Most USB lights come with cold-white LEDs in them, but sometimes it's nicer to have another colour like warm-white for general use, blue for studio use, red for night use or even UV for special effects. This is a video showing the swapping of LEDs in a common cheap dollar-store type of USB light.
Most of these lights use the little straw-hat type of LEDs which are widely available on ebay in a huge range of colours including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, UV, cold-white and warm-white.
It's an easy hack/mod so you could even use a few with a cheap USB power supply and hub to make a decorative night light.

7 thoughts on “Change the leds in a usb light to a custom colour.”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Mr Sheesh says:

    Reason for lead-free solder is basically "Lead is toxic to some degree, and toxic is horrible, so let's use non toxic solder. Even if it doesn't WORK worth BEANS…" I wouldn't gnaw on your 63/37 solder tho; if you refrain from that and wash your hands to clean off the lead on your skin, you pretty much are safe from lead poisoning. It's not that hard to manage, silly legislators LOL

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Penurious Sierra says:

    I bet there's a special place in hell reserved for Clive that has a large shipping containers full of cold and warm white LEDs and whoever enters the place is given the task of sorting all 1,598,819,001,472,583,723,113,495,395,722,576,922,657,433,275,868,462,375,927,131,333,586,828,594,033,285,295,228,583 LEDs to correct container, with a single battery while wearing sunglasses and bound to a steel chair and single mistake will scramble all the LEDs again.

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Michael Østergaard says:

    Do you have any preferences on the desoldering wick, or will the cheapest stuff on ebay do fine?

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Dannielle Doxey says:

    Brill project will do just of the cuff your tin of never use led lights I could use those if u don't want as I am always looking for small LEDs

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars yacoboy says:

    Isn't lead based solder poisonous?

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars TheChipmunk2008 says:

    You too have one of those containers of LEDs! I kind of agree with Tim Hunkin on those: They're like modern jewels

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Fuzzy Electronics says:

    5 videos in one weekend.  :o)  I always love watching them as you always pick something a bit different to teardown and modify.

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