Introduction: Light-Up Beatles Abbey Road (Lego)
So, I decided I would make one on my own. And to top it off I am going to make it Light Up!
What This project is is a Lego Beatles Abbey Road replica made in Lego and can turn off and on with a flick of a switch.
The idea for this came from many Beatles/Lego replicas online but, when i saw the real abbey road with the street lamps here I got an idea to make something better and unique.
This is a tad difficult to make if its your first time with electronics (like me) so if you spot anything that could have been done better please say so in the comments.
Ok, lets get started on building this!
Step 1: Getting the Materials/Lego Pieces
Bricklink is a site where you can get new and used parts for very very cheap.
Without further ado here is the list of stuff you are going to need to make this:
Total Cost: $20-$100
Non-Lego stuff:
Thin Wire
2 3mm white LEDs
Little Switch
CR2430 Battery
Soldering Kit
Soldering Wire (Non-Lead version)
Wire Peeler
Metal Paper Clip
Sharpie (or marker)
Here is the list of Lego pieces: (With Bricklink links)
Bottom Part Of Base:
8 x 16 Baseplate (1)
1 x 4 Plate (9)
2 x 2 Corner Plate (7)
1 x 2 Plate (6)
1 x 8 Plate (4)
1 x 1 Plate (4)
1 x 1 Tile (3)
2 x 4 Plate (2)
2 x 6 Plate (2)
1 x 3 Plate (1)
Top Part Of Base:
Plain Minifig Head (2) (If you don't want to buy some, here is a great tutorial on erasing decorated Lego parts)
2 x 2 Tile (6)
1 x 1 Round Brick (Black, 4)
1 x 1 Round Brick (White, 4)
1 x 1 Brick (2)
1 x 2 Tile (2)
1 x 2 One Stud Plate (2)
2 x 8 Plate (Black, 2)
2 x 8 Plate (White, 2)
Minifigures: (In order from left to right)
George Harrison:
Hair Piece
Head Piece
Shirt Piece
Pants Piece
Paul Mccartney:
Hair Piece
Head Piece
Shirt Piece
Pants Piece
Ringo Starr:
Hair Piece
Head Piece
Shirt Piece
Pants Piece
John Lennon:
Hair Piece
Head Piece
Shirt Piece
Pants Piece
Step 2: Lets Get Started
Once you have the base, minifigures, and supplies needed for this you are now ready to begin this project.
Ok, first things first. See what part of the LED(s) is positive.
To do that just check which part of the LED is longer, that is the positive side.
Mark the positive side of the LED with a sharpie for future reference.
Now, Lets solder the LEDs to some long wire.
I got my soldering kit from radioshack for about $10. If you live outside of the U.S. then you can order a soldering kit from eBay or any other site.
I got the wire from a garage sale for about $3 But, you can get some thin wire from eBay for cheap (recommended). as for the LEDs I bought those on eBay for around $1-2 but, If you scavenge Google Shopping you can probably find it for cheaper.
Once you have soldered the wire to the LED start putting the 1 x 1 round bricks under the LEDs as seen in the picture above.
Step 3: Drilling and Cutting
Now that you have the the streetlamp middle now you just need the bottom.
First, drill a hole on the top of the black 1 x 1 bricks
Grab one of the 1 x 2 dark gray pieces and a pair of pliers.
Cut the corner off of the piece and grab one of the light gray 1 studed pieces and put it on top of piece we just cut.
Next, grab a drill and drill a hole inside the two pieces.
Do this 2 times for the corners of the main base.
Now, since that is finished we have the final piece to complete the street lamps.
Put it under the 1 x 1 round bricks as seen in the second picture
Step 4: The Switch
Make sure the switch you buy is like the one above.
Now its tome to find out which side of the switch is positive from negative.
This part is a bit tricky but, don't be discouraged.
What I did to find out which is positive from negative was to wrap the LED wires to the switch, cut 2 extra wires to serve as a temporary battery holder, and test to see if it turns on.
This part is tricky because, there is many things that can be done incorrectly.
Just keep on fiddling with it and you are bound to be able to turn the led on and off in no time.
Once you found out the correct pattern, use the mark on the LED we made in step 2 to find out what part of the switch is positive.
Now, mark the positive side of the switch for future reference.
Step 5: Soldering
Now that the streetlamps are finished, Lets solder the positives to the negatives.
First, grab about 2 short wire and make sure that it is going to reach the switch.
Next, solder the the 2 LED positive parts to each other.
do the same with the negative parts as well.
Now, grab the 2 wires and solder them to the positive parts and the negative parts separately as seen in the picture above.
Sorry if this is a bad explanation but, just look at the photo for a better understanding of the situation.
Now that you have done this lets solder the LED wires to the switch! (picture 2)
Step 6: Battery Holder
Since I couldn't find a battery holder for this type of battery I decided I would just make my own.
Bring out your metal paper clip mentioned in step 1 and break it in half, now solder some wire to it.
Next solder the wire from the paper clip to the switch.
Make sure that it can fit in the middle of the base.
Step 7: Putting It All Together
Once all the electronic stuff is done lets finally put it in the base and neatly fit it all in there.
Since there are a lot of wires this can get tricky.
make sure to put the battery holder is in the middle of the Lego base.
Once everything is into place you might know that the streetlamps and the switch tend to come off of the base.
What I did was simply use super glue.
(Be careful though because, one mistake and it could all be over)
Once you have put the battery in the battery holder and put all the lego pieces in the proper place now it is time to test it out!
Step 8: It Works!
You have just completed your own Lego Beatles replica!
This project took over 2-3 months to perfect as I made many prototypes. (as seen in the pictures above)
If you think something could have been done/explained more simply or better, please say so in the comments!
Please rate, follow, and comment!
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!