Glow in Dark Decor

Decorating my room is something that I really enjoy. So, I decided to make something that is beautiful to look at and at the same time something more useful. This is a hanging decor that glows itself when it's dark. It is really simple to make and surely adds aesthetic look to your wall. Let's learn to make it.

To make this Decor, you'll need :

1. Drawing sheet ( I used A4 sized ivory sheets for a better look .)
2. Water colors and paint brushes
3. Cardboard
4. Breadboard
5. Arduino UNO board
6. Different color Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
7. 10 k ohm carbon resistor
8. Light Dependent Resistor (LDR)
9. Connecting wires
10. Adhesive

Take a sheet of any size you want. While choosing the sheet,keep in mind that you have to paint this sheet with colors. I've used a white ivory sheet.

• Using paint brush,apply a layer of water on the sheet.
• Once the upper surface of the sheet is wet, start applying color from the top of the sheet.
• Successively, use another color. This gives a gradient effect.
• Using a black marker, write what you want. You can also draw something you like.

Take a cardboard of the same size as your sheet and paste the sheet on the cardboard.

• Start placing your LEDs by piercing through the cardboard.
• Connect the positive terminal (longer leg) of one LED with the positive terminal of the next with the help of connecting wire. Connect all the positive terminals.
• Similarly, connect all the negative terminals. Make sure that the wire connecting positive terminals does not touch the wire connecting negative terminals. Use insulation tape to separate the two wires.
• Leave some extra wire at the last LED. This extra wire will go to breadboard.

• Connect positive terminal of LED connection to pin 7 of Arduino.
• Connect the negative terminal of the LED connection to GND pin of Arduino.

• Place the two legs of LDR on breadboard. Connect one leg of LDR to pin A0 of Arduino.
• Connect one leg of 10k ohm resistor to the the same leg of LDR .
• Connect the other leg of 10k ohm resistor to GND terminal of Arduino.
• Now, connect the other leg of LDR to 5V pin of Arduino.

Connections are done!

Fix the breadboard and Arduino on the back of cardboard.

This is the code.

//************************************************************************//

//Code for making LEDs glow in the dark

int ledPin =7;

int ldrPin= A0;

void setup()

{

Serial.begin(9600);

pinMode(ledPin,OUTPUT); //Using digital pin 7 for generating output

pinMode(ldrPin,INPUT); //Using Analog pin A0 for getting input

}

//The circuit will now take the values from LDR to detect darkness and LED will act depending on LDR value

void loop()

{

int ldrValue=analogRead(ldrPin);

if (ldrValue<=100)

{digitalWrite(ledPin,HIGH);

}

else {

digitalWrite(ledPin,LOW);

Serial.println(ldrValue);

}

}

//**********************************************************************//

Upload the code to Arduino using USB cable.

• Take a black sheet of length same as that of the sheet and divide it into four parts of width 1 cm, 2 cm, 1 cm and 2 cm respectively.
• Fold the sheet along the lines drawn to form a cuboid.
• Make four such cuboids.

Paste two of the cuboids vertically on the base along the edges.

Paste the other two cuboids horizontally.

Add a hook at the back to make it hanging .

You can supply power to your Arduino by a DC battery.

Connect your Arduino to a DC battery using Power jack.

Before connecting to a battery you should test the circuit right after uploading the code to Arduino i.e., using the laptop/computer itself via USB cable.

And you are ready to rock!