How to Make a Bicolor LED

By eHow Computers Editor

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LED lights are longer-lasting alternatives to incandescent light bulbs. Because LEDs last up to six times longer than other bulbs on the same battery strength, they are suitable choices for lamps and flashlights. Converting a flashlight to LED is fairly simple, but may be difficult if you have no experience with wiring. Making a bicolor LED flashlight involves substituting 2 LED bulbs for 1 incandescent bulb.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

A small flashlight
2 LED bulbs of different colors
Wire cutters
A drill

Step1

Remove the incandescent bulb from your existing flashlight. Either save the bulb or exercise caution when disposing of it to avoid broken glass shards.

Step2

Select 2 colors of LED bulbs to replace the incandescent bulb with. White and red are both common colors for LED lights and are widely available.

Step3

Locate the LED leads for both LED bulbs. Trim the ends off of the leads using sharp wire cutters. The leads should be about 1/4-inch long for a small flashlight.

Step4

Insert both sets of leads into the bulb socket. Test the light by turning on the switch. If the LED lights don't light up, try reversing the leads. If they still don't light up, remove one of the LEDs to make sure that you are following the basic process correctly for a unicolor LED.

Step5

Check to make sure that the lead wires are not touching one another as this will inhibit the individual LEDs lighting up and allowing your bicolor LED flashlight to function.

Step6

Remove the reflector panel from the existing flashlight and use a drill bit to widen the hole to accommodate the LED bulbs, which are typically larger in base diameter than incandescent bulbs.

Step7

Replace the batteries of the existing flashlight with N-cell batteries for the best light output from the bicolor LED. The number of N-cell batteries needed and the process for installing them will differ depending on the size of the flashlight. You may need to create artificial spacers with battery contacts or screws to conduct electricity through the excess space.