A very long time ago the local Asian outlets in Glasgow were selling these little battery operated fibre optic trees. I liked them, but decided it would be an interesting project to convert them to mains voltage with a PCB that used the same screw holes as the base.
The circuit uses a simple capacitive dropper with through hole components mounted in the style of surface mount on the back of the base plate, and with a couple of support pillars holding a cluster of 7 standard 5mm LEDs close to the end of the fibre bundle.
It worked very well and I had a few of these running 24/7 in my house for several years. Not sure when I made them though as I haven't put a date on the PCB. Rather annoyingly, the shops ran out of this style of base just after I had designed the PCB.

12 thoughts on “Mini led fibre optic tree. hack from the past.”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Emil Carr says:

    you should start doing a mailbag kind of thing, and let people send you in things. you could use a Po box to hide your address.

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars fallingwater says:

    These are great for swapping in automatic slow-change RGB LEDs. You can get rid of most of the circuitry because they are self-regulating and the end result is very trippy indeed.

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Christina Kilgore says:

    i actually want this tree, would make a good Halloween dec for either the bathroom or bedroom.

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars 8 Bit Paradise says:

    Seriously an iPad can you not afford a camera 🎥?

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars yagoa says:

    Maybe you could find a iPhone 7 to test it's new flicker reduction feature?

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars TechMantra says:

    Does the ipad record at 24 fps because it's american? In that case maybe its "shutter speed" mismatched to the 60hz mains? But then I don't know how much you would see that as I'm not an electrician. I assume as it's DC, you wouldn't see it at all?

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Aadil Shah says:

    Your iPad should have a flicker reduction setting to switch it between 50Hz and 60Hz.
    If not then it's assuming that you're in North America and using 50Hz..
    This results in the 10Hz flicker.

    edit Having read the comments below I see that many people have already mentioned this.

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Luke Tayler says:

    is it possible for you to do a video explaining star connection and delta connection and the differences and etc. my tutor made it almost impossible to understand in college and it'd be a nice video to refresh my memory now and again

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Gazelle says:

    Everyone else has already explained the light flickering, so I'm going to spice to up by directing you to Tom Scott so he can explain it instead! His video is quite easy to find, it say's in the title.

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars goose183 says:

    I have a guess about the flicker, and how to maybe reduce it. (If you want to reduce it that is!) It could be that the ipad is set to record at a framerate which doesn't divide 50 or 100 hz evenly. The youtube "stats for nerds" thing says this video is 30fps. An experiment could be to record a flickering LED at the current framerate, then again at 25 or 50fps. Then watch it back and see if the flicker is less visible. (If changing fps can be done with an ipad) I don't really know much about cameras, but it might be interesting to look at that.

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Marko Grančić says:

    where can i buy something like that?

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars hoah says:

    I imagine BC's house is a hideous grotto full of warm white leds

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