Rechargeable LED Jar Night Light

This one shows how to make a simple rechargeable LED lit Pictured jar which could be both, a showpiece at the daytime, and a night light at the nighttime.

I used some selected pictures of the famous Instructables Robot, you are free to use any ones you want.

Here is my previous attempt at a night light + Robot.

1) A Jar : Any jar will do, so long as it is transparent.

2) The pictures that you want to put inside the jar : these could very well be colored or black n white! (I've provided the pdf and word file of the ones I used.)

3) PVA Glue.

4) Sugru (Or a similar compound (ogoo) ) (I used M-seal).

5) An appropriate paint brush.

6) Water colors ( or any other colors like food colors, which are miscible with the PVA glue).

7) Stuff for the electrical circuit:

A) An LED: The choice is yours, I used a 0.5W bulb. (Remember to use a proper heat sink in case of >1W bulbs)

B) Connecting wires.

C) A small switch.

D) Soldering Iron and Solder Wire.

E) A Battery (I used an old Nokia BL-5C).

F) Stuff to make a battery holder (in case you are using a spare mobile battery like me):

i) An erasing rubber (Rectangular in shape).

ii) Two All purpose pins (like these) (Make sure the pins have a metallic head, not a plastic one!).

iii) A piece of cardboard (preferably dual corrugated cardboard).

iv) A cutter.

Skip this step in case you already have a battery holder that fits inside the lid dimensions of your jar or if you are simply not using a mobile battery!

The holder is made out of cardboard and the battery contacts are made via pins carefully inserted in an erasing rubber.

First, mark and cut the rubber appropriately. Insert the pins into it as shown ( paying special attention to the space in between them, which should be in accordance with the battery.). Then solder the wires onto the pins or simply wind the wire several times to get a solid connection. Put the prepared rubber into the cardboard cutouts (stacked on each other to get a proper height) along with the battery and test out the whole thing.

Now, you can simply put the battery in the holder and use it, and when exhausted, just take it out and recharge it via any charger like this or via any compatible phone!

This involves making the electrical circuit (of course, you are always free to tinker with it!)

The schematic I used is simple and as shown.

The images are pretty self explanatory, I first made holes for the battery wires, switch's legs and the make-shift heat-sink that I had made out of stuff lying around. Then I placed all the stuff where it belonged, soldered all the connections, and Done!

I also covered the whole thing neatly with M-Seal (I really didn't have the amount of sugru needed for same purpose) and painted it all silver.

I covered the battery with the Robot stickers completely. This made a huge difference to the looks of the battery and the entire Jar as well, completely eliminating the need for a battery cover!

Start by cutting out the pictures you want to place in side the jar (cut the pictures as closely as possible).

Apply PVA glue on the front side of the pictures, and paste them on the insides of the jar. Wait for the glue to dry.
Pay full care so that no/minimal bubbles are formed while you paste the pictures! Nothing can be done after the glue dries, and the bubbles really don't look good with the LED light!

Now, pour some PVA glue inside the jar (a little more than you think is necessary to cover the entire insides of the jar) and take some water/food color and mix it with the glue { make sure not to add the dark colors (in case you are using them) in large quantities}.
Shake the jar well, or simply spread the colored glue with the help of a brush (Again, mind the bubbles!!). Leave the jar inverted for some time to let the excess glue fall down.

Leave the jar to dry completely.

I tried this another way:
(Best thing about PVA glue is that even after it dries and you are not happy with it, you can always redissolve it in water and remove it completely!)
I just removed the yellow glue completely from the insides carefully sparing the glue on the pictures.

Then I prepared a new mix of PVA glue and Haldi (Turmeric) powder. I Applied this mix on the insides of the jar with the help of a brush this time instead of putting it inside and shaking the jar so that just a thin layer of glue is applied on the insides of the jar. Let it dry completely (Took much less time this time.)

This time, it turned out just perfect, as I had envisioned!

I also experimented with coloring the lens of the LED with a green marker. The effect came out to be awesome! (See the pics in the first & last steps!)

You now have the famous Instructables Robot rechargeable LED night lamp! :D

I hope you enjoy making this as much as I did!
And though it took me hours of planning and a myriad of failed attempts, it should now be just a matter of few hours for you to make this!
Do leave any suggestions or questions in case you have some!

Don't forget to Vote!
Thanks! :D
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P.S.: It's great to be back and posting some new Instructables! :D