[WIP] Custom LED unit

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own this design. Credit goes to Steezy(you can look him up on Youtube or Facebook) for the design and specifications of the parts used.

Since this is my 100th post, I'd like to commemorate this event by sharing with you something that even you guys can do yourself quickly and easily.

Bandai's LED units are really expensive. And it's really hard to justify buying those specially for someone like me whose experienced with LED lighting and that I know how the stuff works. I do like to use one of these every once in a while, for my kits that don't really need to be/ aren't slated to be LED wired.

I've actually been trying to replicate Bandai's LED unit for quite some time. The main issue with this was the unit's size. The unit needs to have the same dimensions, if not smaller, than the original to fit inside the kits. I originally planned on replicating the the same design Bandai uses. Same batteries, same dimensions. Unfortunately, 3d printing or laser cutting isn't accessible to me and/or it's just too expensive for something like this.

After some research around the internet, I found Steezy's video on Youtube detailing how how build your own LED unit. Since this design is already very simple, only 4 pieces including the base that will contain the circuit, and I wouldn't want to reinvent the wheel, I went ahead and tried it myself.

The key to this whole design is the CR1220 button cell battery and its battery holder. I think this type is the closest size to Bandai's LED unit which uses 2 LR41 button cell batteries.

As I've said earlier, the design only uses 4 parts: The LED, switch, battery holder, and battery. The circuit can't get any simpler, one thing to note is to follow the polarity of the battery and the LED. Positive side of the battery connects to positive terminal of the LED, same as with the negative side. Putting everything together, Its even smaller than Bandai's LED unit. I plan on putting some hot glue around the circuit to protect the circuit from moving, thus breaking the circuit and also to give it some more bulk.

Another benefit of this custom LED unit is the choice of light color. Bandai's LED unit comes in 4 colors: red, blue, green, yellow. I like using white LEDs because I have the superbright ones and I can just paint them with any clear color that I want. Or you can also use any color LED that's available. 

And here's a shot of the custom LED unit in action. Since the custom LED unit is a bit too small, there were plenty of space for it to move around so I secured it with some blu tack.