Half Charged on Purpose - Disc golf glow box

Updated 2.11.2026: 
added US Amazon link for LED strip connectors to bom and updated connector size.

The glow season is here already!

Meet a simple, USB-powered UV charger for glow discs. It's the result of three winters of testing and refining for glow rounds, and now it's ready to share.

I got rid of soldering entirely, because it proved unreliable. Pads kept ripping off the LED strip.

Only half of the disc gets charged. This is a feature, not a bug. I found that a fully glowing disc can be hard to track in flight, and leaving part of it dark gives a flickering effect, similar to a half-dyed disc.

Charging takes only a couple of seconds, so you can keep the round moving instead of waiting around in the dark.

Optionally you can buy 9x9 mm self adhesive brush seal to act as partial UV blocker. 

▶ Build and presentation video

Features

• Powered by any USB source, such as a power bank or a USB battery holder for AA cells

• Some LED strips already come with a battery holder like this. I prefer it over a power bank, because most power banks switch off when the draw is low, which happens between charges.

• Turns on and off automatically, with a satisfying click when inserting the disc

• 5V UV LED strip, no soldering and no programming

• No heat-set inserts needed

• Uses common parts: M3 screws, Wago 221 style lever connectors and a micro switch

• Base designed around press-fit LED strip connectors, so there's no glue

• Complete assembly is shown step by step in the video

Bill of materials

The full bill of materials is attached as a PDF (Disc Golf Glow Box.pdf). Here is the short version:

• 1 m (3.3 ft) of 5V UV LED strip, 8 mm wide, 60 LED/m (395 nm recommended, 365 to 405 nm works)

• 5x solderless LED strip to wire connectors for 8 mm strip

• Wago 221 style lever connectors (2x 5-port, 2x 3-port)

• Micro switch V-156-1C25

• M3 button head screws (8x 6 to 25 mm, 2x M3x18, 1x M3x25)

• 2x 4.8 mm (0.187 in) female quick-disconnect crimp terminals

• USB power cable and some spare wire

Basic tools are enough: a hex key, wire strippers (or a knife) and a crimping tool or pliers.

Print settings

Slicer: Orca Slicer

• 0.4 mm nozzle, 0.2 mm layer height

• 3 wall loops with alternate extra wall

• 4 top and bottom shell layers

• 15% gyroid infill

• Supports for the base part only

• Material: PETG, or ASA if you have an enclosed printer

• Print time and filament use: on my Qidi Q2 it took 5h 50m and around 220 g of filament

Tip: Print the interior in white. It reflects more light, so discs charge faster. Other colors work too, but keep the interior as bright as possible.

Safety

UV light is harmful to eyes and skin. Do not look directly into the LEDs. Brush seal may reduce the risk but not eliminate completely.

License

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Free for everyone to print, share and remix with credit, under the same license. Not for sale, either as files or printed parts.

If you paid for this, you got scammed, as it is free and parts are dirt cheap.

Feedback

Questions, remixes and photos of your build are very welcome in the comments. If you make one, I'd love to see it.