Home >> Hobbies >> Model Railroads

How to Make an IR Light

Infrared (IR) light is invisible to the naked eye, but can be seen by its effects when used to illuminate a photo or video being shot. You can make your IR light with a few items from a hardware store and an ordinary flashlight purchased at a hobby shop or drugstore. Adult supervision is necessary if the one making the IR flashlight is a child since a soldering iron is used. Your IR flashlight will provide a beam of invisible IR light as well as any commercial model bought in a store.

Things You'll Need

Newspaper
AA battery-powered flashlight
IR LED
Needle-nose pliers
Soldering iron
Solder

Instructions

- 1
  Put newspaper down on a table. Unscrew the reflector from the flashlight. Remove the plastic lens from inside of the reflector. Put the reflector down on the newspaper. Discard the plastic lens.
- 2
  Remove the retaining ring from around the flashlight. Put the retaining ring down on the newspaper.
- 3
  Remove the battery cap from the back end of the flashlight. Put the battery cap down on the newspaper.
- 4
  Remove the batteries from the battery compartment of the flashlight. Put the batteries down on the newspaper.
- 5
  Pull out the bulb module from inside of the flashlight using the needle-nose pliers.
- 6
  Unscrew the incandescent bulb from the bulb module. Discard the incandescent bulb. Put the bulb module down on the newspaper.
- 7
  Solder the long pin at the bottom of the IR LED inside of the hole in the center of the bulb module. Solder the shorter pin at the bottom of the IR LED to the outer ring surrounding the center hole inside of the bulb module. Let the solder cool for a minute.
- 8
  Put the bulb module back into the flashlight. Push down on an edge of the bulb module with the needle-nose pliers so that it is properly seated inside of the flashlight.
- 9
  Put the retaining ring onto the flashlight. Screw the reflector onto the flashlight.
- 10
  Insert the batteries into the battery compartment of the flashlight. Put the battery lid back onto the end of your IR flashlight.

Model Railroads