LED Fiber Optic Bouquet Modification
- Details
- Category: Gadjets
- Published on Friday, 27 September 2013 22:52
- Written by Ben
- Hits: 14558
LED and optical fibers are a really good combination and this product really shows it. if you want to be a bit original about your presents - this is the way to do it. this product can be a really nice addition to the apartment's overall looks or to a single room's looks.
It is basically a plastic bouquet with plastic flowers in it combined with optical fibers that gradually change their color. There are 3 primary colors - red , green and blue. The other colors are created by a combination of the 3 and can be seen as purple , pink and even greenish-white.
The colors are gradually faded from one to another in a few seconds and frankly - it looks awesome in a darkened room. Add some calm music and it even makes an even calmer atmosphere inside the room , not mentioning romantic…
The flower's branches can be physically set and position in any way. I chose to spread them as much It can be for a maximum effect and appearance.
The only downside in this product is that it is battery powered. 3 AAA batteries power this thing and they run out of juice after approximately 12 hours. If you bought this product to be a permanent part of your view , the action of changing the batteries every day could present a real hassle and it wouldn't be too long before one gives up on doing so and getting rid of this nice bouquet.
Well , not me . after changing the batteries for a few days in a row I realized something had to be done about it. so I found an old pair of PC speakers connected to an old power transformer that converts 220 volts to 1.5-12 volts. By connecting the bouquet to the wall's power socket I wouldn't have to change batteries every now and then, that is , power would be supplied constantly from the our home power grid.
Getting it done:
At first look I saw 2 main screws beneath the bouquet. I used a phllips screwdriver to get them out to reveal the inside. Getting the 2 main screws out made me able to get the bottom plastic part out of its position and to really analyze how this gadget really works.
After detecting the 2 ends that close the electric circuit with the batteries , I soldered the 2 ends of the power transformer's wires to these ends. The gadget is powered by 3 AAA batteries , 1.5V each , that means that runs on a voltage of 4.5 volts (1.5 times 3) , so I set the power transformer's knob accordingly.
How it works:
After examining the gadget a little bit I was amazed by how simple it works. the batteries power 3 powerful LED lights that are soldered very closly together in a triangle. each LED light emits a different color - red , green and blue. Over those 3 LED lights a big glass like bubble was mounted - in order to increase the LED light's effect by magnifying it's light particles\waves (that's another story….). the magnified light is being directed towards a concentration of optical fibers that were glued together and act as a "root" , spreading the light among the bouquet's branches.
The gadget has been working for over a year now constantly - and it looks great in the dark.
Pros:
1. Beautiful , aesthetic
2. Cheap and can be used a nice present
Cons:
1. Runs out of power after some time
2. The base is not heavy enough to make it stable , once little nudge and the gadget simple falls off
Price:
About 3$