I’ve been asked a few times already whether I could “make” some little lights
for the LEGO houses built around here, so I gave it a try. After
clamping a 1x2 LEGO brick into a vise, I drilled two little holes on either
side, just large enough to push in the pins of a 5mm LED.
This one here
is a bit wobbly, but you can see the pins of the LED passing through the
brick, and around its center piece. The brick still “works” after this
procedure. Getting the pins of the LED through the brick and out the other
side is a bit tricky, but a bit of patience does it.
I thought the
intended audience would enjoy a range of colours.
Onto the LED pins I
soldered stranded wire (after tinning it), because that is nice and supple,
and I covered half of the arrangement with heat-shrink tube.
The whole
lot I then covered with more heat-shrink to give the construction a bit more
stability.
To test the LEDs, I added male header pins to the
ends of the cable and set those up on an Arduino prototyping shield.
Et voilÃÂ .
Now it is up to the younger generation to show
what they can achieve with the result. My LEGO bricks are not quite as
professional looking as Ken’s, or these, or the LEGO
flashlight, but I’m pleased enough.