LED and Wine Bottle Light Fixture

Recycle some wine bottles and set a mood with this simple LED light fixture. I improvised a bottle holder out of thin plywood because half the bottles were corked and the other half were screw type. I cut the holders on a bandsaw following the pattern below.

Since then, I have made a kit available from Ponoko. It includes laser-cut bottles holders and most of the electronics too: http://www.ponoko.com/design-your-own/products/wine-bottle-led-light-fixture-6589

Step 1: Materials

Stuff not in the kit from Ponoko:
Bottles (I’m using 16 Riesling bottles here, labels removed.)
68 Ohm resistors (8) I got these from Radioshack.
Hooks (16) Got ‘em from Lowes.
String
wire (having 2 colors makes things a bit easier)

Included in the kit:
Bottle Holders (you can make 16 of your own from .25” plywood using the pattern)
Super Bright LEDs - blue 10mm (16)
Barrel Jack to 2-pin JST
Wall Adapter Power Supply - 12VDC 600mA
Heat Shrink - Black 5’ x 1/4”

Step 2: Plan and Hooks

Begin by making a plan. Take some measurements and plan out the best arrangement. Here, a 4 by 4 grid fits best. Mark out the locations and install your hooks. The existing fixture has an outlet built into which is hardwired to a switch in the house. I’ll just use that to plug the power supply into.

Step 3: Wiring

Here are two wiring diagrams. The lengths of wire will be determined by the bottles and your dimensions from your plan earlier. Pay attention to witch lead on the LED is positive - the longer one. Solder the joints together and then cover with heatshrink. Don’t forget to plan ahead for the heatshrink.

Figure out which hole is positive on the 2-pin JST end of the Barrel Jack (I used my handy volt meter) and insert the wire ends into their appropriate holes. And finish it off with some heatshrink.

Step 4: Assembly

Make about 8” long loops of string and attach them to the bottle holders through the holes. Insert the LED down into the bottle neck, followed by a bottle holder (don’t forget to keep hold of the string). Give the string a bit of a tug to get it firmly lodged in there.

Step 5: Hang It Up

Carefully hang all the bottles on the hooks in the order the wiring dictates. Hang up slack wire with cable ties or something as you wish. Plug the power supply in the Barrel Jack and enjoy.