Cube Light

Make a glowing orb?

Electricity is dangerous! Read this caution.

Materials: One white or light-colored piece of paper, scissors, markers, one LED light, transparent tape, and one 3V watch battery.

A cube lit with red light. A hand-drawn picture of a smiling light bulb is shown on one face.

Cutting off excess paper (from an 8.5 X 11 inch sheet).

Create your cube (also known as a balloon) by watching the Inflatable Cube YouTube Video.

Note: A slightly more complex (but really neat star-like shape) can also be created with directions on the Stellated Octahedron YouTube Video.

If you are using an 8.5 X 11-inch sheet of paper make a diagonal fold that covers the 8.5-inch width of the paper (see picture). Then fold up the excess paper and cut it off so that you have an 8.5 X 8.5 inch square. This extra paper can be used to make a Power Bracelet.

the completed cube (before it has been inflated). It will now be disassembled to add circuit components.

After completing all the folds of your cube (but before you inflate it with air), take apart your origami shape so that it looks like a flat sheet of paper with various folds (see the second picture below).

Insert a battery between the LED (making sure the longer lead (+ anode) is connected to the + terminal on the battery. Your LED should light. If it doesn't, reverse the battery. If it still doesn't light, you may have a dead battery. Attaching the leads to the battery completes the circuit.

A battery and lit LED light secured to the unfolded origami shape with transparent tape.

The easiest way to get your cube to glow is to tape the battery with the LED connected to the unfolded cube. Look for a square section that does not contain any folds. Securing the battery with transparent (or masking) tape to this section will allow you to easily refold your cube without the circuit interfering with the shape.

A small circuit with copper tape wires, battery, and lit LED.

For more of a challenge, use copper tape to make the circuit, adding a flap on the positive wire so it can fold over and connect the battery (as pictured).

Tape the battery and wires in place so the LED lights.

The completed cube (glowing red) with a smiling face drawn on one side of the cube.

Refold the cube using the same steps presented in the previous YouTube Video.

Your cube now glows!

Use markers to transform it into a holiday decoration or toss it back and forth as a ball. If you are gentle, you should be able to reshape it when it crinkles.

A glowing red cube made out of paer with bat shapes depicted. Holes have been punched in the cube with a pin to let light escape.

For a different effect, use patterned paper to construct your cube. Then take a pin and poke holes on the faces. These holes will allow more light to shine through.

Note: Poke holes after you inflate the cube.

Click to Read What's Happening

A direct current circuit is an electric path that forms a circle. Electricity flows from the battery through a wire to various components (e.g., lights, motors, diodes) and back to the battery. The flow of electricity lights the LED in your cube.

Watch this YouTube video to see how your circuit works.

Look closely at the image of copper wires in your cube (above). Notice that the wires never touch each other directly, even when the battery is connected! Each wire only touches one side of the battery and one LED lead wire. For a circuit to function properly, positive wires should never touch negative wires. If they do, the connection will short your circuit. Short circuits drain batteries quickly and may create heat that can damage your wires.

You can prevent wires from touching each other by adding insulating material between them. Insulating materials do not allow electricity to flow through them easily. Examples of these materials include rubber, paper, plastic, and glass. For paper-based circuits, transparent or masking tape is a good insulator.

Moderate Challenge

Securing an LED connected battery to the cube is fairly easy. However, one problem with the circuit is that you cannot turn it off--the components are packed inside the origami cube! Construct a circuit where a tilt switch is added in series to the LED component. This will allow your light source to turn on when the cube is tilted a certain way and to turn off when tilted another way.

Difficult Challenge

Now try to make a parallel circuit where one battery connects LED lights in two cubes. This will require you to use copper tape or conductive thread. The task is further complicated because your circuit must navigate the folds of the origami shape. You may need scissors to route your "wires."

Be sure to insulate your wires to avoid shorts.

Note: When dealing with wearable circuits (e.g., LED-lit hats, clothing, and so forth), makers often have to work with multiple fabric layers and folds. This exercise provides valuable experience before working with more complex and expensive materials. While it is simplified with conductive thread, it can be completed with copper tape.

Three folded cubes (not blown up) with their tips cut off with a pair of scissors.

To allow easier access to your wires, cut off the tip that you blow into to inflate the cube.

An inflated cube with the square gap showing where their tip was cut off.

Inflated cube with tip cut off.

An LED light secured to copper tape wires (on an unfolded cube) that extend over the cut gap (so multiple cubes can be strung together).

LED and wire placement in one cube.