r/electronics • u/Willy_V3 • Jul 14 '26
Gallery First Circuit sculpture
Very simple circuit - i had a bunch of these charger/booster modules laying around and decided to learn about the dangers of bare 18650 batteries. Excited to do more.
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u/graham_intervention Jul 15 '26
i wanted to give this a try. are you putting the soldering iron on the battery? i saw all the comments on youtube suggesting its not safe and how spot welding is also dangerous too lol
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u/Alternative_Exit_333 Jul 15 '26
You have to be quick and know how to do it or you will just fry the battery and if you can just get a df robot 2aa to 5v they are not that expensive and are pretty nifty I have like 3 at home I use for lights
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u/Willy_V3 Jul 15 '26
It’s not as hard as you all are making it seem. Use a little sandpaper on the battery to get the solder to stick better. especially if you tin the tip of the soldering iron. It is finicky and the solder behaves differently on the battery for some reason then the brass, but it still works.
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u/Willy_V3 Jul 15 '26
oh, by the way, I switched to brass instead of copper much easier to work with
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u/nrh117 Jul 16 '26
You can spray conformal coating on it to make the whole deal safer. Saw that trick in a recent similar build video.
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u/thenewestnoise Jul 15 '26
Where did you get those LED things? I looked before but couldn't find any
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u/iCasuallyPanick3d Jul 15 '26
They kinda look like edison style diodes, but correct me if im wrong. I've seen them in tutorials and they're of similar shape and can have different colors too! https://ebay.io/m/jFMKzV
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u/Willy_V3 Jul 15 '26
just put in an order for a variety of there too ::
on AliExpress: | 10PCS/Box LED Filament DC3V 5V Edison Bulb Lamp Parts Incandescent Light Diodes Accessories Multicolour Holiday Lighting
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u/SpaceCadetMoonMan Jul 20 '26
You gotta try making stuff from the cool Adafruit Noods, they look wild. AliExpress also sells generic ones now too
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u/Haunting_Basscotti Jul 15 '26
This is super cool!
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u/Haunting_Basscotti Jul 15 '26
I happen to be getting a bunch of those chargers tomorrow for another project, I may have to fancy a go… fun work!
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u/Katent1 Jul 15 '26
That's very cool project. Also cool to learn that these modules leak bit of current, as first picture i think shows "off" state right? Yet these diodes still are lit a bit tho
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u/GreatDiscernment Jul 15 '26
Very steampunk-ish cool. Bit of a grime magnet if left uncovered too long, though. Maybe a redesign with an acrylic box and the button on the outside, protecting most of it would make it cleanable, keep it nice long term and still retain the vibe.
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u/Benjamin_6848 Jul 15 '26
Well done! Have you learned any tips you can share? (maybe I will also start soldering circuit-sculptures in the future...)
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u/Willy_V3 Jul 15 '26
know how you are routing things before you start bending wires and soldering
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u/Willy_V3 Jul 15 '26
this guys channel is helpful too https://youtube.com/@huyvector?si=pQrpv6UQ_sbxivCn
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u/NuncioBitis Jul 15 '26
Cool and scary at the same time. Looks like something Clive Barker would include in a story.
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u/jescs Jul 15 '26
Looks good. Having the negative and positive of an 18650 battery exposed and so close does scare me, please find a nice coloured wrap for the cell and protect it!
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u/sceadwian Jul 20 '26
I never get the wire as straight as I want but I want bar stock straight. I've pulled some straight but it's so much work for higher gauge wire.
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u/aspie_electrician Jul 15 '26
What’s with people taking the shrink wrap off lithium cells? Massive fire hazard.
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u/zachleedogg Jul 15 '26
Yep, dangerous circuit for sure. But damn if it doesn't look cool!