There are plenty of flashlights on the market today – models that you shake, crank, twist, click, and more. If none of these flashlights tickle your fancy or you don’t want to pay lots of money for unneeded bells and whistles, you can make your own flashlight from a toilet paper tube and other basic supplies you can find in your home.
A. Gather your materials. It’s time to beckon the MacGyver within you and get started. You’ll need:
- 2 D cell batteries (separate)
- 2 5″ pieces of number 22 insulated copper bell wire (1″ of insulation stripped off both ends)
- Cardboard tube cut to 4″ in length
- PR6, or number 222, 3-volt flashlight bulb
- 2 brass fasteners (brads)
- 1″ x 3″ cardboard strip
- Paper clip
- Tape
- Bathroom-size paper cup
B. Attach a brass tab to the end of each wire. Wrap it around to secure it. Punch the tabs through the same side of the cardboard tube, but with the wires coming out of different ends. The pointy ends should be sticking out of the tube. This’ll be used to serve as part of the on/off switch.
C. Tape your two D batteries together. Make sure the positive of one end is on the bottom of the negative end. Your battery should double in length, not width. Make sure they’re firmly attached to each other and slide the batteries into the tube.
D. Tape the wire on the negative end to the battery. The negative end is the flat one. Masking tape is sufficient for this.
E. Cut a hole in your small cardboard strip. Place the wire on the positive end through that hole and wrap that wire around the bulb. Place the end of the bulb into the hole so it can be supported by the cardboard.
- Place tape around the base of the bulb and cardboard to keep it secure to the wire. It should start flickering on at this point.
F. Cut a hole in the bottom of a paper cup just large enough for the bulb. Place the bulb into the hole and secure the cup to the cardboard base with more tape.
G. Insert a pop tab in between the two brass tab ends. When the pop tab is touching both, it conducts the electricity and turns your flashlight on. If the pop tab is moved, your flashlight turns off.
- You can use a paperclip instead of a pop tab, too!
H. Finished.
Source : WikiHow