LED Tube Light With Manual Color Control Panel

I love taking old stuff and making it new again. It’s like a fun game to see what I can create from things I already have.

That’s how this project started. I found an old fluorescent light that no one was using and thought, “I can do something with this.” So, I combined my love for reusing things with some electronics.

In this project, we'll turn that old light into a cool new LED tube light. It won't just turn on and off—it will change colors! We'll add an LED strip and a simple control panel so you can pick any color you want.

1. Old fluorescent tube light fixture.
2. 12V DC SMD 5050 RGB LED strip light
3. A phone charger 5volts 1A (used as power supply)
4. Wires of different colors (black for ground, red for 5V, and others for RGB)
5. Soldering iron and solder
6. Wire cutters/strippers
7. Hot glue gun
8. Multimeter (optional, but good for troubleshooting)
9. Manual color mixer circuit components:
10. Perf board/zero PCB
11. 12V mini DC to DC boost step up converter board module with 5V/8V/9V/12V output
12. Potentiometers 10K=> 3 quantity
13. Potentiometer knobs=> 3 quantity
14. Resistors 100ohm=> 3 quantity
15. Female micro USB 2-pin panel mount connector (without wire)
16. JST-SM Male-Female 4-pin battery connector with wire
17. A box to keep color mixer circuit
18. Airdry clay
19. Nail paint- white color

So, I'm using an old fluorescent tube and replacing the innards with an RGB LED strip. I'm powering it with a phone charger, but I need to boost the voltage from 5V to 12V, so I'm using a 12V booster module. To control the colors, I'm using three potentiometers, one for each color - red, green, and blue. I'm also adding resistors to limit the current and prevent damage to the LEDs.

I prepared the tube light's tube by thoroughly cleaning it to remove any dirt, dust, or debris from the old fluorescent tube. I made sure to get rid of any existing fluorescent components, like the phosphor coating or electrodes, to make way for the RGB LED strip. By cleaning and prepping the tube, I was able to create a smooth surface for attaching the LED strip.

I cut the RGB LED strip to the perfect length for my tube light project. Then, I carefully soldered resistors to each color channel - red, green and blue - to limit the current and prevent damage to the LEDs. After soldering, I secured the connections with heat shrink tubes to keep everything protected and tidy. It was a bit fiddly, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

I started building the circuit by connecting the 5V phone charger to the 12V booster module's input. To make it easier to plug in the charger, I soldered a micro USB port to the booster's input terminals. This way, I can simply use a standard micro USB cable to power the circuit.

Next, I connected the output of the 12V booster module to the potentiometers. I used three potentiometers, one for each color channel (red, green, and blue) of the RGB LED strip. The potentiometers will allow me to control the voltage sent to each color channel, enabling me to mix and match colors.

From the potentiometers, I connected the output to a JST SM 4-pin connector, which will link to the RGB LED strip. This connector will make it easy to plug in the LED strip and test the circuit.

With all the components connected, I assembled the circuit on a Zero PCB, making sure all the connections were secure and tidy.

I carefully assembled the circuit board inside a box, making sure everything fit securely. To access the ports and controls, I cut holes in the box's enclosure. I made a holes for the JST SM 4-pin connector, allowing me to easily plug in the RGB LED strip and for the micro USB port, making it convenient to connect the 5V charger.

Additionally, I cut three holes for the potentiometer knobs, one for each color channel (red, green, and blue). With the holes cut and the circuit board secured, the box provides a neat and organized housing for my project.

My favorite part of the project painting on things. Take nail paints and make potentiometer caps in Red,Green and Blue. Paint on the shrink tubes because mine were transparent. And at last on the controller box with black spray paints.

To install the tube lights I found this type on hook something at the hardware store. And it works.