Custom LED Desk Lamp with Touch Sensor

Create a sleek and modern desk lamp featuring adjustable brightness controlled by a touch sensor. This project combines basic electronics and crafting skills to build a functional and stylish lighting solution for your workspace.

Tech & Gadgets Intermediate 3 hours $25
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Plan your lamp design: Decide on the size and shape of the lamp body and where the LED strip and touch sensor will be mounted.
2. Prepare the LED strip: Cut the LED strip to your desired length and solder wires to the positive and negative terminals.
3. Connect the LED strip to the MOSFET: Connect the LED strip positive lead to the 12V supply and the negative lead to the MOSFET drain pin.
4. Wire the MOSFET source pin to ground.
5. Connect the MOSFET gate pin to a PWM-enabled Arduino Nano output pin through an appropriate resistor.
6. Connect the touch sensor module to the Arduino: power (5V and GND) and signal pin to a digital input.
7. Program the Arduino Nano to read the touch sensor input and adjust the brightness of the LED strip via PWM on the MOSFET gate pin.
8. Test the circuit on a breadboard before final assembly.
9. Build or prepare the lamp enclosure: sand and finish wood or use a small project box.
10. Mount the LED strip inside the lamp shade or body using double-sided tape or hot glue.
11. Secure the touch sensor in an accessible location on the lamp base.
12. Place the Arduino and MOSFET circuit inside the enclosure and organize wiring neatly.
13. Connect the power supply and verify all connections.
14. Power on the lamp and test touch sensitivity and brightness adjustment.
15. Make any final adjustments and close the enclosure securely.
Materials
LED strip (12V, warm white or cool white)
Touch sensor module (capacitive)
Arduino Nano or similar microcontroller
5V power supply or USB power adapter
N-channel MOSFET (e.g., IRF520) to control LED strip
Breadboard and jumper wires
Small project enclosure or wooden box for the base
Soldering iron and solder
Double-sided tape or hot glue
USB cable for programming Arduino
Resistors (as needed for touch sensor and MOSFET gate)
Wire cutters/strippers
Sandpaper (optional, for finishing wood)
Small screwdriver
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