Kids Rocket Lamp

Hi! Today I am coming back with a small cool project that I designed recently. Let's build a super cool rocket lamp for kids (and kid-souled adults!)

SUMMARY MATERIALS:

• Transparent/translucid PLA
• Cables for wiring up everything
• Soldering tool
• Tweezers
• Hot glue gun
• 4 Li-ion batteries (similar to ICR18650 samsung 28a)
• 4 Blue leds (or the color you want)
• 4 resistors to limit the voltage that drops on the leds
• 1 TP4056 Micro USB 5V 1A battery charger
• 1 small toggle switch

I uploaded all the required files to my dashboard in Thingiverse, you can download everything directly here https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3166389


I used a transparent PLA filament (which I bought from a Spanish supplier ), but you can use the filament that you want. Anyway, I recommend some kind of translucid material so the lamp can actually throw some light.

Let's start by 3D printing the chassis of the rocket. Here you can see how it looks like:

Once you have the rocket, let's dig into the electronic side. I am using 4 "icr18650 Samsung 28a" batteries to supply the lights. To charge them I found a small circuit called "TP4056" which is a simple Li-Ion 1s charger with a USB connector and has an internal safe method for the batteries. This circuit allows us to charge the batteries and prevent them to discharge too much if we forgot to switch off the lamp. Additionally, I bought a switch and a battery level display. The battery level display is optional but it is always cool to know how much remaining battery do we have. Finally, we cannot forget the LEDs, it is important to know which color are we using because each led has a working voltage and overloading them will lead us to burn them.  Here you have a picture of the components.

Next step is to assemble everything. But first, we need to print the core of the rocket. The model is also on thingiverse and it should look like this

Once it is installed, let's start by integrating the battery charger circuit. At first, solder 4 cables to the connector and insert them through the hole in the base. Start with the cables and use some tweezers to help you catch the cables on the center. Fit the circuit with some hot glue to the base.

Then, put your batteries in the stack. You can arrange them as you what, but I recommend placing the negatives in the extremes and the positives in the center. Solder cables to all the extremes to join all the negatives and all the positives.

Solder all the negatives to the negative for the battery in the circuit (B-) and all the positives to the positive for the battery in the circuit (B+). You will have then two more cables, the out+- of the circuit. Leave the negative by now, and pass the positive through the other hole in the basement for the switch, solder the cable to the switch and solder another which returns through the hole too. Then safe the switch using too small screws.

And God said, let there be the light! Let's put some LEDs on the lamp. There are two cornices to place two LEDs at the height of the windows. Then there are two holes in the centers to place the other two. You can place as much as you want on the pillar but 4 should be enough, it is supposed to be a nightlamp, not an actual lighting lamp. Use hot glue to fix them.

Then, I recommend you to put a resistor at each led, in my case I don't need them because these are high voltage blue led. So make sure that your LEDs can resist the voltage or you will break them. And voila!

Finally, If you have filaflex, there is a model for a gasket in thingivesrse. It fits to the bottom of the core and seal the chassis with the basement. But don't worry if you don't have filaflex, you can fix the base with hot glue too. 

So let's assemble the chassis!

And don't forget to charger it from time to time!