LED Paper Lantern

Introduction
Use paper and LED strip to create a fun light. This is a great activity for groups with varied skill levels; our students often have fun sharing their electronics and paper crafting skills with each other. The guide includes tutorials for both a soldered and solderless version.
Step 1: Tools
- Diagonal Cutter
- Wire Stripper
- Safety Glasses
Step 2: Supplies
Step 3: Tools – Optional for Soldered Version
- Soldering Iron
- Solder (nonleaded recommended)
- Board or mat to protect work area
Step 4: Materials
- Various Paper
- e.g. Origami Paper, Vellum, Newsprint, Books / Magazines, Wrapping Paper
- 5V LED Strip
- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G57…
- Ok to use other colors or voltage (e.g. 12V). Make sure your power supply voltage matches your LED voltage
- Also available from electronics vendors and SuperBrightLeds
- 2-conductor wire, 16-20 gauge, available from local hardware stores and electronics vendors
Step 5: Materials
- 3 x AA battery
- 3x AA battery holder with switch
- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C6X…
- Also available from electronics and robotics vendors
- Optional – Dowels or other sticks
Step 6: Materials – No-Solder Version
- LED Pigtail
- Must match width and number of connections of your LED strip
- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CQF…
- Also available from SuperBrightLeds and other vendors
- Wire Nuts
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IO2SIWC
- Also available from local hardware stores
Step 7: Materials – Soldered Version

Heat Shrink Tubing
Step 8: Make Your Paper Shade

- Make a paper shade
- Think ahead about where you will place your LEDs, it often looks best if the LED strip is hidden from direct view
- Check out the examples at the end of the guide for inspiration
Step 9: Wiring Connection Diagrams
- Plan how you will connect LEDs to the battery pack.
- Each LED Strip must have 5V applied to the end, matching the positive and negative connections
- You can add extra wire to increase the distance between the battery pack and the lamp
Step 10: Wiring Diagrams
- You can connect multiple strips in “series” or “parallel”
- The LEDs are all connected in parallel within the strip – each strip segment must have 5V applied to its + and – connections
Step 11: Cut LED Strip and Wire
- For use with AA batteries, we recommend no more than 4 strip segments to get good runtime. You can leave them as one long strip of 4 segments, or cut them and connect them as on the previous step.
- Cut only at the cut lines on the strip
Step 12: Strip Wire
- Strip 10mm (3/8″) where you connect wire to wire
- Strip 3mm (1/8″) if soldering, where you will solder wire to LED strip
- The guide splits here into NO SOLDER and SOLDER versions. Soldering is a little more challenging. Choose the techniques that work best for the supplies you have available
Step 13: NO SOLDER – Attach LED Pigtails
- Open the latch on the pigtail, and insert the LED strip under both the plastic and metal tabs
- Make sure you have your red wire lined up to + and black to –
- Ours were very tight and it helped to very gently pry the metal tabs up with diagonal cutters
- Close the latch. It may help to use pliers
Step 14: NO SOLDER – Make Wire-to-Wire Connections
- Connections will almost always be red-to-red and black-to-black for this project. If you have other colors, just make sure the polarity between the battery and the LED strips is correct
- Line up the stripped wire ends together
- Twist the wires together, clockwise when seen from the end
- Twist on a wire nut, clockwise when seen from the end
- Keep twisting until it grabs and starts to wind the wires together
Step 15: SOLDER – Connect LED Strip to Wire
- Clean and tin the tip of soldering iron
- Tin the short stripped (3mm / 1/8″) end of your wire
- Tin the pads on your LED strip
- The pads can be challenging to tin, make sure to make good thermal contact with the side of the iron, and heat the pad for a second or two before applying solder
- Only apply a small amount of solder, too much can create shorts
Step 16: SOLDER – Connect LED Strip to Wire
- Rest one wire over its corresponding pad
- Use pliers or a third hand tool to hold it
- Heat the wire with soldering iron until all solder melts and flows together
- Repeat for second wire
- Check for shorts (solder bridging between wires or pads)
Step 17: SOLDER – Connect Wires to Wires
- Slide a piece of heat-shrink tubing onto wire before soldering
- Twist wires together
Step 18: SOLDER – Connect Wires to Wires
- Clean and tin soldering iron
- Hold wires with third hand tool or pliers
- Shrink tubing with a hot air gun. Some shops may allow using the side of the iron as shown here, but ask first
Step 19: Complete Your Lamp!
- Peel the backing from LED strips and attach to the lampshade
- Double check your connections!
- Make sure your positive and negative wiring is consistent throughout
- Install batteries
- ENJOY
Examples and Inspiration
Try combining origami or quilted paper shapes Try cutting paper to spread light and add interest Try wearing your lamp! Everyone loves animals Paper makes for fun shadows Fan Lantern Nursery Lamp – Named Gifts Coral Lamp – A Piece of Rainbow Y Lighting Y Lighting Paper Wall Lamp – Ohoh Deco By Adegado Albertino From Novate.ru From The Design Walker Geometric Cut Paper Table Lamp – Instructable by drips – CC BY-NC-SA From Habitare Kaigami Nautilus