

A tutorial for using 3V LEDs with a battery holder and switch unit is below. These instructions may be used when lighting any small project (dollhouses, dioramas, art projects, railroad scenes, and more) with tiny 3 Volt LEDs.
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An LED connected to a battery holder and switch unit |
You will need:
If you already have a 3V LED, you may wish to purchase the battery holder, switch, battery and shrink-tube to complete your LED setup.
If you want the 3V LED lights only, they may be purchased separately.
First, a basic introduction to LEDs (the tutorial follows):
LEDs are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs.
LEDs for miniaturists are typically available in 3V, 9V and 12V. Depending upon the type of LED, you may use a:
IMPORTANT: Make sure that the LED that is purchased is compatible with the power source that you intend to use it with.
![]() |
A blue LED lends an eery look
|
All of the LEDs purchased from True2Scale should be used with a 3V coin cell battery CR2032, NOT a dollhouse power supply or a 9V battery. The 3V battery is preferred because it is small and allows for the freedom to move the display around without having to worry about hooking it up to a stationary power supply (an outlet for example). Also, the battery allows up to 10 lights to run for about 12 hours. 3 lights will run on a single battery for about 40 hours. The battery may be changed.
I recommend using no more than 10 LEDs per battery. The more LEDs used, the sooner the battery will need to be changed.
![]() |
This hutch, decorated by After Dark Miniatures, contains 8 glitter houses
|
Conducting a Trial Test
Before assembling a glitter house or other project, you may wish to check the LED.
![]() |
Battery and battery holder (A), Switch (B), Shrink-tube (C), LED (D) |
Changing the Brightness of the LED
When I wish to dim the brightness of the LED, I paint over the bulb with a white or cream color paint. Acrylic or enamel work just fine. If a dimmer light is desired, you may wish to use 1/4 watt resistors. These come in a package of varying tolerances. You'll want to try different color resistors out to see which tolerance you prefer. You will need 2 resistors. 1) Slide the shrink tube over the wires. 2) Twist the red wire of the LED to the first resistor; twist the red wire of the switch to the resistor. 3) twist the green wire of the LED to the second resistor; twist the black wire of the switch to the other end of the second resistor. 4) Slide the shrink tubes over the connections and heat with a hair dryer until they have shrunk tightly around the connections.
Making the LED Wires Shorter
Straighten the wire of the LED. Figure out the length that you want the wires to be. If the wires need to be shortened, the ends may be re-exposed by gently sanding with a piece of fine sandpaper.
Attaching the LED to a Glitter House
Attaching the LEDs to the glitter houses BEFORE assembling the houses makes lighting them much easier! To do so, cut a sliver size piece of transparent tape (a tweezers works well to handle the tape and keep it sticky). Attach the LED to the inside of a PRE-CONSTRUCTED, FLAT glitter house, with the yellow side facing out (a green arrow is printed on the back side of the LED). Clamp the LED to the house with a tweezers and bend the wires to exit the back of the house. Don't worry about hiding the wires; they are so fine that they will not cause gaps, and may be covered with white paint, glue and glitter to blend into the snow. Glue the base to the house and decorate the house according to the directions supplied with the glitter house kit.
Slip the black shrink-tubes (C) over the ends of the wires on the switch (B). Push them toward the switch. As before, you will twist the red wires together; and twist the black wire and the remaining wire together. Pull the black tubes down to cover the connections. Heat with a hair dryer until the black tubes shrink down to fit tightly around the wires. Enjoy your beautifully lit project!
This is the method that I teach in workshops:
I recommend using no more than 10 LEDs per battery. The more LEDs used, the sooner the battery will need to be changed.
If a project requires longer lentghs of wires, we recommend using wired connectors. The perfect solution for extending the length of wires when lighting a project, wired connectors also provide the ability to easily disconnect the wires from a project when moving the project.
To add wired connectors to LEDs and battery holders:
A tutorial for using 3V LEDs with a battery holder and switch unit is below. These instructions may be used when lighting any small project (dollhouses, dioramas, art projects, railroad scenes, and more) with tiny 3 Volt LEDs.
![]() |
An LED connected to a battery holder and switch unit |
You will need:
If you already have a 3V LED, you may wish to purchase the battery holder, switch, battery and shrink-tube to complete your LED setup.
If you want the 3V LED lights only, they may be purchased separately.
First, a basic introduction to LEDs (the tutorial follows):
LEDs are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs.
LEDs for miniaturists are typically available in 3V, 9V and 12V. Depending upon the type of LED, you may use a:
IMPORTANT: Make sure that the LED that is purchased is compatible with the power source that you intend to use it with.
![]() |
A blue LED lends an eery look
|
All of the LEDs purchased from True2Scale should be used with a 3V coin cell battery CR2032, NOT a dollhouse power supply or a 9V battery. The 3V battery is preferred because it is small and allows for the freedom to move the display around without having to worry about hooking it up to a stationary power supply (an outlet for example). Also, the battery allows up to 10 lights to run for about 12 hours. 3 lights will run on a single battery for about 40 hours. The battery may be changed.
I recommend using no more than 10 LEDs per battery. The more LEDs used, the sooner the battery will need to be changed.
![]() |
This hutch, decorated by After Dark Miniatures, contains 8 glitter houses
|
Conducting a Trial Test
Before assembling a glitter house or other project, you may wish to check the LED.
![]() |
Battery and battery holder (A), Switch (B), Shrink-tube (C), LED (D) |
Changing the Brightness of the LED
When I wish to dim the brightness of the LED, I paint over the bulb with a white or cream color paint. Acrylic or enamel work just fine. If a dimmer light is desired, you may wish to use 1/4 watt resistors. These come in a package of varying tolerances. You'll want to try different color resistors out to see which tolerance you prefer. You will need 2 resistors. 1) Slide the shrink tube over the wires. 2) Twist the red wire of the LED to the first resistor; twist the red wire of the switch to the resistor. 3) twist the green wire of the LED to the second resistor; twist the black wire of the switch to the other end of the second resistor. 4) Slide the shrink tubes over the connections and heat with a hair dryer until they have shrunk tightly around the connections.
Making the LED Wires Shorter
Straighten the wire of the LED. Figure out the length that you want the wires to be. If the wires need to be shortened, the ends may be re-exposed by gently sanding with a piece of fine sandpaper.
Attaching the LED to a Glitter House
Attaching the LEDs to the glitter houses BEFORE assembling the houses makes lighting them much easier! To do so, cut a sliver size piece of transparent tape (a tweezers works well to handle the tape and keep it sticky). Attach the LED to the inside of a PRE-CONSTRUCTED, FLAT glitter house, with the yellow side facing out (a green arrow is printed on the back side of the LED). Clamp the LED to the house with a tweezers and bend the wires to exit the back of the house. Don't worry about hiding the wires; they are so fine that they will not cause gaps, and may be covered with white paint, glue and glitter to blend into the snow. Glue the base to the house and decorate the house according to the directions supplied with the glitter house kit.
Slip the black shrink-tubes (C) over the ends of the wires on the switch (B). Push them toward the switch. As before, you will twist the red wires together; and twist the black wire and the remaining wire together. Pull the black tubes down to cover the connections. Heat with a hair dryer until the black tubes shrink down to fit tightly around the wires. Enjoy your beautifully lit project!
This is the method that I teach in workshops:
I recommend using no more than 10 LEDs per battery. The more LEDs used, the sooner the battery will need to be changed.
If a project requires longer lentghs of wires, we recommend using wired connectors. The perfect solution for extending the length of wires when lighting a project, wired connectors also provide the ability to easily disconnect the wires from a project when moving the project.
To add wired connectors to LEDs and battery holders: