Once before the New Year I was left without a tree and without Christmas decorations (since it was in the middle of the ocean). And the soul demanded a holiday ... I somehow imitated the Christmas tree, but I had to think about the toys. It was then that the remnants of multi-colored LED strips came to hand.
Next, I'll chew first, and then briefly describe how to make original LED Christmas tree decorations. And at the same time we will consider connection options.
For this we take led strip different colors, not in silicone.
The first one will be round, and chew it
| White ribbons look festive, in the sense of being painted white | |
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We cut the tape with scissors in the right places on the correct segments of three LEDs |
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For this decoration we need three pieces. |
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We glue them together using a sticky base |
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We fasten the first two segments in the form of the letter "L". Please note that you need to observe the polarity and position the tape segments with poles to each other, i.e. so that the plus of one tape is directed towards the plus of the other. |
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We glue the third across, getting something like the letter "A" |
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We tin the pads at the ends of the tapes, so that later it would be easier to solder |
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And we connect them in pairs with wires, here I connected two "pluses" |
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Having soldered all the wiring, we get just such a Christmas tree toy. Here I have short wires without insulation - this is wrong, everything must be isolated. By the way, short ones are “plus”, and long ones are “minus”. |
Further, it would be correct to describe how and to what to connect this joy, but this will be later, and now I want to consider what other options are there.
Other options with more line segments
Square
Further along the increasing number of segments is a square of four segments. I won't chew anymore, I think you can understand the principle from the photo. I just wanted to pay attention to the top two wires, they are both needed for a complete circuit. Not visible in the photo, but I made the top wire in the form of a loop.
Star
The star, naturally, already consists of five segments. The peculiarity here is that there are practically no wires, and the tape sections are attached to each other by soldering two contact pads to each other (do not forget to observe the polarity!).
Six pointed star
Consists of six sections. Rather, these are two intertwined triangles, and I made them from different ribbons (different colors).
Ball
I also tried to make something three-dimensional and I ended up with such a ball. But I didn’t really like it and I stopped there.
More segments
You can go further to build up segments of ribbons, but, IMHO, this is already too much, then just glue on some kind of base and make applications of snowflakes.In work
This is what it looks like when it is on:
Connection
Option 1: simple at 12V
The easiest way is to stupidly turn on everything at 12 volts and the multi-colored toys will shine stably. We just solder the connector that hangs on each bobbin with 5-meter tapes and plug in the usual 12-volt power supply, which is sold in the same place as the tapes.
We solder the toys sequentially one after another. 
Option 2: RGB controller
More interesting option, it is connected to RGB controller, which are on this moment more than affordable, with a large selection both in function and in capacity.If we connect toys of the same color in rows to the corresponding controller pin (a row of red to R, green to G, blue to B) we get a Christmas tree in the MoodLamp style - with a custom color if desired.
Please note that on such controllers, control is carried out on "ground" (as a rule), i.e. the plus wire is common to all channels.
Option 3: Microcontroller
This is the most fun option, albeit the most difficult and time consuming. Those. it is optimal to take some Arduinka and a shield with a TLC5940, connect LED toys for 16 channels, connect a sound sensor and get a disco Christmas tree.This is exactly what I did last year:
Here is a small past-New Year video report:
Shl. Who needs a sketch from this video?
thanks
I hope my little idea will come in handy and with its help someone can make the New Year even more fun and colorful. Thanks to everyone who took the time to view my article. I look forward to your feedback and comments.On the eve of New Year's holidays, the soul demands that everything around be beautiful, magical and reminiscent of the upcoming celebration. People actively decorate not only premises, but also street space. In this article, we will show you how with my own hands make a bright glowing Christmas tree. It will complement well the area near the house or small store.
You will need:
- plastic hooks;
- the LED garland itself (for a 2.5-meter Christmas tree, approximately 30-50 meters of garland are required);
- pegs;
- vertical support ( metal pipe, wooden block etc.).
Little secret: a garland of closely spaced bulbs will help create a brighter and fluffier Christmas tree. It is also important that the threads are placed as tightly as possible to each other. Standard length garlands do not exceed 10-20 meters. To lengthen it, you can choose models with a special connector at the end, or fasten the products with improvised means (for example, tie with threads). Once the garland is ready, start creating the decoration. What need to do:
- prepare a free space on the site (for security purposes, it is better to choose an area away from buildings and trees);
- install and securely fasten vertical support, you can dig it into the ground;
- place pegs around the rack at the same distance;
- take the garland and arrange it in this way: starting from the first peg, lift it to the top, fix it on a plastic hook, lower it down to the second peg, wrap it around, bring it along the ground to the third one, raise it to the top, etc.
As you can see, making an LED Christmas tree is very simple. It takes a minimum of time and does not require any special preparation. The recommendations given can be used to create jewelry not only on the street, but also at home. The principle is the same, you only need to adjust the height and cut a round base with symmetrically located attachment points. Remember to disguise upright rack and bottom: you can close them with green wrapping paper or wrap them with threads, ribbons, tinsel.
Borisova Tatiana
I am an ardent fan of everything natural and environmentally friendly, so the question of which tree to buy for new year holidays - live or artificial - not even worth it. I bought Danish spruce 200/225 cm. The smell in the house is simply divine - fresh coniferous, and the holiday atmosphere and the corresponding mood appeared by themselves. I am very pleased with the purchase.
Krasko Svetlana
I work as a secretary of a private children's center development. Acquired live spruce 300/350 for hall installation. The tree is simply gorgeous - fluffy and thick, moreover, it has a very beautiful and rich emerald hue. And after decorating with toys and garlands it looks like in the best traditions of American cinema. Both children and parents are delighted.
Zhukova Larisa
I promise every year that this year we will not put up a Christmas tree and will limit ourselves to a small artificial one, but I understand from the eyes of my husband and children that I will not go anywhere. I have been ordering green beauties from Denmark in this store for several years. Although their price is slightly higher than domestic ones, they also look more presentable and last much longer. Last year, our tree stood before Epiphany and looked the same as on the day of purchase.
Under New Year I want to decorate my house in an original way: not like the neighbors, and of course, not like “last time”. With the help of the LED garlands offered for sale, you can create interesting compositions, but the price of the issue crosses out the bold design solutions... And typical Chinese LED decorations look the same, and as a rule they are faceless.
A smart solution is to create a garland with your own hands
- First, it will be a 100% original product.
- Secondly, the configuration of the decoration will be exactly what you need.
- Thirdly, this is real money saving.
- And finally, you can safely say to family members, and especially children: "Dad can!"
The concept is as follows: wires are pulled from the top to the lower branches, the LEDs are located at the same interval, as if creating tiers.
The light must be dynamic: you need a control controller. Simple LEDs shine beautifully, but spotlights don't create volume. This means that you need plafonds for each LED element.
The calculation of the garland starts from the power supply. The option is purely individual: I used an unnecessary PSU from a laptop. The estimated number of LEDs is no more than 100 pieces, when using standard 5 mm LEDs, the total consumption current (20 mA * 100) is 2 A at maximum brightness. For serial connection of 6 diodes (voltage drop for each of the order of 3 volts), the voltage of the power supply is 18-20 volts.
General calculation of garland power:
We collect 5 lines. Each "string" consists of 18 LEDs, 6 pcs. per channel (RGB option). 18 * 5 \u003d 90 pcs, total current 1.8 A. Thus, a laptop power supply with parameters: 19 volts, 4 amperes is suitable. This provides a double power reserve.
Selection of the necessary materials:
1. LEDs. I ordered for red, green and blue straw hat LED elements, 120 degree dispersion angle.2.. Let's dwell on this element in more detail. If you don't want to waste time making own scheme (there are many options, the cheapest of them is on Arduino), you can take a ready-made controller for RGB tape. All circuits work on the same principle: 3 controlled channels, the sequence of switching on, and the brightness of the light are set. Actually, the three chromaticity here is conditional, you can connect 3 channels of the same LEDs, and enjoy the lighting effects.
For powering the 19-volt channels, I chose a controller with a universal voltage of 12-24 volts. The control circuit is powered from any voltage in this range, we get the voltage at the output.
A prerequisite (for my circuit) is the presence of a remote control mode control.
3. Instead of a wiring harness, I chose (3 channels + 1 common).
4. different colors.
For ease of installation, I used 4 pin dupon connectors (pitch 2.54 mm). The corresponding set was purchased long ago from the same Chinese, an excellent help for various electronic crafts.
Since I planned to hide the LEDs in the shades, I bought it on Aliexpress. Landing diameter 5 mm.
Calculation of the connection diagram
LEDs, even with serial connection (in my case, 6 diodes), are connected through a current suppression resistor. Parameters of LED elements on the package:
The calculation of the resistor is carried out using the formula, or on the LED calculator. I used the online service:
- For the RED channel (voltage drop 1.8-2.0 V), the resistance is 420 ohms.
- For GREEN and BLUE channels (voltage drop 3.0-3.2 V) resistance is 82 Ohm (green) and 75 Ohm (blue). The green LED element shines brighter, therefore the resistor with a higher value, to equalize the overall picture.
I bought a controller for RGB LEDs with a common anode. That is, a minus is supplied to each channel, and a plus is supplied to the common wire.
We collect the garland
You can use twisted wires, as in factory garlands. I liked the design on the train better.
We make a reinforced leg for each LED element. This will require toothpicks and heat shrinkage.
We collect, warm with a hairdryer.
It turns out like this:
It makes sense to immediately prepare and test all 90 LEDs.
Then we mark the loop, determining the installation locations of the diodes through equal distance... I made neat cuts along the cable on the wires of the desired color, cut and tinned the installation sites.
After assembly, each LED looks like this:
It turned out neatly and reliably.
It is convenient to solder on a device with a magnifying glass, which is called the "third hand".
Next, we connect the supply wire (common "+") with the channels through resistors.
We insulate the parts with heat shrinkage.
And we connect with "plus".
We cover this loop with a large diameter heat shrinkage.
We mount the connectors on the opposite end.
Then we put snowflake shades on the LEDs.
The lesson is not easy (after all, 90 pieces!), But exciting.
Check again. The effect is amazing.
Note: Working LEDs do not work well in photographs, so the image is much worse than the original.
It remains to mount the garland on the Christmas tree - and call the kids: to admire their father's work.
Outcome:
Total financial expenses for a garland - no more than 1000 rubles. The main consumable part is a ready-made controller. The power supply is shareware. Diodes and wires - mere pennies... Additional costs: 300 rubles for snowflake lamps. This option is optional, but it significantly increases the attractiveness of the garland.
The time spent (4 full days off) is absolutely not a pity: it was interesting to work, and the result was worth it.
This instructable shows you how to handle LEDs to make some kind of luminous circuit out of them, talks about general rules the use of LEDs on the example of making a luminous Christmas lED tree... Knowing and using the principles outlined here, you can easily repeat other designs using LEDs, such as
, section of the site, where ALL homemade trees are presented and ALL options from which you can make a Christmas tree.
Step 1. Details
This LED Christmas tree is made of 17 red, green and yellow LEDs - some of the cheapest ones available from an electronics store (don't know who the manufacturer is).
Their specification: (the same for all colors)
forward voltage drop \u003d 2.0V
Max continuous current \u003d 15mA
If you can, try to match LEDs that have the same specifications - this will make it easier to create the tree.
Old printer power supply found outside - no power supply direct current no more. In this case, I have a voltage of 30 V, with a current of up to 400 mA. Enough power for 300 LEDs, but overkill.
Step 2. Electrical circuit design
There are three possibilities when designing an LED tree circuit, depending on the number of LEDs, their forward voltage drop and supply voltage.
1. The LEDs will drop less voltage than the power supply supplies.
(That is, for example, if you have a 12V supply and you have 5 LEDs - each with a forward voltage of 1.8V - then the LEDs will only drop 9V)
When connecting LEDs connected in series directly to the power source, too much current will flow and at least one of the LEDs will burn out (hopefully break the circuit and protect the rest).
In this case, you must include a resistor to limit the current to a safe level. To calculate the total resistance you need:
R \u003d (Vs - Vf * N) / Is
Vs: - Supply voltage
Vf: - Voltage drop per LED.
N: - Number of LEDs
Is: - Safe current for LEDs.
My initial design was similar to circuit A: R1 and R2 are each half R_total (for symmetry), resistors added to get the total resistance.
2. The LEDs drop exactly the same voltage that the power supply produces. Excellent! No resistors are needed, just connect all indicators in series to the power terminal wires.
Be careful, if you calculated incorrectly, the LEDs will burn out.
3. The LEDs drop more than the supply voltage. The bad news is you cannot connect daisy-chained LEDs. However, you can daisy chain the LEDs. If you look at circuit B, you can see that there are two paths for current to flow from Vcc (+) to GND (-). The path on the left circuit only has 2 LEDs, so it needs a current limiting resistor to keep the current at a safe level (Scenario 1). The path on the right circuit has 15 LEDs, a 2.0V voltage drop for each LED and a 30V power supply, this gives me exactly the voltage drop I need when I can do without a resistor (Scenario 2)
If you have a known supply voltage and required amount LEDs with a known voltage drop on each one, you can estimate what scenarios are possible for you, and develop your own LED tree!
Step 3. Aesthetic design
It's time for your artistic skills!
When designing your tree, remember:
1. Must be defined electrical circuit (see the previous step), which will determine your next steps.
2. Try not to make the distance between adjacent LEDs more than twice the length of the LED leads, or you will have to use an extra wire.
If you look at design B, you can see that there are two paths that current flows: the pins on the bottom green LEDs connect to the power supply and current flows through them around the entire tree path. The other way is that the two lowest green LEDs are connected through a resistor and create a second parallel circuit.
Step 4. Use a conductor!
This project does not use printed circuit boardand anyone who has tried soldering components together knows how difficult it is! The tree represents even more difficult optionsince the wires and components need to be placed aesthetically - you want the wires to be straight and the tree to be symmetrical.
To overcome this, I used a jig - print your layout plan or draw it by hand and glue it onto a piece of wood at least 5 mm (1/4 inch) thick. If you have a smooth wood like plywood or MDF, you can simply paint directly onto it.
Find a drill bit the same size as your LED (3mm or 5mm typically) and drill small holes for each LED. Ideally, each LED should fit snugly in the hole, without wiggling.
Step 5. Soldering the LEDs
At this stage, you need to find out in which direction the current flows through your tree (clockwise or counterclockwise). This will determine the location of the power contacts and how you want the tree to be oriented (facing forward).
Deal with this - otherwise either the Christmas tree will not burn, or it will be turned backwards.
Place each LED in the hole of the jig, making sure they are oriented so that the positive lead of the first LED will go to the power supply (possibly through the first resistor) and the negative lead of each LED connects to the positive lead of the next LED.
Carefully bend the LED leads towards the adjacent LEDs, and trim off the excess so that only ~ 1 cm of overlap is left. Align them carefully, and solder together.
WARNING:
LEDs are temperature sensitive - if you overheat the leads they burn out.
Solder as far away from the LEDs as you can.
Try to melt the solder and place it on the joint, rather than heating the wires while the solder is melting on them.
If you fail to solder in the first ~ 10 seconds, wait for the LEDs to cool down and try again. If you solder two long wires together, the risk is small, but if the LEDs are very close together (like the yellow LEDs in my design) then you have to be much more careful.
Step 6. Almost done ...
(If you rush to take out the LEDs, you will deform your tree)
Using a pair of pliers, go around the jig and carefully pull each of the LEDs, then move on to the next one, then go back and pull each a little further until the tree is free.
After removing the tree from the jig, it must be connected to a power source. If you have a good compact PSU like mine you can use it as a solid base ... otherwise you may need a small block of wood.
Insert wood with your feet into the holes, or bend your legs at a 90 degree angle, and solder to the PSU terminals.
Now that the tree is firmly anchored, you can correct any deformations that have occurred by gently bending the structure. Make sure the wires are not touching each other before connecting the power.
This instructable does not show the checks at each stage of construction how to do to ensure that each LED is connected correctly, that electrical circuit it will operate that the supply voltage is sufficient, that the forward voltage drop of the LEDs is within specification, and that the LEDs are not overheated during soldering.
Exercise due attention, (Measure seven times, cut once), and you will not have a problem that something went wrong.
Step 7.C led tree gotova!
Hooray! New Year lED treethat doesn't take up a lot of space when not in use, ready!
Perhaps one of the few DIY kits for soldering, which results in a useful product (we do not take into account kits for assembling full-fledged devices), which after assembly will not go to lie in a dark corner, but will be used for its intended purpose, especially if connected child.
In the review, there is a description of DIY 3D Christmas trees and assembly instructions.
After assembling the constructor, you should get a 3D tree, blinking with LEDs of 3 colors, which can work either from 3 AA batteries, or powered by USB.
The set is packed in a bag with a bubble wrap, additionally wrapped in foam wrap. I ordered from this seller () several times, everything came without damage in the same packaging, the equipment is in order. At the time of ordering, he had best price on AliExpress for this tree, and there were about 200 sales, now more than 1700.
Soldering kit for 3D Christmas tree:
3 boards (CTR-30C base and 2 CTR-30A and CTR-30B tree trunk pieces)
LEDs (12 green, 12 yellow, 13 red)
6 capacitors at 47uF 16V
6 transistors S9014
7 resistors 10 KOm
2 resistors 330 Ohm
2 resistors 1 KOm
2 resistors 2 KOm
1 button
1 power connector (length 1 m)
1 x USB power cord
2 bolts and 2 nuts
Box for 3 * AA batteries
Here's what was included.
Close-up of the main details. EQKIT logo on the boards. 
Back side boards: 
Larger: 
All components were in stock, even an extra LED remained. Before soldering, I checked all the elements with a transistor tester, everything turned out to be in good order. Unfortunately, there are no assembly instructions included.
The seller attached assembly instructions in the form of photographs, but did not sign the resistor values, and the attached photos show the resistor values \u200b\u200bvery poorly. But the seller is responsive, he quickly sent the scheme, though in Chinese, but the main thing is from a completely different tree. After pointing out this fact, he said that he only had such a scheme, but still promised to answer any questions if something did not work out to collect. At this, it was decided to end torturing the seller and try to collect from the pictures he had with the assumption that they were still from this set. In the end, everything worked out, below all resistor ratings and other assembly information will be indicated.
The contact pads on the boards are perfectly plated. When soldering, I didn't even have to use a flux, what was contained in the solder was enough. He soldered half of the tree in primitive Chinese, though with separately purchased for him. Actually, I started this for the test of new tips, it turned out that the "unusable" Chinese soldering iron is quite suitable for such simple work, because relatives of the tips did not even want to take solder. The other half was already soldered with a soldering iron at the station with T12 tips. Now I could not determine where and what was soldered, i.e. you can assemble this constructor using any tool, as long as your hands are in the right place :)
I checked the resistors with a multimeter for compliance with the marking and signed them for convenience. Perhaps it will be useful to someone. 
First I soldered all the resistors to boards A and B. Everything is clear with the 10K resistors, they are signed on the board. The rest of the denominations must be placed in the following places:
CTR-30A board
R1, R3, R5, R7 - 10K
R2 - 2K
R4 - 1K
R6 - 330
CTR-30B board
R1, R3, R5 - 10K
R2 - in the photo - 330
R4 - pictured - 2K
R6 - pictured - 1K
The following happened. You can see where which resistors should be. 
Next, you need to solder the transistors and capacitors. The capacitors on the board are signed as 22uF, they come with 47uF, for some reason the Chinese did not save money here. We bend the legs of the capacitors and resistors 90 degrees so that after soldering they lie horizontally on the board, and do not stick out in different directions on finished product... The negative contact of electrolytic capacitors (C1, C2, C3) is indicated on the board by a shaded area, and on the capacitor itself by a light strip. The orientation of the transistors (Q1, Q2, Q3) is also indicated on the board in a semicircle, respectively, the contour of the transistor case must coincide when installed (before bending the legs) with the drawing on the board. In this case, I got that all the transistors are "face down", and oriented in the opposite direction from the semicircle on the board.
All resistors, transistors and capacitors are soldered. 
Next, we solder the LEDs. The LEDs have polarity, everything is indicated on the board. All LEDs are oriented in the same way, so it is enough to remember how to solder one, the rest are the same. For those who are not in the know, in this case we solder the LED with a short lead (cathode, "-") closer to the top, respectively, with a long lead (anode, "+") to the bottom of the tree. At the final assembly of the tree, you will need to solder the last red LED on the top, the polarity is already indicated there, with a long lead we solder the LED to "+".
Before soldering, bend the legs of the LEDs at a right angle so that the body of the LED extends beyond the tree. 
The color distribution of LEDs is as follows:
Board A:
D1-D6 - red,
D7-D12 - yellow,
D13-D18 - green.
Board B:
D1-D6 - green,
D7-D12 - red,
D13-D18 - yellow,
All parts on the main boards are soldered. 
Another photo from a different angle. 
I recommend testing the boards before assembly by applying a voltage of 4.5-5V to them. Each board can work independently, that is, in principle, you can get two 2D trees. If the trees work separately, you can proceed to further assembly.
I think there is no point in describing the assembly process further. everything is obvious. Boards A and B are soldered together. The main thing is not to mix up the polarity when installing the tree on the C board (the polarity is signed everywhere, you need to try to mix it up).
The battery holder has a rather long wire, which is not needed here, it is better to cut it to the desired length. Just in case, let me remind you that the red wire must be soldered to the "+" terminal, the black wire to the "-" (signed BAT 4.5V).
We solder the power button, the connector for power supply via USB, fasten the holder for the batteries - everything is ready. 
For a more secure attachment of the DC 5V power connector, no metal brace, although holes are provided for it. Instead, you can use the rest of the leg from a resistor or capacitor, which I did.
Here you can see how the boards are soldered together. Everything is very confident, it will fall apart only if you specifically set this goal. 
The tree works quite well with Ni-MH 1.2V batteries, I tested it on. But when working from USB (5V), the light is still brighter. I tried to measure the power consumption when connected via USB, it shows 0.00A, while the tree blinks with might and main and works as it should, therefore the consumed current is very small, below the minimum threshold for the tester, so the batteries should last for a very long time.
3D Christmas tree assembly: 
Turn on the power - the LEDs light up and blink smoothly, pleasing to the eye. 
I liked the toy, it is interesting to collect, and children too. This is one of those soldering kits that, after assembly, are not thrown into a distant drawer, but can be used, for example, as a night light for children.
Whoever saw this tree and knows what a soldering iron is, they also wanted to assemble it. Apparently there is something in it ... I bought it in the summer, so I managed to collect it for the New Year. But now the prices for such sets have decreased.