Satbi: February 12

A simple money-saving walk-through on how to replace dim or dead LED bulbs in your child’s Dream Lite instead of having to buy a new one. Some experience with using a soldering iron is recommended but you certainly don’t have to be an expert for this.

Edit Steps

Edit Part One: Removing the Old Bulb

Prepare. Arrange your tools on a clean flat surface and have all your tools at hand. Make sure you have enough space to move around as well as keeping your soldering iron at a safe distance while not in use.
- Make sure you have the Dream Lite on hand, too!

Remove the batteries. Remove all three batteries before moving forward.

Remove the top cover. Starting at the corners, pull up until you hear the top cover pop, continue to the next corner (start going long ways) and then pull up on the middle. The other side will come off with greater ease once the first side is done.
- This does take a bit of muscle; don’t be afraid to strong arm it, just be mindful of your fingernails.
- Here’s what it should look like without the cover.

Unscrew the board. Using a Phillips head screwdriver, remove the two screws that are securing the board to the casing.
- You will now be able to move the board around but be careful as some of the wires are short and won’t allow you to twist too far.

Take this time to examine which bulb you need to remove. D1 is the amber LED, D2 is the green LED, and D3 is the blue LED.
- This tutorial shows replacement of the blue LED (D3). You can even change up the colors to suit your child’s taste.

Secure the dim/dead LED. Place locking pliers (regular pliers will work but you will need to keep your grip) around the bulb you want to remove keeping it as close to the board as possible. You can use this to not only hold your board still but the added pressure will help pull the bulb out as you use your soldering iron to loosen it.

Remove the bulb. Using the pliers to hold the bulb and board, carefully use the soldering iron to melt the solder around the two pins for that specific LED bulb. This may take some back-and-forth moving between the pins––do not hold the iron against the board or keep it on the solder too long or you may damage the board this way. Going back and forth will help keep the heat down.
- You can use small nail clippers to trim some of the solder and pin away before using the soldering iron. This can help cut down the amount of time needed to loosen the bulb; doing this is optional.

Edit Part Two: Installing the New Bulb

Prepare the new bulb.
- Depending on the style of LED bulb you are using, you may have to trim the pins. Trim just above the little squares using wire cutters or nail clippers.
- If you want to test the bulb before doing anything and have a flat 3v battery at hand, place the bulb with one pin on each side as shown in the photo. Make sure the positive pin is on the positive side. If it doesn’t light, try flipping the bulb around.

Find the positive pin. Each bulb has a positive and negative pin. In order for it to work, you must make sure you are placing the new bulb on the board correctly. To find the positive and negative pin, look at the inside of the bulb. The positive pin will have the least amount of metal inside and the negative pin will have the most.

Find the 2 small openings on the board. You can use them to slide the new bulb into. One of the openings will have + above it. Make sure to place the positive pin into that hole.

Secure the new bulb. Using electrical tape, secure the new bulb onto the board to keep it in place while soldering.
- If you make the strip of tape long enough, you can then secure the board to part of the casing.
- This will help keep your hands free to use the soldering iron and solder.

Solder the new bulb. Using a small amount of solder, secure the pins to the board being careful to not press the iron against the board for too long. Use as little solder as possible to keep the board clean.

Edit Part Three: Finishing Up

Test the bulb. Replace the batteries and turn on the Dream Lite. Go through all of the settings to make sure the bulb is bright enough and dims with the rotate setting.

Remove the batteries. Screw the board back in once you have verified everything is working.

Replace the top. Pop the top of the casing back on. Again, this takes a bit of muscle. Start with the corners first and then the middle. Revel in your newfound skills!

Edit Tips

Before replacing the bulb, make sure you have tried placing brand new batteries into the Dream Lite first. Low batteries can cause one of the lights to dim while the other two remain bright.

You can get assorted LEDs on ebay in packs of 50 or more for around $5.00, typically with free shipping. Feel free to use whatever colors you want.

Edit Warnings

Be cautious when using the soldering iron. Keep a safe distance when not in use and be careful to not burn yourself, the plastic casing, and the board while using.

Edit Things You’ll Need

Dream Lite

New LED bulb

Flat 3 volt battery for testing (optional)

Phillips head screwdriver

Needle nose pliers – preferably ones that clamp

Wire cutters and nail clippers (you can use one or the other if you don’t have both)

Electrical tape

Soldering Iron

Solder

Article Tools

Read on wikiHow

Email this Article

Edit

Discuss

Source: How To

Total Post Views : 0

The post How to Replace a Dream Lite LED Bulb appeared first on Satbi.

Make Valentine's Day Extra Special Step 1 Version 2.jpg

The pressure that comes every February 14th should not overwhelm you from showing your loved ones just how much you care about them. Whether you’re in a relationship or single, there are simple ways to make Valentine’s Day extra special for the ones you love, not to mention yourself. Soon your loved ones will be thinking you were struck by Cupid’s arrow!

Edit Steps

Edit For your significant other

Don’t forget! Mark your calendars, because the worst thing is to be caught off guard, struggling at the last minute to make Valentine’s Day special for your partner.

Plan ahead. Procrastination leads to sloppiness. Start thinking about plans, reservations and gift ideas a week in advance to make sure everything plays out smoothly.

Anything is better than nothing! Whatever you do, do not leave your partner empty-handed. A card, flowers and candy are all cliché, but clichés become that way for a reason; they’re effective.

Make them feel loved. Valentine’s Day is all about expressing your love for someone. Give your partner your undivided attention, and go the extra mile to prove there’s no one you’d rather share this day with.

Do something specific to your relationship. Whether it’s revisiting the site of your first date or surprising them with plans you’ve been talking about doing forever but kept putting off, showing your partner that you listen and hold reverence for moments in your relationship is the best way to go.

Celebrate your love and relationship. Reflect on your relationship; relive the laughs, the romance and all the other little things that have made it so special. A photo scrapbook or slideshow, as well as mementos from dates are a great way to show nostalgia and sentimentality for your partner.

Edit For your family members

Send them cards. Buy a pack of Valentine’s Day cards, right a quick loving message in them and mail them off to your family. It’s simple, but shows forethought and caring.

Call them. Even if it’s just for a brief 5 minutes, calling up your parents to tell them you love them isn’t going to kill you. They’ll truly appreciate it and you’ll get an “I love you” back indefinitely.

A simple sign of affection: If you’re around your family members, drop in for a visit and leave them with a hug or kiss. Take mom out to lunch or dad out to the golf course to hit a few balls.

Edit For your friends

Celebrate with each other. Go out for a night on the town with your friends if you’re single. What better way to try to find love then going out with your friends and playing matchmaker for the night?

Express how much your friendship means. Something as simple as a text wishing them a Happy Valentine’s Day or a Facebook post with heart emojis is a nice way to show that you may not share romantic love, but it’s still love all the same.

Gift ideas for friends. Give each other silly gifts like a giant pink gorilla, or buy those giant heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and a bottle of wine and share amongst each other.

Edit For your crushes

Go the extra mile. If you’re crushing on Valentine’s Day, a good way to really show that person your feelings is to do something they might not expect. Being there for them in any way could go a long way.

Give them or make them something. This shows a lot of thought on your part and solidifies you as someone who cares about them. Whether it’s baking them a cupcake or slipping them a card, it’s the gesture that will resonate the most.

Tell them you like them. If they’re single too and you’ve been flirting with the idea for a while, just go for it.

Edit For yourself

Treat yourself. You love yourself (hopefully) so why not treat yourself to the same kind of love and affection you’re giving to others. Buy something for yourself or take an hour for some “me” time. You deserve it.

Don’t beat yourself up for being single. Valentine’s Day is notorious for being a couples’ holiday. Don’t let the social stigma of this holiday knock you down if you happen to be single on this one day. It’s better to be single than to have a partner you choose to love out of convenience to satisfy the expectations of this holiday.

Celebrate love in general. Love is universal, so celebrate this natural, all-encompassing human emotion. Celebrate your accomplishments, party with your friends or surround yourself with family. Love comes in all forms beyond just romance. Allow yourself to feel it in some way.

Be the best you can be for your loved ones. It’s the one day of the year where everyone should take an extra minute and acknowledge the loved ones that you value, whoever they may be. It truly is the little things, and you’ll end up making someone’s day by expressing your love for them.

Edit Tips

If you truly love someone, use this day as an excuse to express that feeling. Finally. Anything, even a simple hug or an “I love you” can go a long way.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to show your love and affection.

Don’t let the stress of the day get to you. Don’t overthink gifts or plans. Do what comes naturally in your relationships with your loved ones while actually taking the time to show and celebrate your love on this day.

You don’t need grand gestures to make Valentine’s Day truly special. Simply going out of your way to do something nice or thoughtful can make a huge difference.

Making something shows more thought and affection. Anyone can go out and buy something, but to actually put your own time and effort into making something, or setting up a marvelous date, shows serious commitment.

Make this day about your loved one. Do the things they like to do, or that you know they’ll respond well to. Remember to always keep their feelings and tastes in mind. Knowing these details and accommodating to them will make for a truly special Valentine’s Day they will always cherish.

Be conscious of when Valentine’s Day falls. You really only get one shot at making sure your cards, flowers or other gifts arrive for your loved ones on February 14th. Nothing is worse than a belated Valentine’s Day gift. Plan ahead, and plan accordingly.

Decorating with cut-out hearts or rose petals is a quick, easy way to show someone you care without having to put too much time or money into the sentiment.