Completed project

Tap Light

A rechargeable tap light for room decoration, developed around a 45 mm round PCB — four LEDs, a 300 mAh cell and USB-C charging, switched between two brightness levels by tapping it.

This page shows the product and the numbers behind it. It is one of our own projects, not client work.

Overview

This is the base of a small tap light for room decoration — the part that carries the electronics: the round PCB, the battery and the charging port. The base itself measures 45 × 45 × 13 mm, in PP plastic with a matte finish.

There is no switch to hunt for in the dark. The button powers the light on, and from there a tap on the top cycles it between the two brightness levels: 50%, then 100%, then back again.

Specifications

How it works

1. Switch on

   The button on the base powers the light on. Everything after that is done by tapping the product.

2. First tap — 50%

   A single tap brings the light up to half brightness, which is the level most people will use it at.

3. Second tap — 100%

   A second tap takes it to full brightness. Further taps cycle back to 50% and up again.

4. Charging

   The USB Type-C port charges the 300 mAh cell in roughly 45 to 50 minutes.

What we coordinated

• Product definition — a rechargeable room decorative light, taken from the requirement to a buildable specification
• Electronics design — schematic, PCB layout and firmware built around a Nyquest microcontroller
• Enclosure and structure — a PP housing with a matte finish
• Component sourcing — every component on the board purchased by us

What was tested

• AOI — automated optical inspection after assembly
• ICT — in-circuit test on the assembled board
• FCT — functional test. The board is powered up and exercised as a working unit rather than checked part by part: it has to switch on, answer a tap, step through both brightness levels and take a charge. Inspection can pass a board that still does not work — this is the step that catches it.
• Burn-in — the units powered continuously for an extended period. A board that works as it leaves the line can still fail in its first hours of use: an intermittent joint, a marginal component, a cell that will not hold up. Burn-in screens those out — intermittent faults and early component failures — before the product reaches a customer, rather than after.

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Common questions

• How long does it run on one charge?

  Up to 8 hours on a full charge. That is the upper figure for this product — how long it lasts in practice depends on the brightness level you use it at.

• Can I buy this tap light from you?

  This page shows the engineering, not a shop. It is a product we developed; if you want something built to your own requirements, send us the requirement and we will tell you honestly what is possible.

• Can it be made in a different size or brightness?

  The dimensions and LED configuration listed here are what this version uses. A different size, output or battery life is a new development question rather than a variant we can quote off the shelf — send us the requirement and we will assess it.