there are lots of places that product small scrap - Sign makers for example who may do a deal if you are polite and explain what you
are doing with their material.

rickharris says: Jul 20, 2007. 6:10 PM REPLY

Not so easy to explain: a) I am in the UK b) I a a teacher and the acrylic came from the scrap box. BUT any clear plastic will do the trick - here you
can walk into any DIY store and buy clear plastic that would do the job OR you can try to beg scraps from a sign writer.

amdead says: Dec 23, 2008. 7:56 AM REPLY

Model Zone sells clear plastic as well as loads of other cool stuff that you will need to make things from other instructables.

rickharris says: Jan 17, 2007. 1:21 PM REPLY

Nice - A bit bigger then mine I think. great job

momof007 says: Jul 20, 2007. 10:46 AM REPLY

I am having trouble finding the acrylic. Could you please tell me where I can buy different sizes. I live in the north-east. Thanks

the_better_nacho says: Dec 6, 2008. 9:55 PM REPLY

any local hardware store, they may label it differently as 'lexan' or 'plexiglass' (which are in fact different things but very similar in properties)

rickharris says: Dec 7, 2008. 12:20 AM REPLY

Acrylic (correctly chemically called Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)) is a very common thermoplastic. It has many commercial names as you point
out.

Wikkipedia has a good description of its uses and properties herehere

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Mood-light/
 xfactor says: Oct 3, 2006. 4:59 PM REPLY
What triggers the color change

the_better_nacho says: Dec 6, 2008. 9:58 PM REPLY

theres a microcontroller (uber micro) built into the LED itself.. read the description ;-P

rickharris says: Dec 7, 2008. 12:15 AM REPLY

Read my reply! :-)

rickharris says: Jan 2, 2007. 2:57 AM REPLY

The real answer to your question is Time - The inbuilt microprocessor controls the changes you can't do anything other than turn them on and off.

Carlos Marmo says: Oct 30, 2008. 3:54 PM REPLY

Wonderful Work!

Congratulations!

rickharris says: Oct 31, 2008. 5:54 AM REPLY

Many Thanks :)

Lisa Fla says: Jun 27, 2008. 11:42 AM REPLY

Just FYI, we call it "frosted" here in the States, also.

Cat on my Lap says: Jun 17, 2008. 11:08 AM REPLY

Could the same effect be created by a large bowl/jar full of semi-transparent acrylic beads and spread-out LEDs?

rickharris says: Jun 17, 2008. 11:20 AM REPLY

Why not - give it a try and post the results :)

GorillazMiko says: Nov 19, 2007. 9:12 PM REPLY

Wow.. this is amazing! I'm going to try it... if i can. I hope they have this type of LED at RadioShack.

acaz93 says: Dec 19, 2007. 10:24 PM REPLY

They Don't . Try best hong kong

cowscankill says: Feb 9, 2008. 8:18 AM REPLY

what? well, i guess it depends the location. i saw a red/green/blue led at radioshack

rickharris says: May 27, 2008. 8:11 AM REPLY

Not the same thing - To use the RGB LED you would need to programme it using some kind of microprocessor. This is built into the rainbow
LEDs -

They are easily available on Ebay.

cowscankill says: May 30, 2008. 7:43 AM REPLY

ah ok.

1337 2.0 says: May 26, 2008. 11:01 PM REPLY

where can you get a strip board? I'm on Guam and we have no Radioshack or anything.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Mood-light/
 rickharris says: May 27, 2008. 8:10 AM REPLY
The strip board isn't essential - You could just wire up the LEDS to a battery - BUT if yu have problems getting things like strip board you will have
problems with the rainbow colour changing LEDs.

Heywasup says: Feb 22, 2008. 9:59 PM REPLY

for the led in the cup or watever it is how do u turn it on and off?

rickharris says: Feb 23, 2008. 1:36 AM REPLY

I used a battery box that had a switch on it shttp://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Mood-light/#
post commento i could lift the glass and turn it on. i have also taken the end off a battery clip and soldered the LED direct to the connections so I can clip
the LED onto a battery holder for 4 AA sized batteries.

These rainbow colour changing LEDs are good at between 3 and 6 volts and will run for weeks on 4 AA batteries

andrew93 says: Feb 9, 2008. 9:01 AM REPLY

you're right. but for better results, apply 4.5 V .LEDs were made to work on that voltage

cooldog says: Feb 5, 2008. 1:54 PM REPLY

hows it a mood light

mikemmcmeans says: Feb 5, 2008. 5:55 PM REPLY

it changes colors to put you in a better mood
shut up its cool

cooldog says: Feb 5, 2008. 7:24 PM REPLY

isn't mood lights suppose change coulor according to your mood

rickharris says: Feb 6, 2008. 12:07 PM REPLY

Well a good question but the answer is no - The generic name for this type of changing colour light is a "mood light" perhaps because it sets the
mood.

PS: a mood ring also doesn't change because of your mood but because of temperature changes.

schattk says: Feb 5, 2008. 2:35 PM REPLY

Nice.
You could also use a stack of old CD/DVD's and place the leds in the central shaft. Beware however if you glue the CD's together to test it first. Some glues
tend to deform the CD.

dudisguy says: Jan 25, 2008. 2:22 PM REPLY

I got my color changing LED from a dollar store Led candle. I think it was dollar tree.

guyfrom7up says: Oct 12, 2007. 5:08 PM REPLY

I bought 10x 5mm and 10x 3mm on ebay for 10 dollars including shipping, just so you all know

KILLERK says: Dec 18, 2006. 5:17 PM REPLY

this is awesome ill have to try that some time when i get time

KILLERK says: Dec 18, 2006. 5:18 PM

(removed by author or community request)

PSPerson says: Jul 10, 2007. 4:43 PM REPLY

that is really off subject

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Mood-light/
 Metal4God says: Jul 31, 2007. 3:11 PM REPLY
what he say

gerrard08 says: Apr 23, 2007. 12:29 AM REPLY

hi i was wondering what kind of switch do you need for the strip board of LEDS? im on rapidonline so please advise me which one to get

view all 102 comments

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