Resistor to Led Tester

Hi everyone , today I would like to show you how to make your own resistor to led tester , 

ok so how many time's doe's this happen to you ,
your working on a led project and you need to match the right resistor with the led  
well you could say this happens a all the time right ,

yes now some of us know which to use with your led if your resistors are  labeled ,
but if your like me and reuse parts you have to figure out which one is which  ,
ok so you can go online and use the led resistor calculator stuff like that but I like the hands on approach   , 

so here's how it work using some everyday parts I made a connector that all you have to do is pop in a led on one side and a resistor in the other , then your led will show up brighter or dimmer  depending on the resistor ,
you use the brightness of the led to tell which is the resistor that you need , 
and also to tell you how much power you need to provide the led , 


so all in all pretty simple to use and I find it easier to , 
so let us get started .

Step 1: What You Need

OK before we get started were going to need couple of things .

Parts ,
6 volt portable lantern , you can find this in any dollar store , I used this for the battery box and as a frame , 
4 pin power connector  , this I pulled out of an old pc , but  you can find one online or in a parts store
toggle switch , I got mine from ebay , but radio shack sells them to ,
some wire , 
a small piece of cardboard . 
electrical tape ,

Tools ,
glue gun ,
soldering gun ,
wire strippers , 
multi screwdriver , 

Note I'm not in anyway responsible for any injuries or damage that can or could take place ,
as always be careful around tools and heating elements , and be safe .  

with that said lets get started ,

Step 2: Prepare the Lantern

OK so most of the lantern we will not be needing , 
so first we must gut the lantern keeping only the battery box and frame , 
ok so remove the top part of your lantern and take out the light bulb and the holder , 
next unscrew the bottom were the battery's go in and pull it all apart ,
then remove the old switch and its nob , 

now you should be left with only the battery box and the frame , 
on to the next step.
 

Step 3: Making a Connection

OK so its real simple put together , 
you can use the diagram above to make it easier ,

first to your connector and strip the two inside wires and connect them to each other ,
then take the other two red and the yellow and strip them as well ,
next solder the red wire to one of the leads on your toggle switch ,
then take the other lead on your toggle switch and solder it to the positive on the battery box  , 
then take the yellow wire and solder it to the negative on your battery box , 

OK your now ready to move to the next step .

Step 4: Putting It Together

OK all most finished , 

now cover the exposed wires with a bit of electrical tape ,
next glue your connector to the top of your frame were your light bulb use to be , 
then take to small piece's of cardboard to secure and cover the holds beside it , 

now glue your toggle switch were the old one use to be making sure the lever is put throw the hole , 
next mark were the positive and negative is for your connector pins on the cardboard  beside the connector to make it easier tell which is which ,

then screw the battery box back to the frame , 
on to the final step .

Step 5: Finished

All right were done now you have your very own resistor to led tester ,
its time to try it out , 

ok so put some battery's in and grab a led and a resistor , 

now plug in the led's positive  on the connector were its mark positive and the the negative to the negative pin on the connector , then connect the  resistor to the negative pins ,
flip the switch and see it glow ,  

I hope you enjoyed this instructable , 

if you need any help about this project let me know and I'll be glade to answer your questions ,

Thank you for viewing .