Suggestions for small, self-contained LED light source for models?

[akosky]

First apologies if this isn't the correct forum for this question.

I've been machining some model rockets as gifts/toys/etc, and so far have been adding some portals and inserting tritium vials to make them glow in the dark (see attached). I'd like to put some sort of LED light inside to make them visible in daylight.

It would need to be small - preferably less than 1cm diameter. I was thinking that something like a CR2 battery or some rechargeable equivalent might be a good fit. I'm not much good at soldering so something self-contained would be best. The closest I've seen so far were some "balloon lights" but they used multple LR41s which I'd rather avoid, and did not look good.

Does anyone have any suggestions I could try?

-Anthony

 

[Lynx_Arc]

About the smallest rechargeable battery I can think of right away is a 10180. You can use dropping resistors to match your LED.

 

[akosky]

0180

About the smallest rechargeable battery I can think of right away is a 10180. You can use dropping resistors to match your LED.

Thanks. I was thinking one option might be to get a 10180 light and take it apart to rehouse the the driver, led and battery in a model, but I suspect it will be hard to do without destroying it.

 

[Poppy]

Considering that you suggested that a CR2 battery might work, and that they are about 16mm in diameter, any of these three self contained lights might work for you.

Left to right.
CooYoo quantum 10180 it's a twisty 13 mm diameter
TrustFire L1 AAA or 10440 LiIon clicky 2 modes 15.5 mm diameter
Maglite Solitair LED twisty 1 mode 12.5 mm diameter

depending upon your design, the tail can extend beyond the fuselage, and you can twist it on and off. OR a clicky can be recessed. However you'll need to be able to remove the tail of the light to replace or recharge the battery.

You might use fiber optics to bend and output the light wherever you want them to be.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Thanks. I was thinking one option might be to get a 10180 light and take it apart to rehouse the the driver, led and battery in a model, but I suspect it will be hard to do without destroying it.

Depending on how much light you need a dropping resistor may suffice well enough although less efficient than a driver it takes up minimum space and if output needed isn't high it would be easy to change the value of resistance to get the output you need and you can use whatever LED you want to as the driver in a light may be more optimized for a particular LED.

 

[Poppy]

Depending on how much light you need a dropping resistor may suffice well enough although less efficient than a driver it takes up minimum space and if output needed isn't high it would be easy to change the value of resistance to get the output you need and you can use whatever LED you want to as the driver in a light may be more optimized for a particular LED.

But how do you turn the led on and off?

 

[akosky]

Considering that you suggested that a CR2 battery might work, and that they are about 16mm in diameter, any of these three self contained lights might work for you.

Left to right.
CooYoo quantum 10180 it's a twisty 13 mm diameter
TrustFire L1 AAA or 10440 LiIon clicky 2 modes 15.5 mm diameter
Maglite Solitair LED twisty 1 mode 12.5 mm diameter

depending upon your design, the tail can extend beyond the fuselage, and you can twist it on and off. OR a clicky can be recessed. However you'll need to be able to remove the tail of the light to replace or recharge the battery.

You might use fiber optics to bend and output the light wherever you want them to be.

View attachment 19487

Thanks.

I was contemplating whether I could enclose a keyring 10180 light within the rocket and operate it. One problem is that, if it's a twisty, then the head would move up and down leading to a gap in the rocket's fusalage. I'm thinking that I could make the bottom part fixed and mill a slot in the top part of the light, so that it will slide up and down in the nose-cone of the rocket.

For directing the light, I've been machining out the nose cones and filling them with clear acrylic before shaping them. So far I've been drilling a hole in the center of the acryilic to fit a tritium vial, but I think if I leave it solid and light from underneath that should work. I might need to remove the reflector/optics first though.

I've ordered a couple of Limintop Picos to cannibalize, since they seemed a good price/size combination. Will see how it goes.

 

[Poppy]

I thought you could glue the head in place and twist the body of the light which is inserted through the exhaust of the rocket.

 

[akosky]

CooYoo quantum 10180 it's a twisty

I thought you could glue the head in place and twist the body of the light which is inserted through the exhaust of the rocket.

Yes, that seems like it would work too.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

But how do you turn the led on and off?

Any single pole switch will do, or just twist two bare wires together even.