Introduction: Easy Nature Made Remote Controlled Lamp!

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About: I Make Simple.

Hello Fellas , this time i am here with a simple but a very green design of making lamps for you household use and decoration, having a retro and sober look. This idea may be in use anywhere, but to me it's new. It's a basic LED lamp that saves energy, and the structure is made completely from wood.(It's a green design because it's made from dry wood & uses power saving LED'S). Basically everyone with a little knowledge of wood working & electronics can make this stuff, but i have added a extra step for those who have a good knowledge of electronics , It's a fancy remote control for the light, but you can always skip this extra step if you want. It's easy to make and literally very cheap. Follow the step by step making procedure to get a perfect build and at last if you appreciate my work please get my votes up in the opted contests , I will be thankful.

Step 1: Stuff You Need

You won't need a lot of stuff to make this but still i have to list the electronics stuff you need. Even the electronics stuff are not very complex these are:

Wooden stuff & Other tools

  • Sand paper(100 - 200 grid)
  • Pliers
  • Hammer
  • Screws
  • Band saw
  • An old & dry tree branch which should be little bit branched with a wide canopy.
  • A Pallet or a wide plywood which can balance the branch's weight. ( I used a U - shaped base. )
  • A thread.

Selection of wood:

It's a very important part because it' the base of this project , here you have to pay a visit to woods and grab a dry wood any don't even think about cutting a green branch because it's against nature and it will not perform well enough cause dry wood don't bend and they are pretty hard too.

Electronics Stuff

  • LED grid or circle
  • Wires
  • A 4 - 6v battery (Depending upon your LED panel's power rating.)
  • A Push button switch (Actually a switch which stays pressed if pressed once an when we press it next time it switches off. )
  • 5 - 6 V Charger. (You can use any dc adapter within this range if you have it's female plug with you.)
  • Soldering tools.

That's all you are going to need.

Step 2: Making - Cutting & Carving Out the Wood

This step is easy (As compared to the next one.) cause you only have to cut and carve the wood with smooth finish.

This step begins with :

  • Cutting the branch according to your desired size .

You have to cut the branch according to your desired size, that you want a big one or a small one taking a band saw or any cutting tool. Take in consideration that the bigger the size bigger the base's size that will support the main lamp body , to do that part you have to balance the ratio. Here if i have used a 80cm (approximate but it's my branch's real length) long branch then i had to take a 40 * 60 cm rectangular base to balance it's weight.

  • Smoothing the cut cross-section.

You have to make the cross-section made due to cutting smooth with a 100 or less grid sand paper because the cross-section is to be put one the base and will be nailed so it must be smooth.

  • Ripping out the dead skin of the branch.

Since you have taken a dry branch it could have a dead and irregular skin so to sort that out you have to peal it off from the branch using pliers or a sharp metal snip to peal it off out of the branch.

  • Smoothing the branch.

Now you are done with the ripping off , it's time to make the branch smooth so it looks good , You have to do it sand paper of nearly 100 - 200 grid.

Now you're done with it , lets jump to next step.

Step 3: Making - Attaching the Branch to the Base.

You know it's the most difficult step, cause you have to fix the branch to it's base and though it looks easy but it's difficult cause you have to take great precautions before making any move!

  • Choosing the size of the stand & base.

Here you have to take in mind that if you have a branch so it must be fixed on a base, so you have to chose one. Here the shape and size of the base must be enough big in dimensions (If you're using a square or rectangle base.) or have a specific shape or a good weight to handle the weight of the branch including extra mass capacity of 0.75kg (Cause we have to put the electronics & battery on the branch too.). I used a semi-circular base of heavy wood of diameter about 50cm and it works fine with it but if you still have questions talk to me!

  • Marking the Points & choosing the Screws.

In this step you are going to nail it or fix it onto the base so once you are done with choosing the base then you have to fix at the center. (In case you have other ideas do it your way). To do it just mark the outline of the branch's cross-section on the middle of the base and then mark the point where you have to hammer the screw to fix it on the base i did it side by side and it didn't work very well so if anyone has a good idea or knows the best place to nail the screws please inform me!

  • Nail it

Now you have to nail it very carefully, to do this first just tightly tape the curved surface area just behind the cross-section (I got this idea when i break the branch little bit.) made to ensure that the branch does not break by sides when hammering. (Before hammering tape the base too if the base is weak.Then paint over it at last so it's doesn't look bad.) Then hammer the screws in the base first, then putting the branch behind it. (It's difficult because you have to hold the branch in your hand inverted then hammer it.) When you are done with it just take a deep breath cause you have done the most difficult part.

Now we move to Electronics....

Step 4: Making : Finishing Before Installing Electronics.

Now you are done with the structure it's time to paint it if you want , i used black paint one the base and no paint on the branch but you can even paint the branch too.

Step 5: Making : Preparing the Electronics.

NON-REMOTE CONTROLLED ONE!

Before fixing you need to know one thing that it's not a mains running lamp (I mean that it does not have a chord that you can plug in. ) But if you want i am giving a little but important information about wiring it through AC mains , still i like it to be battery powered.

Making a Battery Powered one!

  • Choosing the light panel.

Choosing the light panel it a very interesting part cause you have a ton of options, nut i advice to use a LED panel of your desired color & shape. Here i used a led panel of circular shape then made a cylinder of it using translucent paper and i used transparent plastic & my panel's power rating is : 5v , 0.25A .

  • Choosing the battery

Choosing the battery is very simple just read the power rating on the panel or if it's not written just tell me what the panel is like and i will tell you the approximate rating of the panel and just buy or if you have just use it in the circuit.

  • Assembling the circuit!

Now, this is very simple circuit cause it's just a light , battery & switch circuit but still i am giving the circuit.

Now you are all prepared now you are moving to the assembling part!

Note: The second image of this step i have uploaded contains the remote control circuit too so don't get confused.

REMOTE CONTROLLED ONE!

Here choosing the panel & battery steps are same but the circuit making is different i am giving you the circuit for that remote control module but you can get more details at:

http://embedded-lab.com/blog/?p=3071

But the circuit i gave you uses a relay (even my circuit has a relay but i don't use it) but you don't have to waste power power on switching relays so you can do it through the switching BC 547 transistor and then connect it to the switch of the basic lamp's circuit. if still you are not getting this please feel free to pm me or contact me.

Step 6: Installing the Electronics

Installing is pretty easy except installing the switch.

  • First locate a canopy of the branch (this is the place where you are going to install your electronics and then cover it with simple tree house built from card board).
  • Take a thread and stick it on the switch with some hot glue or whatever you have.
  • Now put some hot glue at any one branch and then screw the switch to it.
  • Put the whole circuit in the canopy and tie it with rubber band,
  • If you are making a remote controlled one pass the IR receiver through lid of the tree house.
  • Now hang the LED bulb or cylinder using one of the branches.
  • Cover the canopy with a small tree house made from lightweight cardboard and hollow from the base. (I didn't add any making step cause i also got it made before thinking of this project)
  • That does it. Thanks for showing interest.

Step 7: Author Tips

Here are some tips for maintenance.

  • Use a good battery to ensure that you won't have to replace batteries rapidly.
  • Use a rechargeable battery for both the light & the RC circuit.
  • In case your lamp if falling backwards just put some heavy item on or inside the base.
  • The remote controlled circuit i gave you can be controlled through any 32KHz remote.
  • Try the most stable button of your remote to switch it on/off.
  • The remote works fine even at 15m dist.
  • No problem in switching in the non-rc lamp.
  • You can paint the branch too it will look more beautiful.

So, here you go, if you have any queries feel free to ask me any how!