LED Hula Hoop

LED hula hoops are so beautiful to watch, and creating a custom hoop is a satisfying challenge. Twenty-one LEDs are used in this hoop; 6 are flashing LEDs that cycle through the colors of the rainbow. Each light is combined with a resistor and then wired together in a classic and simple parallel circuit.

Be sure to research each part and its specs when creating the circuit design. Each LED for this project was chosen for its similar voltage drop, making things simpler by requiring only one value of resistor.

The battery for this project can be a laptop battery like the one used here, or a few AAA batteries taped into series. Either way, the tube can be taken apart for the battery to be easily changed. Experimentation and thoughtful research will make this project successful.

December 18, 2012, 10:35 pm PST

Parts
/
Tools

Parts

Resistor, 100 ohm (21)
Wire, 22-gauge with white insulation (1)
LED, any color, including multicolored flashers (21)
Wire, stiff (1) like an unbent coat hanger
Lithium CMOS battery, 3.6V with axial leads (1) (as an alternative you can use two AAA batteries wired in series)
Switch (1) Almost any kind will do, so long as it fits into the hoop.
Epoxy (1) (or as an alternative you can use hot glue)
Electrical tape, white (1)
Barbed pipe fitting (1) to match tubing diameter, from the plumbing or garden section of a hardware store
HDPE plastic tubing, 3/4" or 1" outer diameter x 0.75 wall The tubing must be translucent so that light can be emitted from within, and HDPE's natural color is a translucent milky white. It must be stiff, yet easy to bend in a circle. The diameter is an important consideration: ¾" tubing is less expensive but trickier to fit the circuit and battery into, while 1" tubing costs more but gives more options for batteries and their holders. A common package length is 100', enough for almost 10 hoops.

Tools

Needlenose pliers
PVC pipe cutter (or you could use a hack saw)
Razor blade
Soldering iron
Sponge
Wire cutters
Measuring tape

8 Responses to LED Hula Hoop

Brookelynn Morris on July 20th, 2011 at 9:06 am said:

Yep! The 3.6 volt laptop battery lights all 21 LED’s, and in the last 3 years, I’ve only had to change it once!
Adri on March 27th, 2013 at 3:12 pm said:

Where did you get your clear tubing to make the hoop out of and to put the lights inside of?
- Danielle on May 28th, 2013 at 2:40 pm said:
  
  go to ace hardware. it’s called skarkbite tubing.
Jeana on August 6th, 2013 at 10:00 pm said:

What kind of tubing do you use???? I have looked everywhere and it is always way too flexible.
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Daniela on July 30th, 2014 at 12:33 pm said:

How did you arrive at the 100-ohm resistors? All resistor calculators give me much lower values — 33-ohm resistors for 3.6V source and 3V LEDs. With two AAA batteries as the source (3V), it goes up to 56 ohms, but that’s still not close to 100.
- Craig Mckenzie on July 21st, 2017 at 4:24 am said:
  
  It doesn’t really matter in most cases. Using 1/3 the resistance value will just allow 3x the current, so brighter LEDs but shorter battery life. You can use a potentiometer or a few different resistor values to see what difference it makes in brightness.
  You can use Ohm’s Law to calculate the current.
  I = V/R = 3.6 / 100 = 0.036 A = 36 mA
  I = 3.6 / 33 = 109 mA
  
  You can check component data sheets for recommended current ranges for various LEDs.
Trey Paschal on June 7th, 2015 at 12:34 pm said:

This company makes amazing hoops if you get discouraged and want to buy one. http://www.zenhoop.com