LED / Paper Clip Hybrid

Technology
LED / Paper Clip Hybrid

I’m slightly conflicted about this concept from Korean designer Sungho Lee: Intuitively, I love it! Super cool! How clever! I want to make a bunch of my own—as I imagine Mr. Lee did—by cutting up some paper clips, clipping the leads on a bunch of LEDs, and soldering the one to the other.

And yet, their only use, as far as I can tell, is clipping across a coin cell to make a little improvised LED light. Maybe add a magnet for a classic “throwie.” And, rationally speaking, surely that single use does not justify the extra manufacturing effort of paper-clip-shaped leads. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want some. More pics at designboom. [via nerdstink]

14 thoughts on “LED / Paper Clip Hybrid

  1. gaijintendo says:

    nice concept, but surely they will really easily short.

  2. David DeAngelis says:

    Don’t they need a resistor in series to prevent high current from killing the LED?

    1. Daniel Casner says:

      In general yes but sometimes you can get away without a current limiting resistor if you’re careful because LEDs have some increase in voltage drop as the current increases (see figure 1 on page 6 of this datasheet for a likely candidate part http://www.cree.com/products/pdf/LEDlamps/C503C-WAS&WAN.pdf). If you closely match the battery voltage to the forward drop of the LED at a good current you’ll be all right but you might shorten the LED life time as it won’t be very well controlled. It also means it won’t work when the battery starts to die because it’s voltage will quickly drop below that required for the LED.

      1. Andrew Witte says:

        The relatively high internal resistance of coin cells also limits the LED current if an appropriate coin cell and LED are chosen.

        The little squeezable keychain flashlights that have a coin cell and a LED almost never contain a resistor.

  3. Daniel Casner says:

    I’m pretty sure you don’t need to do any soldering to make these. They look to me like LEDs with very long leads (which you can find at Digi-key etc.) carefully bent to work as paper-clips. That’s how I would make them anyway.

  4. Martin Hammarbrink says:

    I would guess that they are really thought of as paperclips looking like LEDs that also work as LEDs. If anyone would have made a paperclip looking like a LED not working I guess it would not have been noticed or if it was it would mostly be because people was disappointed that it didn’t work. I have now decided it’s a paperclip looking like a LED that also works.

  5. David Marusic says:

    My concern is that solder doesn’t have the strength to maintain the spring constant of a paper clip?

  6. Asa M says:

    I see great potential for shorting your coin cell and draining it in a matter of seconds. But I guess if you’re soldering you’re probably already aware of that danger.

  7. Bonnie Banks says:

    Totally useless but so totally cool! Ok, so I really want to make a batch for my Son-in-law who runs a Light and Sound company. Great stocking stuffer/gag gift for Christmas. HOW do I make them and WHERE do I get the little light thingies??

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

View more articles by Sean Michael Ragan

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK