Assemble an LED lamp with your own hands. DIY LED lamps

In order to make the interior of an apartment, country house or office cozier and more comfortable, it is necessary to periodically change the lighting system. It is not necessary to spend money on this; you can use materials that are used in everyday life. Every twig, jar and some wooden products can be used in making lamps with your own hands.

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What materials are best used to make a lamp?

The main element of any lamp is the lamp. It is better to use LED lamps, as they do not emit heat.

To give a second life to lamps, you can use:

• yarn;
• bottles;
• paper;
• rope;
• a thread;
• LED strip;
• phytodiode;
• banks.

These materials make original and presentable lighting fixtures.

Photo gallery

Below are samples of products made from scrap materials.

Wine bottle sconce Lamp made from branches

LED strip lamp

Before you start upgrading or manufacturing a lamp from LED strip, you need to study the properties of LEDs:

1. They dazzle the human eye, so they should be mounted under frosted glass or in niches.
2. The location for installing the controller and power supply of the tape is selected in advance during the project. These elements are necessary to maintain the performance of LEDs.
3. The tape is based on adhesive double-sided tape, which allows it to be securely attached to the installation site.
4. When assembling the chandelier, care must be taken as the tape can be easily damaged.

What you will need

To assemble and upgrade the lamp with your own hands, you need to prepare the following materials:

1. We purchase LED strip of the required length.
2. Select the power supply and controller.
3. For assembly it is necessary to use stranded wires with a cross-section of 1 mm2.
4. Glue gun and hand tools.

Step-by-step instruction

The modernization will be carried out on the basis of a fluorescent lamp consisting of four lamps for suspended ceilings in the following order:

1. The lamp attachments are being dismantled.
2. Installation of LED strip, controller and power supply.
3. Installation of frosted glass and ceiling mounting.

The Thomas Superleds channel demonstrates the modernization of the Armstrong lamp.

Photo gallery

Below are pictures of assembling the lamps step by step.

Phytodiodes connection diagram

The GrowByLEDs com channel presents a detailed production of a lamp for seedlings from phytodiodes.

Photo gallery

Installing phytodiodes on a cooling radiator Assembling the lamp frame

How to make a paper pendant lamp

In order to add brightness to your interior design, you can make a beautiful and unusual paper lamp.

It should be taken into account that only LED lamps must be used, since paper lamps tend to ignite when heated.

What you will need

You can use an old chandelier to make a paper chandelier.

The following tools and materials must be used:

• parchment paper;
• PVA glue;
• thin thread and wire;
• scissors;
• cartridge E27 and light bulb;
• sewing machine.

Step-by-step instruction

The assembly proceeds as follows:

1. We remove the frame from the old chandelier and clear it of jewelry.
2. Iron the parchment paper and cut into circles with a diameter of 8 cm.
3. All cut circles should be sewn together using a sewing machine.
4. The connection must be made in the central part of the circle.
5. We attach the sewn circles to the frame of the chandelier using wire.

After assembling all the elements, you need to screw in the LED lamp and install the chandelier in place.

The principle of making a lamp from paper can be seen in the video from the Roman Tkachev channel.

Photo gallery

To modify the paper lamp, fairly simple tools were used, which are shown below.

Frame of an old chandelier Stitching round pieces Installation of stitched elements on the frame Installation and connection of an updated chandelier

Wood lamp

Making a lamp from wood requires the ability to work with wood material.

This lamp can be used:

• in the kitchen;
• in the bath;
• in the cafe.

What you will need

To create a lamp from wood, you need to prepare the following materials:

• wood;
• LED Strip Light;
• jigsaw;
• epoxy resin;
• wires.

Step-by-step instruction

The assembly algorithm is presented as follows:

1. It is necessary to cut a block measuring 100*100*100 mm, in which you need to make a groove with a jigsaw for the LED strip.
2. You should connect the tape and fill the groove with epoxy resin and let it dry.
3. After the glue has dried, it is necessary to sand the surface of the lamp with fine sandpaper.

The principle of making a lamp from wood is shown in the video from the channel Anton Veligorsky.

Photo gallery

Making a slot for an LED strip in a workpiece Connecting a wooden lamp

Making a lamp from branches

A lamp from branches can be made after a trip to the forest, collecting branches and cones. To create such a lighting device you need to use a minimum set of materials. This original lamp can be hung on the wall.

What you will need

To make a lamp from branches you will need the following components:

• branches and cones;
• glue gun;
• wire with lamp socket;
• old vase.

Step-by-step instruction

Before assembling the lamp, it is necessary to dry the branches. Then clean the vase with coarse sandpaper and degrease for better gluing.

Assembly is carried out in the following order:

1. Cut branches of approximately the same length.
2. It is necessary to glue the seedling to the vase at a distance of 5 mm between the branches.
3. Glue the cones and shoots on top of the branches.
4. We install and connect the wire with the lamp.

The Light You channel shows how to make a lamp from branches with your own hands.

Photo gallery

Network connection Gluing branches to a vase

Interesting lamp made from rope and glue

To decorate your kitchen, you can make a lamp from waxed rope and glue. Manufacturing will not take more than an hour. It is recommended to hang several balls to fit into the interior.

What you will need

To create a rope lamp you will need the following tools and materials:

• Balloon;
• rope;
• PVA glue;
• glue gun;
• marker.

Step-by-step instruction

The build logic is presented in the following order:

1. Inflate the balloon to the desired size.
2. At the bottom of the ball we draw a circle of 10 cm to diffuse the light.
3. Pour glue into the container and soak the rope.
4. We wind the rope evenly around the ball.
5. Once the thread has dried, we pierce the ball with a needle.
6. Using a glue gun, glue the socket with the lamp to the ball of rope.
7. We install it at the installation site.

The Do it yourself channel shows step-by-step assembly of a rope lamp

Photo gallery

Winding up the rope Leave to dry Piercing the ball Installation of a finished lamp

Lamp for the children's room “The sun behind the cloud”

In a children's room, in addition to the main lighting, there should be additional lighting. As an additional option, you can make a “Sun Behind a Cloud” lamp. For manufacturing you will need a minimum set of materials.

What you will need

To create a lamp you will need the following materials:

• piece of fiberboard 30*50 cm;
• scissors;
• jigsaw;
• heat gun;
• two metal brackets for the cartridge.

Step-by-step instruction

When working on assembling a lighting fixture, you should follow the following order:

1. Cut out a sky template from paper.
2. We attach the template to a sheet of fiberboard and cut it out.
3. Install the cartridge mounting brackets.
4. We mount the cartridge together with the supply wire.
5. We fix the sky template from fiberboard and decorate it.

Below is a detailed assembly of a lamp for a children's room in a video from the Pavel Zhidovkin channel.

Photo gallery

The assembly diagram for the “Sun Behind a Cloud” lighting device is presented below.

Paper template Sky cut from fiberboard Installing the chuck Connecting the lamp to the network

How to make a portable lamp from a spotlight

A spotlight can be used not only in plasterboard structures, but also for homemade projects. In a garage or country house there is a need for portable spotlights.

What you will need

To create a portable lamp you will need the following components:

• spotlight;
• internal socket;
• cord 10 meters long;
• a piece of 110th sewer plastic pipe;
• scraps of small tin;
• aluminum rivets;
• lampshade;
• construction profile.

Step-by-step instruction

The luminaire is installed in the following mode:

1. We disassemble the spotlight and rotate the socket 180 degrees.
2. We install a socket at the bottom of the soffit.
3. We close the contact part in front with a lid, and in the back with a sewer pipe.
4. We cut out the required structure from the tin and install it to the soffit using rivets.
5. We connect the cord to the cartridge and use the carrier.

Photo gallery

Installing a chuck with a switch Mounting the socket at the bottom Making a lamp protection template Lamp protection Disassembling a spotlight Installing lamp protection

Table lamp made of threads and balls

The ball and string lamp is one of the most popular homemade lighting fixtures. The basis is taken as a regular thread. The ball can be made in literally 1 hour.

What you will need

The following set of components must be available when creating a lamp from threads:

• Balloon;
• PVA glue;
• needle;
• cartridge E27;
• power cord for connection.

Step-by-step instruction

To create a lighting fixture from threads, you need to consider the assembly option.

A 220-volt LED lamp saves 1.5–2 times more electricity than a fluorescent lamp, and 10 times more than an incandescent lamp. In addition, when assembling a burnt-out lamp, the cost of manufacturing such a lamp will be significantly lower. Assembling an LED lamp with your own hands is quite simple, although you can only work with high voltage if you have the appropriate qualifications.

Advantages of a homemade lamp

You can find many types of lamps in the store. Each type has its own disadvantages and advantages. Incandescent lamps are gradually losing their position due to high energy consumption, low light output, despite a high color rendering index. Compared to them, fluorescent light sources are a real miracle. Energy-saving lamps are their more modern modernization, which makes it possible to use the advantages of fluorescent light in the most common lamps, with E27 bases, without the unpleasant flicker of the old representatives of this family.

But fluorescent lamps also have disadvantages. They quickly fail due to frequent switching on and off; moreover, the vapors contained in the tubes are poisonous, and the design itself requires special disposal. Compared to them, the light-emitting diode (LED) lamp is the second revolution in lighting. They are even more economical, do not require special disposal and last 5–10 times longer.

LED lamps have one significant drawback - they are the most expensive. To reduce this minus to a minimum or turn it into a plus, you will need to build it from an LED strip with your own hands. At the same time, the cost of the light source becomes lower than that of luminescent analogues.

A homemade LED lamp has a number of advantages:

• The service life of the device, when properly assembled, is a record 100,000 hours;
• In terms of watt/lumen efficiency, they are also superior to all analogues;
• the cost of a homemade lamp is no higher than that of a fluorescent lamp.

Of course, there is one drawback - the lack of guarantees for the product, which must be compensated by strict adherence to the instructions and the skill of the electrician.

Assembly materials

There are a lot of ways to create a lamp with your own hands. The most common methods are using an old base from a burnt-out fluorescent lamp. Everyone will have such a resource in their home, so there will be no problems finding it. In addition to this you will need:

1. Base from a burnt-out product.
2. Directly ICE. They are sold in the form of LED strips or individual NK6 LEDs. Each element has a current of approximately 100–120 mA and a voltage of approximately 3–3.3 Volts.
3. You will need a diode bridge or 1N4007 rectifier diodes.
4. You need a fuse, which can be found in the base of a blown lamp.
5. Capacitor. Its capacity, voltage and other parameters are selected depending on the electrical circuit for the assembly and the number of LEDs in it.
6. In most cases, you will need a frame on which the LEDs will be mounted. The frame can be made of plastic or similar material. The main requirement is that it must not be metallic, conductive, and must be heat-resistant.
7. To securely attach the LEDs to the frame, you will need superglue or liquid nails (the latter is preferable).

One or two elements from the above list may not be useful in some schemes; in other cases, on the contrary, new chain links (drivers, electrolytes) may be added. Therefore, the list of necessary materials must be compiled individually in each specific case.

Assembling a lamp from LED strip

Let's look at the step-by-step creation of a 220 V light source from an LED strip. To decide to use an innovation in the kitchen, it is enough to remember that LED lamps assembled by yourself are significantly more profitable than their fluorescent counterparts. They live 10 times longer and consume 2–3 times less energy at the same lighting level.

1. For construction you will need two burnt out fluorescent lamps half a meter long and 13 watts in power. There is no point in buying new ones; it is better to find old ones that are not working, but not broken and without cracks.
2. Next, we go to the store and buy an LED strip. There is a large selection, so please purchase responsibly. It is advisable to buy tapes with pure white or natural light; it does not change the shades of surrounding objects. In such strips, LEDs are collected in groups of 3 pieces. The voltage of one group is 12 volts, and the power is 14 watts per meter strip.
   
3. Then you need to disassemble the fluorescent lamps into their component parts. Carefully! Do not damage the wires or break the tube, otherwise toxic fumes will escape and you will have to clean up, like after a broken mercury thermometer. Do not throw away the removed entrails; they will be useful in the future.
   Below is a diagram of the LED strip we purchased. In it, LEDs are connected in parallel, 3 pieces in a group. Please note that this scheme does not suit us.
   
4. Therefore, you need to cut the tape into sections of 3 diodes each and get expensive and useless converters. It is more convenient to cut the tape with wire cutters or large and strong scissors. After soldering the wires, you should get the diagram below.
   The result should be 66 LEDs or 22 groups of 3 LEDs each, connected in parallel along the entire length. The calculations are simple. Since we need to convert alternating current into direct current, the standard voltage of 220 Volts in the electrical network needs to be increased to 250. The need to “increase” the voltage is associated with the rectification process.
5. To find out the number of LED sections, you need to divide 250 Volts by 12 Volts (voltage for one group of 3 pieces). As a result, we get 20.8(3), rounding up, we get 21 groups. Here it is advisable to add another group, since the total number of LEDs will have to be divided into 2 lamps, and for this you need an even number. In addition, by adding another section, we will make the overall scheme safer.
   
6. We will need a DC rectifier, which is why we cannot throw away the removed insides of the fluorescent lamp. To do this, we take out the converter and, using wire cutters, remove the capacitor from the common circuit. This is quite simple to do, since it is located separately from the diodes, you just need to break off the board.
   The diagram shows what the end result should be, in more detail.
   
7. Next, using soldering and superglue, you need to assemble the entire structure. Don't even try to fit all 22 sections into one lamp. It was said above that you need to specifically find 2 half-meter lamps, since it is simply impossible to place all the LEDs in one. You also don't need to rely on the self-adhesive layer on the back of the tape. It will not last long, so the LEDs need to be secured with superglue or liquid nails.
   

Let's summarize and find out the advantages of the assembled product:

• The amount of light from the resulting LED lamps is 1.5 times greater than that of their fluorescent counterparts.
• The power consumption is much less than that of fluorescent lamps.
• The assembled light source will last 5–10 times longer.
• Finally, the last advantage is the direction of light. It does not dissipate and is directed straight down, so it is used near the desktop or in the kitchen.

Of course, the emitted light is not very bright, but the main advantage is the low power consumption of the lamp. Even if you turn it on and never turn it off, it will consume only 4 kW of energy in a year. At the same time, the cost of electricity consumed per year is comparable to the cost of a ticket on a city bus. Therefore, such light sources are especially effective to use where constant illumination is required (corridor, street, utility room).

Assembling a simple light bulb from LEDs

Let's look at another way to create an LED lamp. A chandelier or table lamp needs a standard E14 or E27 base. Accordingly, the circuit and diodes used will differ. Compact fluorescent lamps are now widely used. We will need one burnt-out cartridge, and we will also change the general list of materials for assembly.

You will need:

• burnt out E27 base;
• driver RLD2-1;
• NK6 LEDs;
• a piece of cardboard, but better - plastic;
• Super glue;
• electrical wiring;
• as well as scissors, soldering iron, pliers and other tools.

Let's start creating a homemade lamp:

The luminous flux of the assembled lamp is 100–120 lumens. Pure white light makes the bulb appear significantly lighter. This is enough to illuminate a small room (corridor, utility room). The main advantage of the LED light source is low energy consumption and power - only 3 Watts. Which is 10 times less than incandescent lamps and 2–3 times less than fluorescent lamps. It operates from a conventional cartridge with 220 volt power.

Conclusion

This means that, having on hand non-working linear or compact fluorescent lamps and several elements given above in this article, you can create an LED lamp with your own hands, which has a number of advantages. One of the main ones is low cost compared to lamps that can be purchased in a store. During assembly and installation, safety precautions must be observed, since you have to work with high voltage, so you should follow the installation sequence according to the diagram. As a result, you will get a lamp that will work for a long time and be pleasing to the eye.

Video

Attention! This design has no galvanic isolation from a high-voltage alternating current network. Strictly follow safety precautions. When repeating a design, you do everything at your own peril and risk. The author does not bear any responsibility for your actions.

The article discusses the design of an LED lamp powered by an alternating current network with a voltage of up to 240 V and a frequency of 50/60 Hz. This lamp has been serving me for more than two years and I want to share this design with you. The lamp has a very simple current limiting circuit, which makes it possible for beginning radio amateurs to repeat the design. It has low power and can be used as a night light or to illuminate a room where high brightness is not needed, but such factors as low energy consumption and long service life are important. You can hang it in the entrance or on the landing and not worry about turning off or high electricity consumption - its service life is practically limited by the service life of the LEDs used, since this lamp does not have a pulse converter, which often fail faster than the LEDs themselves, and the radio elements are here are selected in such a way that the rated voltages and operating currents of both capacitors with diodes and the LEDs themselves are not exceeded, even at the maximum permissible voltage and frequency in the supply network.

The lamp has the following characteristics:

The lamp uses three-crystal warm white LEDs of the smd5050 type:

When a rated current of 20 mA flows on one LED chip, the voltage drops by about 3.3 V. These are the main parameters for calculating the quenching capacitor for powering the lamp.

The crystals of all nine LEDs are connected in series with each other and thus the same current flows through each crystal. This ensures uniform luminescence and maximum service life of the LEDs and therefore the entire lamp. The LED connection diagram is shown in the figure:

After soldering, you get this LED matrix:

This is what it looks like from the front:

I present to you the schematic diagram of this LED lamp:

The lamp uses a full-wave rectifier using diodes D1-D4. Resistor R1 limits the current surge when the lamp is turned on. Capacitor C2 is a filter and smoothes out current ripples through the LED matrix. For this case, its capacity in microfarads can be approximately calculated using the formula:

where I is the current through the LED matrix in milliamps and U is the voltage drop across it in volts. You should not chase too large a capacitance of this capacitor, since the current-quenching capacitor plays the role of a current limiter, and the connected LED matrix is ​​a voltage stabilizer.

In this case, you can use a capacitor with a capacity of 2.2-4.7 μF. A resistor R3 installed in parallel with it ensures that this capacitor is completely discharged after turning off the power. Resistor R2 plays the same role for current suppression capacitor C1. Now the main question is how to calculate the capacity of the quenching capacitor? There are many formulas and online calculators for this on the Internet, but they all underestimated the result and gave a lower capacity, which was confirmed in practice. When using formulas from various sites and after using online calculators, in most cases the resulting capacitance was 0.22 µF. When installing a capacitor with this capacity and measuring the current flowing through the LED matrix, a result of 12 mA was obtained at a mains voltage of 240 V and a frequency of 50 Hz:

Then I took a longer route and first calculated the required quenching resistance, and then derived the capacity of the quenching capacitor. For the initial data we have:

• Supply voltage: 220 V. Let's take the maximum possible - 240 V.
• I took the network frequency to 60 Hz. At a frequency of 50 Hz, less current will flow through the matrix and the lamp will shine less brightly, but there will be a reserve.
• The voltage dropped on the LED matrix will be 27 * 3.3 = 89.1 V, since we have 27 LED crystals connected in series and each of them will drop approximately 3.3 V. Let’s round this value to 90.
• At a maximum frequency of 60 Hz and a network voltage of 240 V, the current flowing through the matrix should not exceed 20 mA.

The calculations use the effective values ​​of currents and voltages. According to Ohm's law, the damping resistance should be:

Where U c - mains voltage (V)

U m - voltage on the LED matrix (V)

I m - current through the matrix (A).

Since we use a capacitor as a damping resistance, then X c = R and according to the well-known formula for capacitance:

We calculate the required capacitance of the capacitor:

Where f - supply frequency (Hz)

X c - required capacitance (Ohm)

Let me remind you that the value of the capacitor capacity obtained in this case is valid for a supply frequency of 60 Hz. For a frequency of 50 Hz, according to calculations, the value is 0.42 μF. To check the validity, I temporarily installed two parallel-connected capacitors of 0.22 μF each with a resulting total capacitance of 0.44 μF, and when measuring the current flowing through the LED matrix, a value of 21 mA was recorded:

But durability and versatility were important to me, and based on the calculation for a frequency of 60 Hz with the result of the required capacitance of 0.35 µF, I took a similar value with a capacitance of 0.33 µF. I also advise you to take a capacitor with a slightly smaller capacity than the calculated one, so as not to exceed the permissible current of the LEDs used.

Next, by substituting the formula for calculating resistance into the formula for determining capacitance and reducing the entire expression, I derived a universal formula into which, by substituting the initial values, you can calculate the required capacitance of the capacitor for any number of LEDs in the lamp and any supply voltage:

The final formula takes the following form:

Where C - capacity of the quenching capacitor (uF)

Id - permissible rated current of the LED used in the lamp (mA)

f - supply frequency (Hz)

U c - supply voltage (V)

n - number of LEDs used

U d - voltage drop across one LED (V)

Maybe someone will be too lazy to make these calculations, but using this formula you can determine the capacity for any LED lamp with any number of LEDs of any color connected in series. For example, you can make a lamp from 16 red LEDs by substituting the voltage drop corresponding to the red LEDs into the formula. The main thing is to adhere to reasonable limits, not to exceed the number of LEDs with a total voltage on the matrix up to the supply voltage and not to use too powerful LEDs. In this way, you can make a lamp with a power of up to 5-7 W. Otherwise, you may need a capacitor that is too large, and strong current ripple may occur.

Let's go back to my lamp and the photo below shows the radio elements that I used:

I did not have a capacitor with a capacity of 0.33 µF and I placed two capacitors with a capacity of 0.22 and 0.1 µF connected in parallel. With such a capacity, the current flowing through the matrix will be slightly less than the calculated one. In my case, the filter capacitor is for a voltage of 250 V, but I strongly recommend using a capacitor for a voltage of 400 V or more. Although the voltage drop on my LED matrix does not exceed 90 V, if at least one of the LEDs breaks or burns out, the voltage on the filter capacitor will reach the amplitude value, which is more than 330 V at an effective supply voltage of 240 V. (U a = 1.4U)

As a body, I used part of a compact energy-saving fluorescent lamp and took out the electronic filling from it:

I mounted the board mounted and it easily fit into the specified case:

I glued the LED matrix with double tape to a round piece of getinax, which I screwed to the body with two screws and nuts:

I also made a small reflector, cutting it out of a tin can:

I carried out real measurements at a supply voltage of 240 V and a frequency of 50 Hz:

The direct current through the LED matrix took the value of 16 mA, which does not exceed the rated current of the LEDs used:

I also developed a printed circuit board for radio elements in the Sprint-Layout program. All parts fit on an area of ​​30x30 mm. You can see the appearance of this printed circuit board in the figures:

I have provided this PCB in PDF, Gerber and Sprint-Layout formats. You can freely download these files. Although the diagram shows KD105 diodes, since they are currently rare, the printed circuit board is wired for 1N4007 diodes. You can also use other medium-power rectifier diodes for a voltage of 600 V and a current 1.5-2 times greater than the current consumption of the LED matrix. I will give a recommendation regarding the assembly of this matrix. I temporarily glued all the LEDs with the front side to masking tape and soldered all the leads according to the diagram, after which I glued the finished matrix on the side of the terminals with double-sided tape and removed the paper masking tape from the front side. If you have the opportunity, I recommend placing the LEDs at a greater distance from each other, as they will generate heat and, if they are close together, can overheat and quickly degrade.

Personally, I have been using this lamp for seven hours a day for three years now and have not had any problems so far. I also attach an Excel table with the calculation formula to the article. You just need to substitute the original values ​​and as a result you will get the required capacity of the quenching capacitor. Bright and long-lasting light bulbs to everyone. Leave reviews and share the article, as there are many incorrect formulas and calculators on the Internet that give incorrect results. Everything here has been tested by experience and confirmed by time and real measurements.

List of radioelements

Designation	Type	Denomination	Quantity	Note	Shop	My notepad
	Capacitors
C1	Capacitor	0.33 µF 400 V	1			To notepad
C2	Electrolytic capacitor	3.3 µF 400 V	1			To notepad
	Resistors
R1	Resistor

A LED is a semiconductor device that allows you to convert electric current into light radiation. One 220 volt LED lamp allows you to save a huge amount of electricity. The savings are 2 times more than a fluorescent lamp and 10 times than an incandescent lamp. If you use parts from a burnt-out lamp to make such a lamp, you can significantly reduce costs. You can assemble an LED lamp with your own hands quite simply. But do not forget that for this you need to have the appropriate qualifications, since you will have to work with high voltage.

Advantages of LEDs

Nowadays you can find a huge number of types of chandeliers with LED lamps in stores. They have different advantages and disadvantages. Modernization of energy saving lamps allows you to take full advantage of fluorescent light. This applies to the most common lamps with an E 27 base. And the old representatives of this family were endowed with an unpleasant flicker. Fluorescent light sources are truly a miracle. Compared to them, incandescent lamps are losing ground very much. Their high energy consumption and low light output do not offset their high color rendering index.

Durability is their main advantage. Mechanically it is strong and reliable. It is known that its operating life can reach up to 100,000 hours. They are also considered environmentally friendly light sources, unlike fluorescent lamps, which, in turn, contain mercury. But as you know, fluorescent lamps have some disadvantages:

• The vapors contained in the pipes are quite poisonous.
• Due to frequent switching on and off, they can quickly fail.
• The design itself requires some disposal.

The LED lamp can be considered the second revolution in the field of lighting. It works 5-10 times longer, is more economical and does not require any special disposal. Although there is a minor drawback - it is much more expensive.

In order to remove this small minus and turn it into a good plus, you can build a lamp from an LED strip with your own hands. In this way, the cost of the light source can be reduced. It will be much lower than that of luminescent analogues . And also this lamp will have a number of advantages:

• The lamp life will be a record 100,000 hours, but only with proper assembly.
• The cost of a homemade device is no higher than that of a fluorescent lamp.
• The watt/lumen efficiency is far superior to all comparable products.

But there is also one drawback - there is no warranty for this product. It must be compensated by the skill of the electrician and strict adherence to the instructions.

Homemade lamps

There are a huge number of ways to create a lamp with your own hands. Using an old base from a burnt-out fluorescent lamp is the most common method. Such resources are available in every home, so there will be no problems finding them. You will also need:

In some schemes, one or two elements from this list may not be useful. However, in others, on the contrary, new chain links may be needed, for example: drivers or electrolytes. In each specific case it is necessary individually draw up a list of necessary materials.

How to make an LED lamp with your own hands

To begin installing the lamp, you need to prepare two damaged fluorescent lamps with a power of 13 W and a length of half a meter. There is no point in buying new ones, it is best to find old ones that don't work. But they must be checked for cracks and chips.

Next, you need to purchase an LED strip in the store. This must be approached responsibly, since the choice is very large. Tapes with natural or pure white light are best. Since they do not change the shades of surrounding objects and are super bright. Typically, these strips contain LEDs in groups of three. The power of one group is 14 W, and the voltage is 12 volts per meter tape.

After which you need to disassemble the fluorescent lamps into their component parts. You must act very carefully - do not damage the wires or break the tube, as this will release toxic fumes. All removed entrails should not be thrown away. They may be useful in the future. Next, you need to cut the tape into sections of 3 diodes. After this, it’s worth getting expensive and unnecessary converters. Large, sturdy scissors or wire cutters are best for cutting the tape.

In the end there should be 22 groups 3 LEDs or 66 LEDs, which must be connected in parallel along the entire length. To convert alternating current to direct current, the standard voltage of 220 volts must be increased to 250 in the electrical network. This is due to the straightening process. The next step is to figure out the number of LED sections. To do this, you need to divide 250 volts by 12 volts (voltage for 1 group of 3 pieces). Having finally received 20.8 (3), you need to round up - you get 21 groups. It is best to add another group, since the total number of LEDs will be divided into two lamps. And dividing an even quantity is much easier.

Next, you will need a DC rectifier, which can be found in the removed insides of the fluorescent lamp. Using wire cutters, remove the capacitor from the common circuit of the converter. This action is quite easy to perform, since it is located separately from the diodes; you just need to break off the board.

Using superglue and soldering, it is necessary to assemble the entire structure. Don't try to fit all 22 sections into one lamp. As mentioned above, you need to find 2 half-meter lamps, since it is simply impossible to place all the LEDs in one. There is no need to rely on the self-adhesive layer, which is located on the back of the tape. It won't last long. Therefore, it is better to use superglue or liquid nails to secure the LEDs.

To summarize, we can analyze all the advantages of the assembled product. The amount of light in the resulting lamps is 1.5 times greater than in analogues. But the power consumption is much less than that of fluorescent lamps. The service life of this light source will be approximately 10 times longer. And also one of the advantages - this is the direction of light. It is directed straight down and has no ability to dissipate. Therefore, it will be best used at the desktop or in the kitchen. However, the light emitted is not very bright but has low power consumption.

Constant use of the lamp in the on state will consume only 4 kW of energy in a year. The cost of electricity consumed per year can be compared with the cost of a ticket in public transport. Therefore, such light sources are often used where constant illumination is required, for example:

• Street.
• Corridor.
• Utility room
• Emergency lighting.

A simple LED light bulb

There is another way to create a lamp. A table lamp, chandelier or lantern needs an E14 or E27 base. Accordingly, the diodes and circuit used will differ. Compact fluorescent lamps are now common . For installation you will need one burnt cartridge, as well as an altered list of materials. Necessary:

Let's move on to creating an LED module with our own hands. First you need to disassemble the old lamp. In fluorescent lamps, the base is attached to a plate with tubes and secured with latches. The base can be disconnected quite simply. It is necessary, having found places with latches, to pry them off with a screwdriver. Everything needs to be done quite carefully so as not to damage the tubes. When opening it, you must ensure that the electrical wiring that leads to the base remains intact.

From the upper part with gas-discharge tubes you need to make a plate to which the LEDs will be attached. To do this, you need to disconnect the light bulb tubes. The remaining plate has 6 holes. In order for the LEDs to be firmly attached to it, you need to make a cardboard or plastic “bottom”, which will also insulate the LEDs. You need to use NK6 LEDs; they are multi-chip (6 crystals per diode) with parallel connection.

Because of this, the light source is super bright with minimal power. You need to make 2 holes in the cover for each LED. The holes should be pierced carefully and evenly so that their location matches each other and the intended pattern. If you use a piece of plastic as the “bottom”, the LEDs will be firmly fixed. But if you use a piece of cardboard, you will need to glue the base with the LEDs using superglue or liquid nails.

Since the light bulb will be used in a network with a voltage of 220 volts, an RLD2−1 driver will be required. You can connect 3 diodes of 1 watt each to it. This lamp required 6 LEDs with a power of 0.5 watts each. It follows from this that the connection diagram will be formed from two series-connected parts of three parallel-connected LEDs.

Before you begin assembly, you need to isolate the driver and board from each other. To do this, you can use a piece of cardboard or plastic. This will prevent short circuits in the future. There is no need to worry about overheating as the lamp does not get hot at all. All that remains is to assemble the structure and test it in action. White light makes the light bulb appear much lighter. The luminous flux of the assembled lamp is 100−120 lumens. This may be enough to illuminate a small room (corridor or utility room).

Types of lamps

LED lamps can be divided into two groups: indicator (LED) - used as indicators because they are low-power and dim. The green lights on the router are indicator LEDs. There are such diodes on TV as well. Their uses are quite varied. For example:

• Car panel illumination.
• Various electronic devices.
• Computer display backlighting.

Their colors come in a huge variety: yellow, green, red, purple, blue, white and even ultraviolet. It is worth remembering that the color of the LED does not depend on the color of the plastic. It is determined by the type of semiconductor material from which it is made. In most cases, you need to turn it on to find out the color, since they are made of colorless plastic.

A lighting structure is used to illuminate something. It differs in its power and brightness. It also has a very reduced price, so it is often used in household and industrial lighting. This type of lighting is considered productive, environmentally friendly and cheap. Today, the level of technology development can make it possible to produce lamps with a high level of light output per 1 Watt.

An LED table lamp is very useful and is present in almost everyone’s home. People use LED lights for reading and studying. Fluorescent table lamps are the most common type, but they consume too much power and need to be connected to an external power supply.

LED lamps are much cheaper and more energy efficient, but their cost in stores and online usually exceeds 600 rubles. What if you make such a lamp with your own hands? It is easily assembled from cheap basic elements; assembly at home will take some time and will allow you to save money, because the cost of the lamp parts will cost 300-1000 rubles.

You may have seen lamp assembly instructions before, but what's special about this one is that it's very cheap and the base is assembled from a metal ruler and cardboard, which is something most people usually have on hand. There is no wood, plastic, or acrylic in the lamp, so you don't have to use special tools to cut materials.

The homemade lamp is powered by 4V acid batteries and consists of 36 LEDs that produce enough light for reading in the dark. Also, a dimmer is built into the circuit, operating on the basis of an integrated circuit 555 ic and with the help of it you can change the brightness by adjusting the potentiometer. The lamp can be charged using a 9V adapter.

I have written a detailed guide on how to make an LED lamp with your own hands and I am sure that even a beginner will understand it.

Step 1: Assembling the parts needed

To create the lamp you will need the parts listed in the following list. The price of each part can vary greatly depending on where you buy it from.

List of components:

• 36x LEDs
• 36x transients at 82 ohms
• 2x sealed lead acid battery 4v 1.5ah
• 1x voltage regulator 7805
• 1x switch
• 1x red or green LED
• 1x 3.5mm female connector
• 1x potentiometer 50 kOhm
• 1x button per potentiometer
• 1x timer 555 ic
• 2x 1n4001 or similar diodes
• 1x 8-pin DIP IC socket
• 2x 1 kOhm resistors
• 1x 330 ohm resistor
• 2x ceramic capacitor 0.1uf
• 1x TIP 31c or other NPN transistor
• Bread board
• Rainbow cable

Tool:

• Soldering iron
• Wires
• Smoke hood
• Scissors

• Cardboard box
• Steel ruler 30 cm
• Scotch tape
• Sheets of black and white paper
• Self-adhesive

Step 2: Assembling the battery

The power source for our lamp must be more than 5V. If the voltage is less than 5V, then we will not achieve maximum brightness from the LEDs. So you should use 6 volt batteries or more, but the voltage should not exceed 12V, otherwise the voltage regulator will overheat. I bought 4V batteries because they were the cheapest and their total voltage of 8V would produce enough energy to power the lamp.

Lead-acid batteries were chosen to reduce the cost of the project. Their peculiarity is that they can be connected directly to the power adapter and do not require additional adapters. Using lithium-ion or nickel-cadmium, alkaline and other types of batteries will make this project significantly more expensive, but these batteries will last longer.

To assemble the batteries, tape them together with double-sided tape and connect them in series, which means connecting the positive terminal of one battery to the negative terminal of the other battery. Then solder along the wire to the remaining free terminals. Connecting batteries in a series circuit will increase their voltage (the total voltage will be equal to the sum of the voltages of each battery), while connecting them in parallel will increase their operating time or amperage. Solder battery terminals quickly, as overheating can damage them.

Step 3: Prepare the ruler

Bend the ruler with your hands or pliers as shown in the photo, and then cover it with black paper. The ruler is needed to support the LEDs. The reason I used a ruler is because it is cheap, flexible and accessible.

Step 4: Prepare the board

Cover the board with white paper. Since the entire board is now covered with paper, prepare a needle to make holes in it.

Step 5: Solder the LEDs

Since the output power supply has 5V, and the LEDs need 3.6V, they cannot be connected in series. If you connect them in parallel, they will still need 3.6V, and if you apply 5V to them, they will be damaged. To avoid this problem, we will add a resistor to each LED in the circuit. The formula for calculating resistor values ​​is:

Resistor value (in Ohms) = (power supply voltage - source voltage) / current required by each LED (in amps)

5 - 3.6 / 0.02 (20 milliamps = 0.02 A)
= 1.4 / 0.02
= 70 Ohm

Since 70 Ohms is a non-standard value, we will need a 68 or 82 Ohms resistor.

When soldering LEDs, refer to the attached diagram.

Step 6: Solder the LEDs (Step 2)

Once you have soldered all the LEDs, connect each set of LEDs in series. Then simply connect the two long ends of the wire to the positive and negative tracks.

Step 7: Cut off the excess board

Cut off the excess part of the breadboard. You should end up with a square shape with a perpendicular protrusion that attaches to the ruler. Do not throw away the remnants of the board, as they will be useful for assembling the dimmer circuit.

Step 8: Prepare the Potentiometer

The reason this step comes first is because it will be needed to prototype the circuit for the next step. Solder two diodes to the potentiometer, and then two wires as shown in the picture - one to the middle pin, and the second to the point where the two diodes connect.

Step 9: Prototyping the Circuit (Optional)

This step is optional and is described for those people who think that assembling the circuit directly on the board is not a good idea. So you can assemble the attached circuit on a prototyping board, connect a 5V power supply and turn the potentiometer. The attached photographs show the lamp operating at 5% and 95% (lowest and highest brightness).

Step 10: Soldering the Dimmer Circuit

The 555 can operate at a maximum of 200mA, so connecting all the diodes directly to the output will overheat it. I modified the circuit and added a tip31c transistor to it, which made it possible to safely connect the diodes.

Solder everything according to the attached diagram. Do not solder the integrated circuit directly, as overheating can damage the device - use a socket.

Step 11: Glue the Ruler

Using hot glue or duct tape, adhere the ruler to the center back of the box.

Step 12: Glue the Board

Glue the printed circuit board to the ruler according to the attached photo.

Step 13: Attach the Battery

Use double-sided tape to glue the battery to the box. Make sure the box is easy to close and has enough space.

Step 14: Attaching the Switch

A switch is needed to turn the lamp on and off. Connect it according to the attached diagram.

Step 15: Attaching the Potentiometer

The middle pin of the potentiometer is connected to pin 2 of the integrated circuit, and the pin connected to the diode of the potentiometer is connected to pin 7 of the integrated circuit.

Step 16: Connecting the LEDs

Make a hole on the back wall of the box and pass the wires from the LEDs through it. Then connect the positive lead of the LEDs to pin 8 of the IC and the negative lead to the collector of the transistor.

Step 17: Connect the adapter connector

The diode is connected to the adapter connector, so the charging indicator LED lights up only when the adapter is connected, but does not light up while the lamp is operating. Connect the adapter connector to the positive and negative terminals of the battery.

Step 18: Attach the charging indicator LED

Connect the charge indicator LED directly to the adapter connector and a 330 ohm resistor in series.

Step 19: Glue the diagram

Once you have everything connected, glue the circuit diagram on top of the battery. Make sure there is still some space in the box.

Step 20: Making the Holes

Make 4 holes in the box in the places you choose. They are needed to install the switch, potentiometer, adapter connector and charging indicator LED. I placed the switch and potentiometer on the front wall of the box. An ordinary pencil is suitable for making a hole.