Thread: LED Pin Spots

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I have been trying to create haunt lighting since I started. To me, it is just a good and vital part of a haunt. I had the idea lurking in the back of my brain, but when I saw Nepboard's post on making LED spot lights I was inspired. Nepboard had done what the dim recesses of my mind were looking for. I also incorporated a technique that Scourge demonstrates on his Skull Candles. In particular about using casting resin. I love this stuff. I got some LED help from Ghoulishgadgets, Hedg12 and Partsman. I also used the LED calculator located here: http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz

Now, on with the tut.

I probably spent a month trying to find the PVC that Nepboard uses. I just can't find it in Los Angeles. So, I went with copper. More expensive, but really damn tough. Here, I cut the copper pipe to length and also cut one end off using a hacksaw to creat an angle. The angle will be used to put the lights into the ground.

I next took a pipe cutter and cut a ring off of the straight end of each pipe. Throughout construction I would use a Dremel to deburr edges.

I placed the rings on some clay and sprayed them down with some WD-40 as a release agent. I then poured the mixed SmoothCaste 320 from SmoothOn into the rings.

When cured, about 5 minutes, I popped the new plugs out of their molds and cleaned off the WD-40. the plugs make a pretty snug fit.

I then took the LED and marked the leads on the plug and drilled out a hole for the leads to go through.

Slipped the LED through and soldered the resistor to the short leg on the LED.

First test... we have LIGHT!

The 45 degree fitting gives you an idea of where this is going. This fitting is what I could not find that Nepboard was using, this is why I switched to copper.

These are the completed light units. LED, plug and resistor.