LED Lantern

The LED Lantern project was great fun and allowed for creativity and a better understanding of the mechanics of closed circuit systems. I was initially overwhelmed by having to figure out how to put the three pieces together (the battery, the little LED lightbulb, the resistor), but when looking at the simple sketch of the connection between them it started to make more sense. I am grateful, also, for my classmates as a number of us worked in there one evening and offered ideas, suggestions and creative inspiration.

First, of course, we had to calculate the proper resistor amount, and so we used the equation: R = V/I
We had the values: 9 volt battery, LED = 3.6 volts, and 20 mA current. I calculated that I would need a 270 Ohm resistor.

I wanted to go for the "traditional" lantern look (with the handle that you carry and the enclosed lantern hangs below), so I found a plastic cup and once I figured out the battery system I was able to glue the battery onto a circular piece of cardboard. I enclosed this piece with the plastic cup, and then punched (or, more realistically, slowly carved with scissors . . . ) a hole in the side of the plastic cup where the wire for the switch could poke out. Finally, I punched holes in two sides of the cup so that I could attach the handle (and double secured with tape – no one wants a handle coming off!)

And voila! This is my lantern.
 

As you can see, the clip outside the cup is used as a handle to control the little piece of wire that clicks in to the battery (to turn it on) or to move the wire away from the battery (to "open" up the circuit system, so that the light turns off). I remain puzzled by how I could have made a more "official" looking switch, but I think it's intuitive to operate––which is what my preference would be if I had to pick between these two qualities! This was a really great project, and I am pretty proud to have been successful in my creation! It would be fun to do this with friends before heading out on a camping trip :)