KorinFoxGOLD Member
member
24 posts
Location: Maryland, USA


Posted:
Ok this is my new design for LED poi, that I think no one has used.
Materials:
2x AA or AAA batteries
1x dc to dc converter (MAX1759)
bunch of capacitors that go with the converter and resistors
2 to 4 LEDs depending on color and voltage usage
The dc to dc converter can output at a max of 5.5 volts, and max current of 100mA
The problem is that you need a printed circuit board for these chips (they end up to be about the dimensions of a AAA battery except flat, and shorter) since these chips are 3mmx3mm. I will make them soon, I just need to order LEDs and get myself some wire and solder everything together. These poi will be contained within polycarbonate tubes. My circuit is based on these , just scroll down to the LED flashlight version 2. I hope these turn out well!!!

Vagueness defines everything...


*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
Sounds promising - looking forward to see how they turn out.

Cake or Death?


KorinFoxGOLD Member
member
24 posts
Location: Maryland, USA


Posted:
Yeah we ran into problems mounting the IC chips (they are 3mm by 3mm) but I'm thinking of doing these as maybe a summer project (I was doing them for the school talent show for us, a group of 3, to use). I did kind an answer to that problem tho, but I think in then end they might cost about... 20 bucks each maybe... I dont know, but we already orders 2 bags of 10 LED light sticks to use...

Vagueness defines everything...


*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
The LED Poi I'm building are just 4 super bright leds connected to 3xAAA batteries (in series) which means they're getting rather a lot more current than they probably should do. I'm just going to wait and see how long the LEDs last - should still be a long time as long as they're kept cool I reckon smile

I like the idea of using the DC converter though - good idea.

Not sure why you need the PCB? Just glue the bits to something then solder them up with a few small wires?

Cake or Death?


Truecatmember
1 post

Posted:
Sounds great, Hoping it will be lighter than the LEDs sold at store.
Thunk!
Keep at it

KorinFoxGOLD Member
member
24 posts
Location: Maryland, USA


Posted:
well each pin is about .4mm (yes .4 milimeters) apart, so soldering wires to them is not feasable... I wanted to use a DC to DC converter because alkaline AA or AAA batteries lose current rather quickly, so instead of 10 of use as advertised there might only be 2 hours of good brightness (although you can invest in rechargable NiCd or the other one type batteries that dont lose voltage). Since the converter is not 100% efficient, out of an advertised 10 hours, I might be able to get about 8 hours of use. Also I would only need to use 2 AA or AAA batteries...

Vagueness defines everything...


dj_retromember
87 posts
Location: Oklahoma, USA


Posted:
i resently bought some UV 3mm led's so i could change the color of the light on my gamecube and i had the other laying around. but then i saw some info on glowsticking.com about how to make your own led glowsticks. so i bummed my friends soddering iron and about an hour and a half and $15 later i had a nice little UV glowstick. only problem im having is that i cant keep my connection to my battery. im using a 12v remote battery its about 7mm wide 20mm or so long. so you have to keep the battery at the open end next to the button switch. im still having a lot of fun with it and plan on making a few more with the extra led's i have. i still dont know how well they are gonna stand up to being swung around.

-kiel

<( ' ' )>
Fear the Kirby


King Of Bongoaddict
522 posts
Location: Berlin


Posted:
check out onewheel dave's hammerhead sock-poi...
I would put a link, but i is a lazy bugger...
they're basically the same idea in a bomb-proof design... i loved them when i made them.
its fun experimenting with stuff (although i burnt myself with the soldering iron and wasted quite a lot of money buying random leds that didn't really work too well... never mind eih!) ubbrollsmile

Your life is ending one minute at a time...
So live it.


*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
I recognise that foot Bongo (Jon here)! smile Just wait 'till I'm back in bris' this weekend - should have my new LED Poi working with a bit of luck. No flashing or anything yet, but they should still look pretty funky!

Hammer head's Poi are a great idea for testing out. I'm not sure how long they'd last in the long term, but they're so easy to make, that's not an issue ubbidea

Cake or Death?



Similar Topics

Using the keywords [design led poi] we found the following existing topics.

  1. Forums > Crochet for blindfold juggling balls [9 replies]
  2. Forums > My design for LED poi [8 replies]
  3. Forums > LED poi design - help! [14 replies]
  4. Forums > I need ideas for a Poi/Staff/fire-play course Im designing! [5 replies]
  5. Forums > [2009-11-14] Hyperlight Accelerometer Demo.. [31 replies]

      Show more..

HOP Newsletter

Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more...