How To: Convert a light from AAA Batteries to USB Battery pack!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2021
- Follow along as I convert a AAA battery powered camping light to a rechargeable USB battery pack powered light! Think it'll work?
I bought some of these great little lights at Walmart to run in my Otter Vortex Lodge ice fishing hub & the only thing I don't like is that they get dim after a while. They don't seem to have a lot of longevity with the AAA batteries. Since rechargeable USB battery packs (and most USB power sources) have a 5v output, I figured that's close enough to the 4.5v the AAA batteries put out. I should be able to run the light off the charger without damage...right? 🤔😉 - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
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USB cables don't always use the "correct" colors on the inner wires, it's good practice to check with a multimeter to be sure. The fuzzy stuff in there is strain relief, the idea being if the wire gets pulled, those fuzzy strands get tugged instead of the actual inner wires themselves. Voltage being correct is important. Alkaline batteries will have a max voltage when new of 1.65V and are "empty" at around 0.7-0.8V. That means devices that use 3 AA are expecting an operating voltage in the range of 2.1-4.95V and 4 battery devices work with voltages of 2.8-6.6V. So, a USB 5v supply will be fine "as-is" for most 3 or 4 cell devices. There is also the caveat that some devices will rely on the low current capabilities of alkaline cells in place of having current limiting built into the circuit, so the ability of a USB to supply higher current can potentially fry some circuits if you don't also add an appropriate resistor in series. You can measure the current draw with a multimeter using fresh alkaline cells to figure out what max current the device is expecting.
Excellent info, Gary! Thanks for posting!
@@EndlessDIY i think you should put a 2 ohm resistor since the light was design to works with 4.5v. Maybe you're lucky if the circuit's driver can hold that voltage.
I like your thinking. It should be noted to check if the batteries are in series or paralell. In series the voltage is multiplied by the number of batteries and rated capacity remains the same; in paralell the capacity is multiplied by number of batteries and voltage will remain the same.
Thanks for sharing and inspiring diy ideas :)
This was super helpful! I have a little "neon" light that I got for my office from a discount store, but it ran on AA batteries. I was able to find a donor cable and do this and it's working great!
OMG! Finally, my questions have been answered! Thank you for this video. 😊
Fantastic, clear video. Most anyone can put wires together, the super key info is discussing voltage and amps when necessary. Thank you so much.
Thank you for the kind words! :)
Nice mod and an enjoyable tutorial. Thank you!
Always love Battery or USB Type DIY mods
Very clear explanation. Succeeded to convert my AA battery-powered doorbell to USB. Thanks for the video! 😁
That's great! I'm glad to hear your project went well!
Again, impressed.
Every single old cell phone charger, 110, or 12 volt powers some type of LED around my place.
This is too funny, we’re on the same projects today.
Kuddos. Fantastic info and format. 😊
That's awesome! Isn't it great how many things we can repurpose with a little cleverness?! Love that!
Thanks for the comment! :)
Great little video , Ive always wanted to do something like this with my lights and spare USB cables.
Thanks! I love little projects like this, too! :)
Very useful, thank you for such a simple explaining!
I'm amazed on our thought processes... I just got a USB/12v Plug adapter for my cordless battery I use with my auger.
Then made adapters for my Vex and Camera. I was watching videos on MR. Heater Big Buddy USB conversion for the fan; and was thinking about a 12v plug for my ice house fan/light combo!!! Awesome Rush!!!
Mint, Bee Dub! You should wire in an LED fan indicator on the heater, too! I added one to mine & it's so helpful when I use it! I used to accidentally leave the fan on all the time, killing the battery (I wired in an SLA 6v).
On spot, I am looking for same DIY. Thanks for the education.
Thanks for watching & good luck with your project! :)
@@EndlessDIY thank you
It was useful, I have a set of bike lights I want to swap to usb, mainly because one part is a rear brake and indicator light unit I am putting on my bike trailer, I got a base board and I'm adding the lights to that then running the lead back to the bike via cables that I can link and unlink as and when required. I can then load up the bike and run everything from the control unit on the handle bars. I can also add some far more powerful lights on this way. Thanks.
Simple but useful! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
This was helpful. I am going to attempt the same thing on a bubble machine for my kids..somehow everytime we use it we go through 3AA batteries and a USB bank would be much more efficient to run.
Yum, thanks! Cheers!!
Very helpful video thank you so much ❤❤❤❤
This is exactly what I needed. Thanks!
Great! Thanks for watching! :)
Thanks a ton for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Great job! 👍
Thank you! :)
This is a brilliant tutorial! Thanks so much!
I was wondering - could I possibly also connect one of those smart wifi LED controllers to this board - to make the light Google Home voice controlled?
I imagine I can run the power cable through that onto the light board and it should work - thoughts?
That saved me money from buying another AAA batteries, good tutorial, and keep it up !! Greeetings from philippines 😁😊😊😊😘
That's great! I'm so glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! :)
Very good video you make it look so easy. I was wondering what the saw tool thing you use is called? I need something like that to cut away a battery compartment from plastic and that would be perfect.
Nice video.thank you.
"Chinese" tip, a knot would help the wire against being pulled out of the casing, plus the hot glue that's the best chance for it.
Great tip! Thanks! :)
Thank you so much, I have a led reading light and the triple AAA batteries don't last too long
I'm glad it helped! Good luck with your project! :)
The led will work , however they will run a little warmer & age quicker as the led's are designed to run at 4.5v .
I'd say that's probably correct. I think the 1/2v difference is probably negligible enough but since these lights are only a couple bucks, I'm willing to take the chance. I have recommended in replies to commenters that it'd be wise to do some research before performing his mod on something they're not willing to potentially sacrifice. 👍
Ty!❣
Thank you it’s work well
Been doing this a lot. I think we should have bigger stuff from now on.
Thank you for all the good videos I am subscribing
Thanks so much! I'm happy to hear you like the videos! :)
Great information thankyou
Thanks for watching! :)
keep in mind usb cables drive ~3.5 v and it is boostes through powerbanks to 5v , in boombox case powerbanks can have 12v but i wonder what about usb cables are they become boosted or sm
I have what I think might be a dumb question. But I have a battery powered lantern that uses 8 D-cell batteries (12v total). Could I just wire it straight into a 12v car battery without a problem? Will the lantern just pull the current it needs, or do I have to regulate it to keep the lantern from burning down?
Really need this for my pet food dispenser. Can't be arsed with buying 4 D-sized batteries every few months
That sounds like a great use!
Awesomeeeee! just What I needed thanks
Great! Thanks for watching! :)
I'm using a simple LED head lamp as with age I do need more light for some tasks. Actually I have a few of these Using 3x AAA batteries I found these otherwise super helpful head lamps not sustainable. So naturally I wanted something USB chargeable but why spend £15-25 on new head lamps when mine do work and I have all the required equipment laying around as I consider myself the DIY and recycle queen.
I used a long micro USB charging cable and converted my LED light to a USB via power bank or mains powered light. Very pleased with myself right now. One done, a few ore to go, I even consider installing some plug in options.
Fantastic! That's a great use for this hack! Way to go! :)
ey greaat vid but you should reply to a few answers Please and do take batterys out every time ? you did just wondering what would happen if left in ? thanks
An informative video and well done. However, the "bare wires" you gathered together and twisted into one wire, are actually the "shield" for the cable. These wires protect the four wires inside from outside interference known as eddy currents. You should have used the red (VCC+) and the black (GND or negative lead).
Great info! Thanks! I'll use those two next time! :)
@@EndlessDIY yeah, the shield and ground wires are usually common together.
Love your video. I just bought a soldering iron but I'm not sure what kind of solder to use. I guess I have to go get some. I can't use all my different jewelry wires could I?
Hi there! If your soldering iron came as a kit, it may have some solder with it. If not, you can pick up solder at any hardware store. Just make sure it's not plumbing solder. ;) You can get high gauge (higher the number, finer the wire) electrical wire there, too, or even take apart something you don't use or that's broken. I salvage a lot of my electrical goodies from broken things. There is fine wire in iPhone cords or anything like that. Thanks for watching & good luck with your projects! :)
can you make video on battery case to usb converter specifically
If have one thing to ask that if we add rechargable batteries also so will it also recharge them or it will work only with usb
Another option would be to poke a hole, with the soldering iron, in the orange base - feed the wire through. I've done it for years, the plastic doesn't "ruin the tip". Nice little hack - I have done the same with those 3 battery fairy/Christmas lights. Thx for sharing.
Great option to get that wire in there (much quieter, too! lol!)! Thanks! :)
I did that too, easier to get the right opening for the cable, but you need to think ahead as doing the hole before soldering the cable.
Another thing you could have done with the wire inside so it can't be pulled out, just wrap about 5 layers of black tape on the inside so it can't be pulled out. Or, at least not easily. The tape just has to be slightly larger diameter than your hole you made for the wires.
Cool this is clever 😊
Thanks!
I was of course trying to go to a ridiculous side of doing this... I was going to outright replace the batteries with the Battery pack... this is much easier.
Hi,
Can you please show how to convert a AAA battery device into a dual mode device using direct AC power for power adapter and during power outage for it to auto run using rechargable battery connection.
This I was thinking for a Aquarium fish feeder. So that the timer does not get reset during power outage.
Other advantage is the durability of rechargeable batteries like Lithium will increase during to non extensive usage.
Thanks.
Nice job. This is pretty close to what im looking for. Im trying to make a AAA diy battery eliminator for my pocket operator. I found 1 vid but they dont name the parts so i dont know what to search on mouser. Any suggestions? Key difference here is im avoiding soldering directly to the device. Not paying $40! for a battery eliminator that costs about $3 to make :)
Hi there, I'm sorry, I don't know what the part you need is called. I kinda did the conversion the "quick & dirty" way. lol! If you're not able to find the part you need maybe you can do the job this way? You can always unsolder it later if you're not happy with the results. Sorry I couldn't be of more help but good luck with your project! :)
@@EndlessDIY thanks! I found a similar project making rwplacement batteries using acrews and dowel rods. Think i might give it a go. The devices are collectors items so will def not be soldering :)
a knot in the cord placed inside the case will eleminate the need to secure the cord with hotglue.
That's true! 👍
How to convert this lamp with batteries 18650 rechargeable. Good video. 👍
Hi. Those USB cables also comes with a plug that plugs into the wall. Would that be fine, using the power from the "wall"? It's not too powerful for the light ? I want to use that as my power source. Thanks.
The wall plugs should convert the voltage to a “device “ safe level (like a plug block for an iPhone). I’m no electrician so take it as unprofessional advice.
Thanks for watching & good luck with your project! :)
thanks mam
Great hack! Question: Does the size of the power bank matter? Since the fairy lights will only drawl the amount of electricity it needs to light up, will it harm the fairy lights if it is hooked up to a bigger power bank that has fast charging capabilities? Or will it require a power bank that has limited output of only 4.5-5.0 volts?
I guess I don't know the math. I've used different power packs with the lights and the only thing I've noticed is how long they stay lit. My big Anker pack has a standard and a "quick" charge port on it. I've used both & haven't noticed anything. Take that anecdotal bit with a grain of salt, though. You might have to do some Googling to verify the numbers. Ohm's law would probably get you started.
Sorry I don't have a solid answer for you.
@@EndlessDIY You've just provided additional helpful info that you have tried it with the quick charge port. Fairy lights are fairly inexpensive so no harm for me in experimenting. Thank you!
@@mikefa5891 You're welcome! Good luck with your project! 🙂
Wow
can you make one rechargeable?
What a lot of people miss is that AAA-AA-D-C all only produce 1.5 volts.
Absolutely correct! Great comment! 👍🏻
Alkaline and li-ion, nicad/ni-mh only 1.2
I have several of the same small camping lights from Walmart. Can you rig it so that the power pack is connected to several of those small lights? If so how would you go about that?
Great question! The wiring would be simple enough, but I'm not sure a single port on the power pack would be enough to power them all. USB typically has a 2.1V or so output. Honestly, I'm just not sure. Sorry about that.
@@EndlessDIY Thanks for the info!
what soldering iron do you own and or recommend?
I have a few but none of them are anything special. I bought them all on Amazon & each kit was about $25. I do prefer the ones with an on/off switch on the cord. The little kits are nice because they come with the iron, a variety of different sized tips, solder, sponge, brushes, etc.
I know that’s not very specific but I hope it helped anyway. :)
I want to try this but into 3V finger oximeter. Because my oximeter drains the 2 AAA batteries faster when i use it for long period of pulse/oxygen monitoring. So that i want to convert it into usb wired oximeter. Is it ok for this 3v device to use 5v charger?
That's a great question. Unfortunately, I don't know for sure. I'd be especially careful when it comes to medical equipment. You might look up what the variation in voltage is for the meter and the charger. If they're within the limits, it _may_ be ok, but again, I'd be especially careful. I'm sure that meter isn't cheap to replace. I hope you find what you're looking for and good luck with your project! :)
THAT'S SO COOL I LOVE IT MY HUSBAND ROLLS HIS EYES AT ME TOO HAHAHAHA
LOL!
can you also plug the light into one of the usb ports on my laptop?
I just tested it on my MacBook Pro to be certain and yep, you can.
thanks, do you have tutorial for AA bateries to 5v?
I don't specifically but if you look at the battery, you'll see the voltage (generally 1.5V). Depending on how many it takes to power your device, you may be able to convert it to a USB. Just add the voltage together to determine if 5V is enough to power the light or whatever you're converting. It doesn't need to be exact, just in the ballpark. It's the same process as this video.
@@EndlessDIY in your video you converted 3 AAA bateries that is 4.5v right? in series connection converted to 5v. how about if the device requires only 2 AA bateries and i want it to convert 2 AA bateries to usb power. it is posible or it will blow the device?
@@po1395 It really depends on the device. There's always a little wiggle room for variation but it depends. I'm no electrical guru so you might want to look up acceptable voltage variation for your specific device.
The lights in the video were about $3 so I was willing to experiment with one.
If it's a valuable item I'd do some research first.
Is current not an issue? From what I’ve read the LEDs will not last as long.
That's a good question. One I don't really have the answer to, though. I believe white LEDs can safely use 1A power sources (such as the power supply for an iPhone or the power box in the video). I am no electrical expert so if you need specifics then you'd have to do a little homework. The light is still working fine, but I don't use it frequently. It's in my camping stash. Sorry I couldn't offer more information.
Can I use a instead of 1 adapter a USB HUB in order to connect more (maximum 4) LED lights?
That's a very good question. I'm really not sure. I think you'd have to find out how much current the power source will provide. My guess would be yes, but your power supply will draw down much quicker. BUT that is purely a guess. I'm sorry I don't have a better answer. If you do experiment, please let me know if it works so others may learn, too.
Today I’ve tried with 2 led lights and they worked well via a USB hub! I hope, it will work with all the for USB slots too! 😊😊
@@horvathgabor5485 Excellent!
Tried with 4 led lights via usb and it worked!!! Success! 😊😊
I mean via a usb hub!
After connecting to the 5 volt adapter instead of the 4,5 volt batteries, I realized, that the light got stronger with the adapter than with the batteries. Question: will not the 5v harm (ruin) the led lights?
LEDs have a safe voltage range so it may depend on the specific LEDs. The pinned comment from @Gary Ritter has some good information that may help.
Could you do this in reverse? How do you power a 5v, 2A heating pad from batteries?
I've never done that but I'd think you could. Without seeing it, I think you'd have to get a battery holder, cut the heating pad's cord USB end off & solder the wires to the positive & negative terminals of the battery holder. If you're not sure what batteries are suitable just look at the power output on the various batteries & from there you can tell which and how many will work for your purpose. Hope that helps a little, at least! :)
@@EndlessDIY Technical question: battery chargers can double up as power banks, but their current output is very low. Do you know why?
@@stephenhogg6154 I'm guessing they're designed based on Ohm's law. I'm no electrician but voltage & current can't really be adjusted independently; it's based on resistance and they are probably designed to have max current. I may be totally wrong about that so you might want to do some research. Here's a link about Ohm's law & you might find other helpful info, too. www.electrical101.com/ohms-law.html
Great work, but you know it's just rechargeable batteries inside that USB battery pack, typically 18650 3.7V Lithium-Ion, they're in everything, most cordless tools, older laptops with removeable batteries. I'd have gone with a wall wart AC/DC power adapter, unless you intend to use it somewhere without outlets
You're exactly right but I did this conversion because I use these as camping lights in my tent, so no "shore" power. For something to plug in, though, I'd do as you suggested. 👍
Aren’t you afraid, that the higher Amper from a usb charter (than from the batteries) will harm the leds?
See the pinned comment by @Gary Ritter. He offers some good information.
Also, you can look up the specifications for the LEDs, power supply, etc & do the calculations ( www.fluke.com/en-us/learn/blog/electrical/what-is-ohms-law ). Or, you can just use an inexpensive light and experiment, like me! If it fries, not much lost & you learn something in the process! 👍
I have converted , my lamps to use 18650 batts, why charge 3 batts when you can charge 1, use them in me Tramper van,
I tried this but unfortunately batteries run at a much lower amperage than usbs do. I think it was about .1 amps while the lowest a usb will run is 1 amp 2.1 if its an old android charger. This means the electronics will run much hotter and potentially burn out. I'm gonna see if I can find a resistor that'll drop down the voltage cause as it stands I'm liable to burn a component.
It’s definitely a good idea to do the math on your devices. 👍🏻
There is no such thing as excessive current (amps) in this case. The device will simply consume only the current that it needs. Now voltage is a different animal. Excessive voltage can wipe out a driver board and LEDs. That's when you need a regulator of some sort.
But a separate regulator is not usually required in these cases. Three fresh alkaline batteries can put out 4.5 volts whereas a USB wall wart puts out around 5.1V. The .6V difference usually doesn't cause problems as the driver boards in most of these devices have some wiggle room to handle a little excess voltage.
Hi, can someone tell me if I can use a phone charger (5V, 2A) instead of 3 AA batteries in row. Do I need a resistor for simple fairy lights?
AAA batteries are 1.5v each so 3 of them equals 4.5v, which, in my experience is close enough. Devices are almost always able to handle some voltage swings, so 1/2v probably isn't a big deal. If your fairy lights take 3 AAA, it _should_ be fine, but I can't guarantee it. If you're worried you might want to do some additional research on a site like Sparkfun or similar. Good luck with your project! :)
@@EndlessDIY thanks ;)
make a knot in the end so it can't be pulled off/out
What Dremel kit are you using?
My Dremel is the 3000 model/kit along with the 36" flex shaft attachment. That attachment is pretty handy for delicate work. Well worth the $30 or so. Hope that helps! :)
@@EndlessDIY Thanks a ton for the prompt reply and the supplied information!
@@brianwieland5158 You're welcome! Good luck with your projects! :)
What's a Jibbernap?
Good question. 🤷♀
Does this recharge the batteries
No, it's used in place of the batteries. The wire you're soldering in can connect to a USB power pack to power the light. The AAA batteries don't go back in.
Here is the answer:
You always plugg USB cord in the wrong way despite if 50/50 chances because of Murphy law hat state that no matter what u do I will always make it wrong for u......😂😂😂
Shielded cable
You're right! I couldn't think of the name. Ha! Thanks!
Great vid! Would be great to learn slightly more abt the elec eng part there. 5V and 1.5V don’t sound close together to me imo - that’s almost 4 times . It’s hard to gauge what’s ok imo and that’s why I got somewhat scared of doing these hardware experiments for myself lol.
Disclaimer: I got an elec eng degree without knowing what I was doing lol. I didn’t specialise in the hardware side of thing anyway.
You're absolutely right, 1.5v is way lower than 5v, but since the light takes three 1.5v batteries, it requires ~4.5v, so a 5v power supply is generally within the tolerance. Hope that explains it! Thanks for watching! :)
@@EndlessDIY yea indeed! Not sure I missed your telling it, but it being a 3-to-4-battery device is quite critical whether it’d succeed or smoke the thing out useless!
@@schwarzkelloggs Absolutely! I explain it at about the 1:07 mark but you were right to be cautious. It's an important piece of info. :)
HELP please? This is quite helpful, as I wanted to do something very similar with a light in my computer desk to brighten it up. PROBLEM IS -- it won't light up sufficiently like the batteries do. I used a voltmeter to find which wires were the power (they weren't the traditional red/black ones), soldered them to the right contacts (I don't want to use batteries again), and tried several different power sources (4 wall chargers with different amperages, and two computer USB ports.) The light won't light up when plugged into any of the wall chargers: and when plugged into the pc usb ports, it strobes a couple times, and then stays rather dim. I don't know enough about this stuff to troubleshoot it myself. Anyone have any suggestions?
Hi there, I would guess the most likely issue is that your light takes more power than the USB ports can provide. Generally, USB provides 5v or power (some can provide more, but from what I understand, they're designed specifically for that purpose). While my little light originally took 3 AAA batteries @ 1.5v each for a total of 4.5v, the 5v USB is close enough. If your light is supposed to run on, say 12v, the USB just won't have enough "oomph" to run it. You can see what it's supposed to run at by looking on the batteries. Each one will tell you what the output is then multiply that by the number of batteries.
Another possible issue is that if it's not a dimmable light, being even slightly underpowered might cause them to flicker.
I'm no electrician but I hope that helps! :)
I would have placed A KNOT on the wire inside, in addition to the hot glue....
Can anyone explain how to reduce the 5v from the USB adapter to only 4.5V. As want to use my device 24/7 I don't want to have that extra .5v as it will reduce the devices life from to much current. I would think a resister in line would do the trick. Any thoughts?
I'm not sure a resistor will serve your purpose. Take a look here: electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/74675/drop-usb-voltage-to-4-5v
You might get some ideas that will help you protect your device reliably. Good luck with your project!
Is it just me or have other viewers noticed poor sound quality of the voiceover? Stuttering, micropauses. I haven't experienced this with any othe YT video and I've replayed hundreds.
There's no issue with the sound quality. It's smooth, loud, and clear. I'm not sure what would cause playback issues for you. One of those weird youtube glitches, I suspect.