Arduino Light Box

I saw this light box on AliExpress. It's kind of like a "Useless Box" in that it has a switch and all it does is swing the bulb up and turn it on.

But it looks like they don't sell the box, or the ones they sell use a magnetic base bulb instead of USB. Plus it's battery powered, which is silly considering how much power the bulb draws (~100mA).

Here is my DIY version.

It's powered by external 5V, so it's actually a useful light that can run for a long time. A button toggles the light on and off, with some random useless fidgiting for entertainment.

Beware that the light box only works with "dumb" bulbs. Most of the bulbs that look like this are touch controlled (dimmable) and the light box can't control them.

The wiring is very simple; an Arduino Pro Mini, servo, button, and MOSFET to control the bulb...

Arduino Light Box

Design Documents

Schematic Diagram	schematic.pdf
Source Code	View Download
PCB Files	usb_breakout_gerbers.zip
3D Print Files	mechanical.zip

Build Pictures

Interior

Stowed Away

Deployed