For the flashlight, I knew I wanted to use this tube for vitamin C tablets because I really liked the smooth plastic feel.
Soldering Iron
Hot Glue Gun
Electrical Tape
Wire cutter & stripper
Clamp
Reflective Paper
Vitamin C tube
3V battery
White LED
Wires
Foamboard
Toggle Switch
I started out with a circuit by testing AAA/AA batteries, but it didn't work. My batteries had juice (worked when I plugged them into other devices), but didn't seem to light my LED.
Replaced the
I also got a toggle switch thanks to Minyoung, so was very excited to test it out.
I tried setting up the battery vertically so that I wouldn't crush one of the poles
I stupidly realized later than I'd care to admit that the toggle switch was for 12.5V as the cause for why my circuit didn't work
So I needed to use another switch
Testing my circuit to ensure my new button would work...
So one thing I realized is that I didn't need to keep the battery vertically in the tube, and that I could lay it flat. I just bent the wires upwards and covered them with electrical tape on the battery's surface.
I originally was too precious about the battery for later, so I tried to apply pressure to the taped wires by having foam padding.
Functioning flashlight!
I ended up soldering wires to the button and the wires to the battery instead of electric taping alone.
The switch serendipitously fit so well into the roughly measured hole that I cut in the tube.
Functioning flashlight after I shortened the wires connecting the button to the LED so that I didn't have to compress the wires as much into the tube, reducing the resistance.
After ensuring the flashlight worked, I wanted to try using the reflective paper to increase the intensity of the beam. I hot-glued my reflective to a toilet paper roll and tested it out with the beam. Ultimately I didn't like the result, so I didn't end up gluing it to the tube.
Beam without reflective paper
Beam with reflective paper
I just wanted to say a big "Thank You" to those who helped me:
Nick
Kseniia
Akshita