How do I make a snake light?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
You know the kind of snake light that various companies sell which attatches to your usb port and it gives off light through a led?



It doesn't seem hard to make. Does anyone have any ideas as to how to get the power from the usb?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    dogcowdogcow Posts: 713member
    Cut off the end of a USB wire (the end you dont plug into the USB port) and you will see black, red, green, and white wires. Just use the black and red for power and ignore the others.



    So to make one you are going to need a USB wire, a strong/long lasting LED, and some material to hold it all and put it all together. Or you could just buy one for $20 like I did (It's worth it).
  • Reply 2 of 8
    roborobo Posts: 469member
    I thought about making one too, but after pricing out the materials, $20 is actually a good deal.



    A bright white LED will cost $5, the housing will cost another dollar, who knows where you're going to get the miniature gooseneck tube, and then you'll have to chop up a USB cable to get the plug (at least $5). So, say you find a gooseneck tube for free (how?), you're still going to pay more than $10. Oh, and you also need some resistors to get the voltage right for the LED.. let's say another $3 if you buy a variety pack from RatShack.



    So you stand to save $7 so far.. and you have to put this thing together. If it takes more than an hour, which it will, you'd do better flipping burgers at that rate



    Also, your finished product will look like s*it and probably break rather quickly, unless you are really good at DIY and you have a machine shop at your disposal.



    So... go buy a snake light





    -robo
  • Reply 3 of 8
    zozo Posts: 3,117member
    Yeppper... I bought the Kensington FlyLight. Great buy. VERY bright. I just saw they even have a red light version... damn, would've been cool to get instead of the white light version. Ah well.



  • Reply 4 of 8
    murbotmurbot Posts: 5,262member
    They have a Platinum model out now - very cool indeed.







    I wouldn't bother making one myself either - I can think of better ways to save $5.



    [ 05-22-2002: Message edited by: murbot ]</p>
  • Reply 5 of 8
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    Very cool, but It's not quite as cool as the plasma panel driven by a custom rolled CPU monitor via the sound out. . . .



    In August I think I'll be done with the whole project.



  • Reply 6 of 8
    Yes, I think the snakelight is cool...but that's about the only reason I can think of for wanting it. Is it really useful or just a toy? What are some of the uses you've used it for?



    Also, how bright is the led exactly? Could I use it to look at documents?



    What's this plasma thing about?
  • Reply 7 of 8
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    [quote]Originally posted by Gong Rui:

    <strong>Yes, I think the snakelight is cool...but that's about the only reason I can think of for wanting it. Is it really useful or just a toy? What are some of the uses you've used it for?



    Also, how bright is the led exactly? Could I use it to look at documents?



    What's this plasma thing about?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Think Borg recharge station.



    That's enough for now. I don't want any copycats here.



    Addendum:

    The plasma thing is just for geek pride. The snake light is for those rare times where you need to see your keyboard or have some sort of documents you're looking at. A plane ride is the only situation I can think of.



    [ 05-23-2002: Message edited by: Splinemodel ]</p>
  • Reply 8 of 8
    mac gurumac guru Posts: 367member
    The LED is VERY strong. I used it at night while the lights were off and it lit up the whole room. It's more than enough light for anything you should need.



    Mac Guru
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