LED macro light project

This intended as a guide only, not precise instructions. What you actually do to make a lamp like this will depend on what items you have to hand. This is one way to do it and anyone able to undertake this sort project should have the ability to adapt it as they need.

It also assumes you have a fair bit of spare time as you can buy lamps like this for not too much money!

You will need an old GU10 LED Lamp. (It does not need to be working)

Wrap it in a rag to prevent glass splinters flying everywhere.

Hit it with a hammer just hard enough to break the glass.

Tip the broken lamp on to your bench Be Careful, there are lots of tiny glass splinters!

Cut these wires and pull the PCB off the board with the lamps on.

You won't need this, but it looks useful!

This is the bit you need, turn it over.

De-solder the LEDs from the board.

Drilling holes in a board to hold the LEDs while you solder them helps a lot.

Now you will need to solder some legs on to the LEDs.

Cut 2 bit of wire for each LED, one about 2 inches and one about 1.5 inches.

Solder the shorter wire on to the negative side of the LED, this is the flat side (see arrow).

Solder the longer wire on to the other side. Doing it like this helps you quickly identify the positive and negative sides.

3 volt supply (2 x 1.5Volt AA batteries).

Cut out something to mount the LEDs in, I used some left over plastic fascia board.

The diameter of the inner circle should be about 1mm more than your lens.
The outer circle depends on what you are going to mount it in.

I used the lid off a coffee jar for one lamp housing and a plastic tub for another.

Drill holes for the LEDs in your mounting. Angle the holes in so the LEDs will focus on the same spot about 3 inches away

Put the LEDs in the holes with all the negatives wires on the inside, bend all the wires so all the negatives are touching the negative on the next LED

Bend all the wires so all the positive wires are touching the positives on the next LED.

Solder them all making sure none of the positive wires touch any of the negative wires attach a lead to the negative ring and one to the positive ring

Mount the LEDs in their ring, in your housing. The one on the left is a coffee jar lid

Connect up your 3 volt power supply and slip the lamp onto your lens.

You can now take macro photos with plenty of light.

The LEDs give a blue cast. This can be reduced by changing your camera's white balance setting, or in your photo editing software.

Natural light only.

With Macro Lamp.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Macro
• light
• lamp
• LED
• project

[otterpopjunkie]

LEDs are very cheap..

You should have a resistor.

[jethou1]

@otterpopjunkie Re: cheap LEDs, I know now and I have bought a bunch of brighter LEDs off eBay and built a second better version, but building this one from bits that cost nothing was a good learning experience for me and gave me the confidence to buy LEDs and make a better light. I know very little about electronics and didn’t know you should have a resister with the LEDs. Is that to stop them blowing? I’ve used it a few times, but it is only on for a short time, maybe I’ve been lucky so far!

[otterpopjunkie]

@jethou1 Yep, most LEDs have very little internal resistance so they can draw too much current and burn out. It usually just affects longevity, they will last longer if wired appropriately.

And as for cost, gotta decide for yourself whether your time or your money is worth more.