Is it magical…or just technology?
At first glance, you’d swear these cool lanterns are magic: You don’t need to light them with a match. You don’t need to press a button to switch ’em on. In fact, all you need to do is flip them over, and you’ve got yourself a bright light.
But these lanterns aren’t magic — they just require some simple wiring that anyone can do at home. Check out how these fun and unique jar lanterns are made below.
First you’ll need the necessary supplies.
One AAA battery pack that holds two batteries, a single 1 Watt LED light, a tilt switch, a length of wire, elastic ribbon, glass frosting spray, and a glass jar.
If the lid of the jar can be separated into two parts it will make the project a little easier.
First, frost the glass jar. Using some frosting spray and a paper towel roll (for a more focused stream), coat the inside of the jar.
Place the jar on the roll in a glass overnight to let it dry.
While it dries, assemble the electronics:
Connect the black negative wire from the battery pack to the negative pad on the LED light. Then attach the red positive wire from the battery pack to a leg of the tilt switch. Finally, connect a bit of wire from the other leg of the tilt switch to the positive pad on the LED light.
Be sure to glue the tilt switch to the battery pack with its legs pointing upwards (in the off position), so that when you flip the jar right-side up the circuit is connected.
Thread the circuit loop under an elastic ribbon, then glue the fabric to the jar.
The battery pack should sit snugly under the ribbon…
Like so.
Then glue the LED light to the top of the ribbon.
Screw the jar onto the lid and….
You’ve got yourself an awesome flip lantern!
(source Instructables)
Pretty awesome, huh? Not so magical after all (it’s still cool, though). This kind of simple project is a ton of fun, and one that can really light up any room…get it? (We couldn’t resist!)
If you’re looking for even more detailed instructions — head here.
