LED Paper Lantern

Throwies have been a Maker favorite for a long time: grab a coin battery, an LED, add some tape and a magnet and throw it everywhere there's a metallic surface: they're pretty fun! But did you know you can use their power to light up not just streets signs or a wall, but your room as well?

Today we're going to show you how to make a paper lantern with an origami diffuser powered by the same principles as LED throwies and some copper tape. Let's get started!

Supplies

For this project, you will need:

• A cardboard ring or cardboard shape - see the design and pictures we've attached to this step!
• 2 LEDs
• One coin cell battery
• A binder clip
• A few strips of copper tape

You will also need the following tools:

• Adhesive tape
• A hot glue gun

Step 1: Do You Need Video or Print Instructions?

We've got you covered! You can find our video instructions right here below

If you need printable instructions, no problem - we have attached PDF instructions to this step for you to download and print at home!

Step 2: Attaching the Copper Strip

For this step we'll need one of your cardboard rings and your copper strips. We have attached design files you can open in any vector design tool (like Inkscape) to use as a guide or cut on the laser cutters at the MakerSpace!

Attach a copper strip to the center spine of your cardboard ring.

[NOTE] Careful! Your copper strips will want to curl up and stick to themselves. Peel the copper strip slowly, and guide it with your fingers as you lay it down on the spine.

Lay the copper tape slowly on the center spine. Make sure the copper tape does NOT cover and block the holes on the center spine - we'll need them later for your LEDs.

Make sure the copper tape reaches the edge of the ring!

Flip the cardboard ring and repeat the previous steps, once again making sure it hits the edge of the ring.

Step 3: Get Your LEDs Ready

For this step, we'll need your LEDs and your coin cell battery!

For starters, grab your two blue LEDs and test them! On LEDs, the long leg is a positive leg, and the short leg is a negative leg - which means power will go from the long leg to the short leg, and your LED won't work if the battery is put in the wrong way!

Bend the negative LED at 90 degrees, and slip the longer leg through the center holes on the spine. Use a piece of copper tape to secure the negative legs OVER the tape strip on the center spine of your cardboard ring.

Flip your cardboard ring over, and bend the positive leg on top of the copper tape then secure it with more copper tape! Finally, press firmly on the copper tape on both sides!

Step 4: Adding Power!

Take your battery and place negative side of battery facing DOWN against the copper tape. The positive side of your battery should be facing UP.

Clip your battery with the binder clip - at this point your LEDs should light up! Having lighting issues? Here's a few things you can check:

Press your connections firmly

Make sure the LEDs are oriented correctly and that you didn't mix up the long leg with the short leg (it happens)

Make sure your battery is oriented correctly

If they did...Congratulations! we can now move on to the next part where we start building the body of your lamp!

Step 5: Building the Lamp Structure

For this step we'll use the LED cardboard ring you've been building up, as well as another cardboard ring, a few LED skewers. You will also need a hot glue gun for this part of the project

Cardboard rings have 3 holes: run the bamboo skewers through the cardboard ring, poking out from the top by about an inch. Secure the skewers to the ring with the hot glue gun.

Now that the top ring is attached to the skewers, grab the cardboard circuit and pierce through it with the pointy ends of the skewers. Your structure should be starting to take form and look like a cylinder!

The space between both rings should be about 9 inches all the way around. Once you have them all set, secure the skewers in place with the hot glue gun. It's ALWAYS a good idea to measure one last time before securing the cardboard ring in place!

Step 6: Folding the Paper Diffuser

Now it's time to fold the paper diffuser that will turn our two LEDs and our cardboard structure into an actual lamp!

For this step, you can use the paper template we attached to this step and a large sheet of paper, an old newspaper or smaller sheets of paper taped together. You can also cut our template using the laser cutters at the MakerSpace!

Let's assume you finished putting together your template, and start folding! On the front of the template, let's fold the horizontal lines and vertical lines into valley folds. After this step, the paper template should start looking like a checkerboard!

Next, the back of the template: fold all the diagonal lines into mountain folds - first from the right hand side moving towards the left, and then from the left hand side moving to the right.

Step 7: Putting Everything Together!

That's where we bring all the elements we've been working on together into a lamp!

For this portion you will need your cardboard structure, your paper diffuser and adhesive tape

Line up the open slot in the corner of your paper diffuser with the binder on the carboard circuit: this will allow you to turn your light on and off.

Pull the first tab on top of the top cardboard ring and tape - then continue to set and tape the tab all along the top cardboard ring! If lined correctly, the tabs on the paper diffuser won't interfere with the bamboo sticks.

Once you're done with the top ring, flip your project over and tape the tabs to the cardboard circuit ring.

Step 8: Closing Up the Paper Seam

Bring the tabs together and tape them together with the adhesive tape along the center seam. Continue until the seam is all closed up and held firmly together!

Step 9: You're Done!

Congratulations on building your very own geometric paper lantern! Now find a special place for it.

You can customize this project in a number of ways! Use a different paper or even newspaper sheets, pick a different color for your LEDs - and whatever you try, remember to share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #Jocomakes!