LED night light
Today you can make night lights with your own hands from anything. But the most popular are products made from LED strip.
The use of LEDs in lighting devices has many advantages, which we will discuss below. Night lights can be made from this material in a variety of ways. We will talk about the most popular ones in this article.
Reasons for choice
Do-it-yourself LED night lights are made very often today. This is due to the advantages of the main element - LEDs. Their positive qualities include:
- energy saving operation;
- long service life;
- availability;
- the presence of several application schemes;
- high-quality glow;
- no heating during operation.
Making this kind of night light would be a rational and correct decision. Let's consider the most popular options for making such a lamp.
And the old will come off
Night light-fumigator
First, let's look at the method of making a night light from a non-working fumigator.
In this situation, you will need the following materials:
- old non-working fumigator;
- 2 capacitors;
- resistor;
- diodes;
- 2 ultra-bright white LEDs.
The assembly diagram contains the following steps:
- open the body of the old fumigator;
- remove the faulty heating element from it;
- We install LEDs in its place.
The operating principle of the device is based on the fact that voltage from the mains is supplied through capacitor C1 (the diagram is shown below). Excess voltage will drop across the reactance of this capacitor, reaching the rectifier bridge VD1-VD4, which is available for KD209 diodes. When voltage outputs from the bridge, load resistor R2 is turned on, and capacitor C2 smoothes out the ripple.
As a result, constant voltage will be supplied to the super-bright white LEDs HL1 and HL2 from the capacitor.
Note! The voltage for capacitor C1 should be more than 400V. This parameter must be taken into account when replacing diodes of the rectifier bridge.
The number of LEDs required in a given situation may vary. The circuit will not undergo fundamental changes in terms of connection.
To make such a device, you need electrician skills and an understanding of electrical circuits.
Night light from charger
Many people buy a low-power incandescent lamp for their children's room. But such a device will be relatively expensive. Therefore, here you can make do with household items you don’t need, such as an old mobile phone charger. This is one of the most common ways to make your own LED night light.
The list of required materials here only includes an old charger, a resistor and LEDs.
Note! You need to buy the brightest LEDs in terms of light characteristics. You can also use multi-colored LEDs.
That’s why this option for making a homemade night lighting device is so popular.
The lamp assembly diagram looks like this:
- find out the power of the charger;
- Using Ohm's law, we calculate the required resistance for resistors (current limiting). Please note that if the calculations are carried out incorrectly, the resistors will also be selected incorrectly, and this can lead to burnout of the components of the electrical circuit. In addition, these calculations will help you choose LEDs, since they all have different voltages;
Note! A current that exceeds 20 mA should not pass through the diodes.
- open the old charger;
- We install new components into its body according to the diagram below.
Note! This circuit is suitable for narrow and broad-directional diodes.
Finished device
- If the voltage of the diodes matches, it is possible to connect them together to one resistor. In this situation, the light may turn out to be inhomogeneous, but such a defect will not be very noticeable;
- solder the electrical circuit;
- we insulate all soldered joints with heat shrink;
- glue the front panel into the body;
- then glue everything together with superglue;
- install the night light in the required place. It is better to install it on the ceiling.
It is recommended to connect the resulting lamp to the main lighting. For example, a chandelier with a double switch is perfect in this case.
As a result, you will receive a lighting device, the power of which will not exceed 7 W. At the same time, doing it following the scheme described above will not be very problematic.
As you can see, a wide variety of electrical appliances that are already out of order or simply not needed can be used as the body of a lighting fixture. This is precisely what determines the advantage of making night lights using LEDs. For large devices, whole pieces of LED strip can be used. It all depends on what you ultimately need.
Remember that the key to success here is a properly soldered electrical circuit. And our article will help you with this.
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It's no secret that many people: adults, children, do not like or are simply afraid to sleep in the dark. Small table or wall lamps called nightlights often help to get rid of this feeling.
A night light is not just a source of artificial lighting. It is an important element of decorating a bedroom.
He performs his main role in the evenings and at night. Hence its name. They hardly use it during the day.
In the evenings, when the sleep period begins and the large ceiling chandeliers are turned off, the night light becomes the dominant element.
The easiest way to buy a night light is in a store. But if someone wants to ask how to make a night light with their own hands, it turns out that it is a very exciting activity.
Using a lot of different materials at hand, you can create an excellent, exclusive, stylish night light. Its colors and external shapes will depend entirely on the imagination of the home craftsman.
What is the use of a night light
The night light is an excellent soothing remedy for “night panties”, as stated above.
But a small light bulb, usually located near the bed, has other useful functions:
- Creating a pleasant environment before bed.
- Saving electricity, since the light bulb in a small night lamp consumes little electricity. Its power is several times less than that of a large ceiling chandelier.
- Acting as a room interior decoration and so on.
Night light locations
Before bringing to life the idea of creating a night light, it is worth deciding on the method of its location. As you already know, such a lamp is placed not far from the bed.
That is, it can be a beautiful battery-powered night light that is mounted on the wall, or a lamp standing on the night table, or on the floor.
Examples of night lamps
You can get ideas for creating a night light on the Internet. Although this is usually the first thing that comes to mind. To obtain information, you can use colorful manuals and a variety of literature intended for home handicrafts.
Independent work is always interesting, since creating a similar design from a photo of a night light made by yourself, posted on one of the Internet pages, is quite interesting, but the idea of creating your own work looks much more attractive.
The Internet can be used to determine the basic material that will be used in the work.
What materials are used in the work?
Sometimes, in search of suitable materials for work, people visit construction markets and stores, but quite often everything that is needed can be found at home.
In this regard, it is interesting to consider the available tools that many craftsmen like to use in their creativity. Most of these tools are always at hand.
You can make a night light with your own hands from scrap materials using thin wooden boards and a sheet of acrylic, plexiglass, plastic bottles and so on.
An example of making a night light using LED strip
To implement one interesting idea for creating a night light, you will need a small amount of boards, an acrylic sheet and an LED strip.
The process of making a night light with LEDs with your own hands is as follows:
Take 2 boards of identical parameters with a small thickness. The thickness should allow for easy cutting. The material is carefully sanded with sandpaper or a sanding machine to obtain a smooth surface.
A rectangle of the same size as the planks is cut out of an acrylic sheet.
On one of the boards a pattern is depicted or some inscription is applied.
A jigsaw or drill is used to cut out a pattern or inscription using the through method. The resulting holes will serve as areas through which the light flux from the night lamp will pass.
Each board and acrylic sheet is equipped with four corner holes for installing mounting bolts. A hole is drilled in one of the empty boards for a cord attached to the LED strip.
A wide groove is cut out on the acrylic sheet, exceeding the width of the LED strip. The strip is laid in the lower part of the workpiece and secured in the groove.
Finally, the night light is assembled by connecting the boards with bolts.
This lamp can be installed on a table or mounted on a wall.
Other craft options are no less interesting in appearance and manufacturing technology.
Some involve a complex manufacturing process, for example, a “flower” night light made in the shape of a rose, while some are simple and quick, such as an LED garland placed in a glass jar.
Photos of night lights with your own hands
Modern night lights are convenient and ergonomic lighting sources. They complement the interior of any room well and can become a real decorative element. In a children's room, a night light will help the baby feel safe, and a hand-made lamp can also be presented as a handmade souvenir.
Benefits of a night light
The advantages of a homemade lamp can be considered the following points:
- creating a special pleasant atmosphere on the eve of sleep;
- the ability to navigate in the dark without waking up family members with the main light;
- reducing children's fear of the dark;
- energy saving;
- adding decorative elements to the overall interior;
- additional visual effects to develop children's imagination.
Night light starry sky"
One of the most current and romantic night light models, to one degree or another, imitates an endless cluster of constellations in the night sky. You can make such a light source yourself from scrap materials. It does not need to be connected to the network, because a regular flashlight with little batteries is enough.
To create such a night light, you need a glass jar with a lid of any size, thick foil, scissors, an awl, a small flashlight and any surface that is not afraid of damage, for example, a tray.
- Draw a star map on the foil. You can arrange celestial objects schematically or following the real arrangement of stars. It all depends on your desires and level of effort. If you are making a similar night light for a child, you can limit yourself to the image of the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
- Place the sheet on a flat surface and use an awl to make holes. These will be the luminous stars.
- Trim the foil so that its height matches the height of the jar. Roll the sheet into a tube and insert it into a glass container.
- Place a flashlight at the bottom of the jar and turn it on. The walls and ceiling will immediately be illuminated by the beautiful glow of the night light.
There is another option to make a children's night light that imitates the night sky. It can be made from an ordinary tin can. Such a container should be cleaned, the label removed, painted in any pleasant color and several holes made with an awl. Inside the jar you need to put a flashlight, a garland or a lit candle. It is advisable to cover the edges of the jar with a plastic lid so that none of the family members are injured.
This version of the lamp can be an ideal romantic gift or bedroom decoration. To make a night light with your own hands, as a decorative element and a light source, you need to purchase a lace fabric. It can have different colors and patterns, depending on your preferences. You will also need a dry and clean jar, scissors with thread, and a flashlight with batteries.
- Wrap the container with lace so that it does not protrude beyond the edges and does not overlap the edges. Remove excess parts.
- Sew the edges of the lace to create a sleeve that matches the diameter of the jar. You can work on a sewing machine or by hand.
- Place the sleeve on the jar, place the flashlight inside and screw on the lid.
Using available materials, it is quite possible to build a large homemade lamp that can decorate not only a nursery or bedroom, but the entire room. To create such a miracle, you will need an original tin or plastic tea can. You also need scrapbooking paper, stationery cardboard, a paper knife, acrylic paints, glue, sandpaper, and masking tape. And since in this case we are making not just a night light, but a lamp, we need to prepare a light bulb socket, an incandescent light bulb itself, a power cord and a switch.
- Cut out a sheet of scrap paper that can be used to completely wrap the jar. Please note that the bottom of the tea bag will be the top of the lamp.
- Remove the lid from the jar, lean it against a piece of paper, trace it with a pencil and cut it out.
- Connect the cut out template to the wrapped jar using masking tape. Trace a circle with a pencil.
- Using your markings, cut out the window. Sand the edges with sandpaper.
- Re-trace the oval template onto the cardstock. Draw stripes inside it and cut out some of them.
- Glue the cardboard to the jar on the inside.
- You can decorate the outside of the jar as you wish, using paper, cardboard, acrylic threads, lace, etc.
- At the back of the lamp, cut a circle for the power cord. You need to make a hole in the lid for the cartridge.
- Assemble a socket with a light bulb, a switch and an electrical plug into a circuit.
- Place the socket in the jar, screw in the light bulb.
- Assemble the lamp and check its operation by plugging it into an outlet.
Night light for a child
When creating a lamp for a children's room at home, the most important thing is to use your imagination as much as possible. In addition, you can involve your baby in creating a night light and combine business with pleasure.
Prepare a glass ball or spherical shade for the lamp. You will also need a large amount of tulle or tulle, glue and several lanterns, or better yet, a garland for the Christmas tree.
- Cut out a large number of small circles from the fabric.
- Take a dry and clean lampshade, gather circles of tulle or tulle into a “rosette”. Fix the fabric flower on the lampshade with glue, dropping just a little into the very middle of the rose. This way you will create a fluffy ball.
- Place a flashlight or inside the lampshade. Show the result to your baby and watch his joyful reaction.
LED night light
To make an unusual and beautiful LED night light that can be placed in a nursery, you need to prepare a pair of transparent plastic tubes with unequal diameters. You will also need LEDs with the desired brightness and color range. Also prepare glass pebbles, wire, a larger cork, superglue, pliers and a board for the LEDs.
- Bend the ends of the LEDs with pliers.
- Connect all LED bulbs with a piece of wire in a parallel circuit, observing polarity.
- Connect the ends of the wire to the board.
- Check the working part of the night light, if the LEDs get very hot, add a resistor to the circuit.
- Glue the tubes one into the other. Place decorative balls into the void.
- Place the LED plug onto the tube. If the diameter of the plug is larger than the tube, make a seal from a leather belt.
- The LED night light is ready, you can turn it on.
Safety of night lighting
As is clear from the above examples, there are a huge number of designer models of homemade lamps. There are different techniques for working with decorative materials to create a variety of lighting effects.
However, behind the beauty of the night light, you should not forget about the safety of yourself and your family. To this end, you should be especially careful when considering the power circuit for the light source.
Many home craftsmen believe that compact nightlights have minimal power and low voltage, which in itself should protect against problems. This is not entirely true. A voltage of 12 volts for a halogen light bulb or 3 volts for an LED power supply does not pose a threat to the human body. However, if a short circuit occurs, an electrical arc will form at the point of contact. At the same moment, a current will pass through the wires, which can heat the insulation to the point of fire. In this case, the power supply may operate in overload mode, but the shield will not react. That is why it is necessary to protect the wiring of such light sources with a fuse. After the electrical wiring at the output of the power supply is protected, you need to pay attention to the electrical safety of the board itself. It is enclosed in a reliable housing, which is especially important for lamps in children's rooms, where children may try to disassemble the night light.
Many people associate this idea with the New Year, because at this time there are a lot of light bulbs, lights and garlands around. To make such a night light you will need a minimum amount of materials. Just a beautiful glass jar and a garland.
You can also use additional materials to create decor, but a night light in the style of minimalism is more relevant due to the trend of this style in fashion now. So, you need to put the garland in a jar and enjoy the beautiful sight. To make the lamp look more impressive, you can place several jars with lights nearby.
Night light with infinity effect
Such lamps can be found in the store, but we will create them with our own hands. For this you will need:
- Acrylic mirror,
- translucent glass panel,
- strip with LED inserts,
- aluminum strip,
- wooden plank.
Manufacturing plan:
- Make grooves in a block of wood for the mirror and glass panels using special tools.
- The aluminum strip must be folded in the shape of a rectangle and secured to the block using bolts between the cuts made earlier.
- Wrap the aluminum strip with LED strip using glue or wire.
- Insert the mirror and glass panel into the recesses.
Night light - cloud
This lamp is an excellent decor for a small child’s nursery. You just need to take a lamp with a round, oval lampshade and cover it with cotton wool or other fluffiness in the form of a large cloud. The cloud should hang in the air, so you first need to thread a thick thread through the inside of the structure.
LED night light
Such a night light can be made from any material, because diode light bulbs are completely safe (they do not heat up, unlike other light elements). This option is suitable for avid crafters and needlewomen. After all, there is room for your imagination to run wild. Anything, there would be a desire! The LED night light can be made into a wall-mounted or reverse wall-mounted version.
An LED wall night light is made from a straight piece of dense material and the diode strip itself. The base material can be beer cardboard, a thin, not heavy wooden board, and so on. You need to cut out any shape from this material (cats, flowers, butterflies...) and attach an LED strip to the back side. The finished structure can be attached to the wall.
Night light creating stars on the ceiling
This idea of a night light has flashed everywhere: in films, on TV, and so on. No wonder. A night light that creates stars on your ceiling attracts people's attention and makes the room feel magical and cozy. Such a night light will not only create a cozy atmosphere in the room, but will also give pleasant, unforgettable emotions of magic and joy to the child. To make such a night light you will need:
- Small glass jar with lid,
- Thick kitchen foil,
- Felt pen, marker,
- Scissors and awl,
- Board or any other hard surface
Manufacturing sequence:
- Use a marker to transfer the stars onto the foil.
- Place the foil on a hard surface and make holes with an awl, needle,
- Now move the sheet of foil into the jar, pressing it tightly against the walls. You should get a jar with an inner layer of foil walls.
- Place a lantern, or maybe a garland, inside the jar, and close the jar with a lid. Turn the structure upside down.
Paper night light
This version of the product is simple to implement, but requires great care and perseverance. Paper is a pleasant material for needlework. You can make a beautiful night light out of it. To work, you will need thick paper, a stationery knife or awl, and any object that emits light. You just need to create neat holes in the form of some kind of pattern and roll the paper into a cylinder, placing the “light” inside.
Having looked at all kinds of handmade night lights, we can conclude that making beautiful, practical room decor is a pleasant pastime for creative people.
Anyone can create their own night light if they wish. This may seem like a very labor-intensive process, but creating your own decorative element will bring a lot of benefits, subsequently aesthetic pleasure and comfort.
Create beautiful masterpieces of home lighting and delight your loved ones!
A night light is a device that is used not only for illumination at night, but also as a decorative element. It helps create an atmosphere of coziness and comfort in the room. You can find a variety of night lights in lighting stores, but you can also make them yourself. An LED night light can be made from various available materials - music discs, paper, glass, fabric. The most important thing is to select and create an electronic circuit.
Advantages of an LED night light
Decorative LED lamp Moon
It's quite easy to make a night light from LEDs. The scheme does not cause difficulties even for inexperienced people. The advantages of an LED light source include:
- low power consumption;
- long service life;
- availability;
- variety of application schemes;
- quality of light;
- good lighting;
- no heating;
- safety.
A homemade night light made from LEDs can be used for illumination, allowing you to navigate in the dark. The device can be installed in any convenient place.
Types of lamps
Autonomous LED luminaires
All LED night lights can be divided into two groups according to the method of power supply. These include:
- Autonomous. Powered by battery or battery.
- Stationary. Plugs into an outlet.
Autonomous products can be moved and placed in any convenient place. The disadvantages include the expense of batteries, which need to be changed periodically. A model that receives electricity from an outlet can only be installed near a power point. There is no need to buy consumables for such a lamp.
Night lights with motion sensor
Wood lamp
Devices can be equipped with various sensors that make them easier to use. They do not need to be turned on; they activate independently. It is not recommended to place such night lights in the room, as they can detect any arbitrary movement and turn on. They are usually installed in closets, garages, and hallways. The sensitivity of the sensor can be adjusted to avoid false alarms on pets. The range of action is 3-5 meters.
Night light made of wood
This type of night light is completely safe. The wood is processed in such a way that there is no release of harmful substances when heated. Wooden LED night lights are even installed in children's rooms, as they are durable, environmentally friendly and difficult to break.
Built-in models can be placed in interior items or furniture. Used for decoration. The disadvantages include the fact that over time, the backlight in one place can become boring, and it is difficult to remove the built-in light source.
Necessary materials
LED matrix
To create a night light, you need to purchase LEDs or a matrix of diodes. The quantity is selected depending on personal preference. It is better to buy bright multi-colored LEDs. The current strength of each component should not exceed 20 mA.
You will also need to buy resistors. To create a circuit with a series connection, you need 1 current-limiting resistor. If the circuit is in series, all diodes must be of the same value. When wiring a parallel connection, each LED is assigned its own resistor.
You will also need a semiconductor diode and a plug to connect to the network. The case can be an old disk, a bottle, or other objects made of different materials. You can assemble the case yourself.
The tools required are a plastic plate, screwdrivers, a knife, heat-shrinkable tubing, a soldering iron, and pliers.
The simplest scheme
Night light diagram
When creating an LED night light with your own hands, you will need a powerful 1 W white LED. The circuit is transformerless, stable and does not overheat. To ensure normal operation, you need to select a 250-630 capacitor with a capacity of 1 µF. The LED is soldered through a current-limiting resistor. A diode bridge is assembled from 4 rectifier diodes. The recommended current for each component is 1 A, the reverse voltage is at least 1000 V. An example of such diodes is 1N4007.
The entire circuit is attached to the housing using hot-melt adhesive.
Assembly algorithm
LED night light – fan
First of all, you need to solder a circuit of LEDs, resistors and other components. After soldering, the contact points must be insulated using heat shrink.
Next, the body of the future lamp is assembled. There should be a diagram inside. The body can be made from any available materials. For example, transparent plastic elements from CD boxes are suitable. They are glued together with strong glue, and a disk is placed on the bottom so that the light is reflected from it. The entire structure must be degreased with alcohol. If desired, you can glue the legs to the assembled lamp.
A lamp on a fan is perfect for the bedroom. You need to buy a large fan and attach a soldered circuit to it.
Near the bed you can place an LED night light, made with your own hands in the form of a rug. To make it, you don’t even need to solder - just buy a matrix of LEDs and weave it into the carpet.
Night light starry sky"
Night light starry sky"
This night light imitates the night sky with constellations. To make it you will need a glass jar with a lid, foil, an awl, scissors, an LED flashlight and a tray.
On the foil you need to draw a sky with stars in any order that the master wants. Place the sheet on a flat surface and use an awl to make holes for the stars. The foil is cut to fit the height of the jar. The paper is rolled into a tube and placed in a jar. A flashlight is placed at the bottom of the can. When you turn it on, you can see the glow from the night light on the walls and ceiling.
In the same way, you can make a night light with your own hands from LEDs and a tin can. It needs to be painted, all stickers removed and holes made. A candle, lantern or garland is placed inside.
Night light in the shape of the Moon
You will need an LED strip and 2 transistors. They will regulate the device and turn the board on/off.
To make a night light from plywood with moon-shaped LEDs, you will need a sheet of plywood that is cut into a circle. You need to glue a printed image of the Moon on top. Then you need to drill 2 holes for fastening and pulling wires. The base of the lamp is glued to the plywood. After drying, the LED strip is glued around the perimeter.
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Night light from an electric plug or fumigator
Night light made from LED strip and power supply
You will need LEDs, 2 resistors, 2 capacitors, a zener diode, and a heat shrink tube.
The grounding pins are removed from the plug. You also need to remove the clamp and grind off the rim on the LED using a file.
A night light is made from fumigator in a similar way. It must be disassembled, the heating element removed and the LED placed in the free space. The voltage passes through the capacitor. A rectifier bridge is installed at the output, which smoothes out ripples and equalizes the voltage.
You can put a lamp on the plug, which you can make yourself or buy in a store.
How to choose a purchased night light
Night lamp for children's room
If it is not possible to make a lamp for your home yourself, you can buy it in a store. The range of products offered is wide, but you need to be able to understand the characteristics.
You should not take too cheap models. They are made from low-quality materials and may be unsafe. Also, you should not take too bright devices with neon colors. They are usually made from harmful materials.
For a children's room, a lamp in the form of a toy, sun, star, fairy-tale character or other original shape is suitable. It is better to take a device made of high-quality plastic and wood. A durable night light made of plexiglass and LEDs is also suitable.
You need to decide in advance where the lamp will be placed. It should fit into the interior and complement it. It is desirable that its design be similar to the style of the rest of the lighting fixtures in the room.
In terms of color, it is better to take a white night light. It will not tire your eyes, and it will fit well into any interior. It can be installed both in the nursery and in the bathroom.