It's Electrifying!: Holiday Ornament Ideas

I picked up some items from the dollar store and I've been trying to brainstorm ways to electrify these bulbs and to be honest, I'm struggling. I have two different sized ornaments and found a 2AA strand of lights and a stylus/laser pointer/flashlight. I can use these items, or add from my personal stash. Here are the challenges I'm coming up against:

Whatever I add needs to fit through the opening in the top. I want to maintain the clarity of the bulb so I don't want to cut it in half and glue it back together.
DC power: I want to maintain the battery life, so the power switching needs to be automated rather than manual.
AC power: trying to power it off of the light strands already on the tree.

Do you have any solutions for my power problems?

What interesting things could I put in or add to my ornaments to make them awesome and powered?

Have you made an electrified ornament before? Tell me about it!

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beacon_dave over 7 years ago

You could make a trembler switch from a coil spring with a contact wire running through the centre of it.
I've seen that done with the dice that flash when you roll them.

Surface mount LEDs should fit through the small hole at the top.

Perhaps take a look at the picopower modes of some of the small AVR microcontrollers if you want to do something programmable.

You may find that you get better results if you can diffuse the lights inside the ornament or perhaps add some silver glitter so it catches and reflects the light more.
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makerkaren over 7 years ago in reply to beacon_dave

Ooo, I like the idea of the trembler switch. That's a good solution.
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beacon_dave over 7 years ago in reply to makerkaren

did it make you tremble with excitement though ?
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