3D Printed Glowing Ornament

Build a glowing snowflake ornament with Adafruit nOOds LED noodles! Use four strands of LED noodles and a coin cell battery holder to create a light up ornament.

Coin Cell Powered

This battery holder houses two CR2032 coin cells and is conveniently secured to the back of the snowflake so you can quickly get to it.

The battery holder has a built-in switch so you can easily turn it off to preserve the batteries.

CAD Parts List

STL files for 3D printing are oriented to print "as-is" on FDM style machines. Parts are designed to 3D print without any support material. Original design source may be downloaded using the links below:

• Snowflake Back Cover.stl
• Snowflake Front Cover.stl
• Noodle Snowflake.stl

Build Volume

The parts require a 3D printer with a minimum build volume.

• 172mm (X) x 172mm (Y) x 50mm (Z)

Install Front Cover

Insert the front cover into the center of the the snowflake with the chamfered edges fitting together.

The angled edges will prevent the front cover from falling out of the front of the snowflake.

Front Cover

With the front cover fully seated, the holes should be accessible for the LED noodles.

The pins from LED noodles will be inserted through these holes so it's important they are not blocked by the front cover.

Install First Noodle

Begin inserting the pin from a noodle through one of the holes.

Using flat nose pliers, carefully pull the end of the noodle through the hole.

Press Fit Noodle

Flip the snowflake and begin pressing the noodle through the channel to create the first branch of the snowflake.

Installed First Noodle

Carefully fit the other end of the noodle through the second hole in the branch.

Use flat nose pliers to assist in carefully pulling the end of the noodle through the hole.

Noodle Pin Placement

Reference the image for noodles' best placement. The four noodles will be wired in parallel and will share voltage and ground connections.

Polarity Checkpoint

Proceed to install the second noodle into the second branch of the snowflake.

Double check the pins are in the correct orientation for wiring in parallel.

Third Noodle Install

Continue to install the third noodle into the branches.

Fourth Noodle Installed

Take a moment to inspect all of the pins of each noodle.

The voltage (+) and ground (-) symbols are denoted on the image to show correct placement.

Assembly Checkpoint

Ensure the noodles are properly fitted into all of the channels of the four branches.

Hardware for Back Cover

Use the following hardware for the back cover.

• 2x M2 x 12mm long screws
• 2x M2 hex nuts

Install Hardware to Back Cover

Insert M2 screws through the holes with the screw heads facing the top and threads are facing the bottom.

Use the two hex nuts to secure the M2 screws in place.

Create Holes in the Battery Holder

The coin cell battery holder already has mounting holes but they need to poke through the top cover. A screw tap can assist in drilling out the holes.

Use an M2.5 size screw tap to create holes for securing the battery holder to the snowflake's back cover.

Wires and Cables

Measure and cut the 2-pin JST cable so it's about 3in (76mm) in length.

Cut two wires (red and black colored) so they're about 1in (25mm) short. 

Use wire strippers to remove a bit of insulation of the tip of each wire. Tin the wires with a bit of solder.

Solder Voltage Pins

Carefully solder together two voltage pins from two of the noodles.

Proceed to solder together the second set of voltage pins.

Then, solder in-line the red voltage wire to connect both sets of voltage pins.

Tweezer can help assist in soldering.

Solder Ground Pins

Carefully solder together two ground pins from the noodles.

Proceed to solder together the second set of ground pins.

Then, solder in-line the short ground wire to connect both sets of ground pins.

2-pin JST Cable

The 2-pin JST cable will be used so any battery with an accompanying cable can be used like any of the lipo batteries in the shop.

Solder JST Cable

Carefully solder the black wire from the cable to one of the ground pins.

Then, solder the red wire from the cable to one of the voltage pins.

Battery Test

Proceed to connect the coin cell battery holder to the LED noodle snowflake.

Use the on/off switch to test the circuit.

Install Back Cover

Begin inserting the JST cable through the slit in the back cover.

Then, line up the back cover with the snowflake and press to snap fit together.

Make sure the wires are not being kinked.

Install Coin Cell Battery Holder

Place the battery holder over the back cover and press together so the screws are fitted through the mounting holes we made earlier.

Secure Battery Holder

Use the hex nuts to secure the battery holder to the back cover.

Connect and Power

Proceed to connect the JST cables together. Use the switch to turn the circuit on and off.

Congratulations on your build!