A color USB led light for laptops

A color USB led light for laptops

According to Google, there are quite a few people landing on our web site when searching for a laptop USB led light. Well, we don't sell this kind of product... but we can show you how to build one using a Yocto-Color. It will cost about the same as a regular one, but you will be able to change its color at will, it will be programmable, and you will be proud to have built it yourself.

So, to build your own laptop USB led lamp, you will need: a yocto color, a USB cable, electric wire, a heat shrinkable tube, a bit of Plasticine, and inclusion resin. Actually, we have used regular resin instead, and it works too but the result is a bit less shiny.

The main idea of this project is simple: we solder a USB cable directly on the Yocto-Color, put the board in the resin and stiffen the USB cable with wire.

To get started, find a container you are willing to sacrifice. This will be your mold: the Yocto-Color will have to fit in it. Pour some resin in the mold and let it harden.

You will need a container to use as a mold.
You will need a container to use as a mold.


Pour a first resin layer in the mold.
Pour a first resin layer in the mold.



Cut the USB cable to the wanted length. Be careful: the longer the cable, the less rigid it will be. Drill two little holes in the USB-A plug, insert the wires in it, and twist it around the cable.

Drill two little holes in the plug and twist the wires around the cable
Drill two little holes in the plug and twist the wires around the cable


Try to make it regular...
Try to make it regular...



Put the cable in a heat shrinkable tube, and heat the tube with a hot-air paint stripper or a hair blower.

Put the cable in the heat shrinkable tube.
Put the cable in the heat shrinkable tube.


And heat it to shrink it.
And heat it to shrink it.



Solder the USB cable directly on the Yocto-Color board. Use a good soldering iron with a fine tip and don't mix colors!

[+]: Red / D-: White / D+: Green / [-]: Black

Use some heat shrinkable tube on the wire extremities to avoid short-circuits, then stick tem in the board mounting holes.

Solder the USB cable directly on the board.
Solder the USB cable directly on the board.



Make sure your Yocto-Color is still working. Put it in the mold, you need to make a notch in the mold for the cable. Use plasticine to prevent resin leaks. Then pour resin until everything is covered and wait for it to turn solid.

Place the device in the mold, then pour resin
Place the device in the mold, then pour resin



When the resin is solid, you can remove the mold or add a thin layer of colored resin, the result will then look better.

For a better result, you can use colored resin for an additional thin layer
For a better result, you can use colored resin for an additional thin layer



When everything is rock solid, remove the mold, then sand and polish the resin block until it is clear enough. If you don't have polishing paste, you can use tooth paste instead. We've tried, it works.

Before sanding/polishing
Before sanding/polishing


After. Argh! There is a bubble :-(
After. Argh! There is a bubble :-(



Here you are, you now have a magnificent nice unique USB led lamp for laptop.

Your very own USB led lamp for laptop....
Your very own USB led lamp for laptop....



You can configure it to have it switch on automatically at plug time with the Virtual Hub software. You can also use this little application to drive it. That's it !




Yoctopuce, get your stuff connected.