Things You'll Need:
- Thick copper wire
- Propane torch
- Soldering iron
- 19 LED lights, white or multicolored
- Wire stripper
- Dill and drill bits
- Block of wood 1 inch in diameter
- Pliers
- USB Cable
- 4 390-ohm resistor
- 2 330-ohm resistor
- Rotary tool
- 2 peanut butter jar lids
- Hot glue and hot glue gun
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Step 1
Straighten the copper wire. Use a propane torch to heat the end of the wire. Place a small ring of solder 2 inches from the bottom of the wire.
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Step 2
Bend one wire of each LED light 1/8 inch from the end.
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Step 3
Create a wagon-wheel type circle with the LED lights. Make a circle with 8 LED lights. The straight ends need to be on the outside and the bent ends need to be in the middle. Solder the lights together. Repeat the same process for the next ring but this time use 6 LED lights. Make another wagon wheel with 4 LED lights.
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Step 4
Run the copper wire through the middle of each LED circle starting at the bottom with the 8-light circle, the 6-light circle and then the 4-light circle. Place the 4-light circle 2 inches from the top.
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Step 5
Solder the copper to the middle of each LED light wheel. Solder quickly because copper pulls the heat away from the solder.
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Step 6
Place the last LED light onto the top of the copper wire and solder it to the growing Christmas tree.
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Step 7
Strip the male end off of the USB cable. You only need the red and black wires. The other wires are used for data sending. You do not need them for power, so cut them off. Solder 4 of the 390 ohm resistors to the end of the red wire and 2 of the 330 ohm resistors to the black wire.
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Step 8
Drill a hole a little larger than the diameter of the copper wire in the center of the wooden block. Cut the center out of one of the peanut butter jar lids. Drill the same size hole in the middle of both peanut butter jar lids. Drill a hole in the side of the uncut jar lid large enough for the USB cable to slide through.
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Step 9
Feed the bottom of the copper wire through the hole in the full-size jar lid toward the solder ring. Slide the wood block over the copper wire. Feed the USB cable and restrictors through the hole in the side of the peanut butter lid. Wrap the ends of the restrictor around the copper wire and solder them onto the copper wire. Slide the cut peanut butter lid onto the bottom of the copper wire on the bottom and hot glue the cut edges to the bottom of the other peanut butter lid.
