Recently, a “tragedy” befell me, namely, I broke the display and touchscreen on my Lenovo a850, I replaced the parts, but I thought for a long time about what to do with the old display, not to throw it away since super bright LEDs are used to backlight it. I decided to make a bright pocket flashlight out of it.
I’ll tell you how to do it now.
To assemble a flashlight from a broken display we will need:
Broken display (in my case from Lenovo A850)
Lithium-ion battery (I had a battery lying around from an old phone)
Housing (I had nothing to do and made it myself)
A set of parts for the converter (the Chinese connected the LEDs in a clever way; they require as much as 15V to power them)
Soldering iron and soldering accessories
Let's start from the very beginning, and first we need to disassemble the phone and remove the display and sensor from it. The sensor can be thrown away since nothing useful can be taken from it; for example, I cut my finger on its broken glass
We disassemble the phone
We extract from it what we need. Don't forget that you can get hurt.
Now we have a broken display
Next we need to disconnect the display matrix from its backlight
We cut the train with a knife, this is what we should get
Now that the matrix has been removed, you need to unsolder (cut off) its cable from the cable that is needed to power the LED backlight
This is what should remain
The display is finished. Now we will make the body.
I cut a decorative corner to the size of the backlight from the display and, using a matrix and hot glue, made a box in which we will place the battery, converter and connecting wires.
When the box is ready, you can take on the converter from 1.5V to 15V, well, ideally, apply 3V to the input. The glow is much brighter.
We will collect according to this scheme
I won’t tell you much about how this converter works.
When power is supplied to the device, a voltage drop appears across resistor R1, a current will flow through the base of transistor VT1, as a result of which both transistors will be in the open state, at the initial moment there is almost zero voltage at the collector of transistor VT2 and an increasing current flows through it and the inductor, the value current will increase until the transistor goes into saturation mode, therefore the voltage on the collector of transistor VT2 will increase and this will lead to an increase in the voltage on resistor R2, as a result of which transistor VT1 will close, after which transistor VT2 will close, stopping the accumulation process of inductor energy leads to the formation on the collector of transistor VT2 of a sufficient positive voltage of tens of volts which, through a Schottky diode, charges capacitor C1, the zener diode limits the charging voltage on the capacitor and maintains it at the level of 15V, after resetting the voltage on the collector of transistor VT2 it decreases to the voltage of the power source, the transistors go into the open state and an increasing current will again flow through the inductor.
We assemble the converter according to the diagram. I did not etch the board and use surface mounting; I used cardboard to install the elements on it, installed it as per the diagram and soldered it as in the diagram.
I covered the parts with hot glue to avoid unnecessary contact and for the strength of the structure itself.
This is what happened
The converter cord is ready - we’ll finish the housing, insert the charging connector and the mini switch.
We make holes in the rectangular body for the switch and insert the switch there
Next, we make a round hole and insert the charging connector and place it on hot melt adhesive.
I took the battery from an old phone and soldered two wires to it: red to positive and black to negative. We also put the battery on hot glue. We connect the wires from the battery with the wires from the connector, then plus through the switch to our converter. We insulate all contacts with heat shrink or electrical tape.
And so, why do you need a converter... it is needed to power LED backlight, the LEDs of which are connected like this
For everyone who, like us, believes that a home should have a soul and loves making things with their own hands, Kvartblog has prepared several ideas on how to give a second life to old objects and make them illuminate your room. It turns out that things that are unnecessary at first glance can not only become an intricate lampshade for Ilyich’s light bulb, but also decorate your entire room with a pattern of light and shadow.
Kitchen utensils
Dishes and cooking utensils can be either an unusually aesthetic lampshade (for example, if you want your favorite Chinese porcelain bowl to show off in plain sight and crown your interior as a chandelier), or simply colorful - use a leaky metal a jug as a lampshade for a dim night light.
You can make lamps from plates, cups and bowls using a ceramic drill.
Kitchen graters, colanders and beautiful sieves can not only become conceptual lamps for a kitchen area, dining room or summer outdoor eating area, but “sift light” through their holes in a very interesting way. The situation is simplest with trapezoidal graters: they can be easily attached by the handle to the ceiling or to the cable on which your Ilyich light bulb hangs.
By the way, if your old kettle has lost its bottom over the course of its long life, you can turn it into a lampshade as easily as you can turn it into a grater. Here are some cute versions of how these teapots turned into wind songs.
And these are a few examples from manufacturers and handicraftsmen using only instruments.
Cans and bottles are also good materials for lampshades.
We have seen the most beautiful of bottle chandeliers.
For those who like the idea, but lack confidence in their abilities, our store can come to the rescue. We have in stock, lamp in the form and multi-colored.
By the way, wine corks can also be an excellent material for a lampshade. We wrote about this , dedicated to the topic of what to do with honestly drunk drinks.
Globes
And we were inspired by this idea, whose nursery was decorated with globes suspended from the ceiling.
Why not turn them into lamps? This may require cutting out some islands or continents.
Natural material
Among fashion trends towards industrialism and eco-design, the latter nowadays leading by a wide margin. For inspiration, we will show you several works, the material for which was provided by nature itself.
“Everything is temporary. Love, art, planet Earth, you, me. Especially me." (99 Francs)
Nothing in this world lasts forever, and the life of gadgets is sometimes very fleeting. But if you love retro style and are frugal and resourceful by nature, then you can give them a second chance by transforming them into something useful and retro looking.
5. Turn an old mouse into a wireless one
Old mice aren't as comfortable or ergonomic as newer models, but they give you that comfortable feeling, like an old shirt that's so old that you sneak it around the house on the weekends when no one is looking, simply because you've had it for a long time and you like it. You're used to it :) If you are still using an old wired mouse, or have kept it as an old battle friend, then now is the time to convert it into a wireless Bluetooth mouse by simply replacing the insides of the old mouse with the insides of a new one.
Let’s say right away that this is a decision dictated solely by a feeling of nostalgia rather than by practical considerations. If your old mouse is too awkward to use on a weekly basis, you can use it to make a camera shutter.
4. Turn an analog TV into an information terminal
Most likely, you have already updated your entire fleet of televisions a long time ago, and the old CRT monitors are gathering dust, at best, somewhere in the country. You can give the old TV new life, turning it into a YBOX (a homemade information screen showing, for example, the weather).
An alternative use is a retro photo frame, which can be placed in the living room. To turn a TV into a photo frame, you need to remove the insides of the TV and replace them with the old sockets and power cord from the lamp, screw in a low-power CFL lamp, insert a printed image on the screen, close it and turn on the “TV”.
Now you have a fun retro frame.
If you don't want to waste electricity, recycle your old monitor into a trash bin.
3. Make an aquarium out of an old TV or computer
A project from the “incredible but true” series marked “dangerous.” Do it at your own peril and risk. If you have an old TV, computer or other unnecessary equipment with a lot of space inside, you can turn it into an aquarium.
If you want to use Floppy drives for their intended purpose, you can put USB in them.
1. Making a VoIP phone from a rotary phone
If you're having a hard time saying goodbye to your old rotary phone, you can turn it into a fun computer headset for use with Google Voice, Skype, or any other VoIP solution.
If you have a few unwanted cordless phones (not really old ones), then you can make good walkie-talkie radios out of them.
I hope this collection of ideas for transforming old gadgets has inspired you. Following the links you will see visual guides on how to do this or that thing, on English. All guides have good visualizations of each of the conversion stages.