# Simple (no solder or resistor) LED light



## Cassie7 (Sep 16, 2007)

I posted this within my baby demon thread but I think it has many applications that some of us would find useful. So I'm posting it as a stand-alone how-to.

Here's a no brain simple LED you all can use. No soldering, no resisters or anything.

All you need is a CR2032 Lithium battery (can buy at any jewelry counter at stores like wal-mart and such. I got a 5 pack for under $4 off Amazon), a 10mm LED light (I bought a pack of 100 of them for under $6 on ebay), some paper and tape. As with all things, if you buy in bulk, you get a better price.

Here's a pic of the part list...










I cut one piece of card stock paper (like an index card) in a square to roughly fit the battery and another as a thin long strip.

Notice that the LED wires has one short and one long one. The short is negative and the long one is positive.

Place the wires of the LED onto the battery with the short wire on the neg side of the battery and long one on the positive side (the side with the wording on it is the pos side. It will have a + on it). The LED will light up.










Place your long strip of paper under the negative wire between it and the battery. This will cut off the circut and turn the light off...










Then place the square paper over it...










While keeping the pieces of paper in place, wrap a piece of tape around the whole thing (battery, paper and wires)










When you pull the long slip of paper out, it turns the light on. You can place it back in to turn it off.

And there you have it. A simple LED to make your icky things glow.


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## Darkside (Aug 6, 2007)

Thank you, I was wondering if you could do that.


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## dave the dead (Jan 31, 2007)

pretty slick solution! Thanks.


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Thanks, what a quick and easy solution to lighting a prop.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

Any idea how long the lil' button battery will keep it glowing?


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## Cassie7 (Sep 16, 2007)

I read somewhere that they last about two weeks. Good question though. I think I'll light one and time it 

These thingies are the latest in geek-tech graffiti. They attach a magnate to them and toss them on metallic things like buildings, cars, statues and such. They're called Throwies (although some call them Sticky Lights) and are all the rage among college students. If you do a search for Throwies on youtube, you'll pull up tons of vids on them.


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## mikeq91 (Jul 19, 2005)

ahh finally an idiot-proof way to do LED lights! thanks for posting, i'll be sure to give this a try!


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## Cassie7 (Sep 16, 2007)

Well, whoever said that they last about two weeks was daft unless they turned them on for only a few hours each night.

I lit one at 10PM on Wed night and today at 5PM (Sat), it's visually on it's last legs after running 67 hrs straight. If you look at it, you can still see that it's lit but when I first fired it up, it cast a fairly bright beam of light on the wall about 2 feet away. I see no light on the wall at all now.

I'm disappointed with the longevity but I will still use them for some things because of their simplicity.


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## NickG (Sep 12, 2006)

they must have spent a fortune on all those batteries for one of those youtube videos...


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## Cassie7 (Sep 16, 2007)

Mine is still glowing faintly


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

yep. I kinda count on 48 hours for throwies. I rigged up a cyborg eye for a recent theatre show by using a very small hearing aid sized battery and a blinking red led behind the lens of a pair of very dark sunglasses.


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Just for my own education, why no resistor like in other set ups? Is it the low voltage?


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## Cassie7 (Sep 16, 2007)

No reason other than simplicity and the fact that the low voltage is enough to light it.


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

Often 3v or a little less is sufficient.


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## Hawks Hill Haunter (Apr 1, 2007)

Hey I might actually try using something like this...I'm a bit "challenged" when it comes to anything electrical...or pneumatic...come to think of it, anything that isn't static! pathetic, yes I know!


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## Hawks Hill Haunter (Apr 1, 2007)

oh and thanks for sharing!


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## madmomma (Jul 1, 2009)

I'm with Hawks Hill Haunter as far as being a little "challenged" but with all the help on this forum, I'm getting better! Thanks for an easy solution to what can be a somewhat daunting task


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## dynoflyer (Oct 8, 2006)

If you want to save money on the batteries try eBay. I just saw 50 pcs for under $12 with free shipping. . . . .from Hong Kong!

Better order them today as it can take awhile to get them.


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## Toktorill (Sep 15, 2007)

That's a slick little method, there! And my favorite part- cheap!


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

These are called led throwies they glue on a rare earth magnet and throw them up on buildings and signs around town. I can not see the video here at work but I am sure it the same thing


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## Creeper (Nov 7, 2008)

Just went to Radio Shack and paid too fricken much for the batteries but I just made one of these and I love it!


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

Yes Radio crack is only a last resort only if there is no time


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## fritz42_male (May 5, 2009)

I buy my batteries off eBay - very cheap. Last year I used a high brightness LED in one of these with a CR2032 battery and it lasted about 2 days at full brightness and faded after that. After 4 days it was still quite bright but then faded rapidly.

I also buy the cheap battery holders and wire in 2 LEDs embedded in the eye sockets of cheap styrofoam skulls. One of the skulls uses UV leds and a wipe of UV glow paint around the eye sockets - works quite well!


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## Cassie7 (Sep 16, 2007)

hpropman said:


> These are called led throwies they glue on a rare earth magnet and throw them up on buildings and signs around town. I can not see the video here at work but I am sure it the same thing


Yep. They're throwies only without the magnet.


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