Watch Box Modification

I just had to post this because I'm really proud of it.  I've got a few automatic watches that need to stay wound and the rest are mostly Citizen Eco Drives. We are fixing to move right now, so the watch box lost it's place on the dresser since we had to pack that up when we took pictures of the house to sell. So now the box is under the bed. That is generally fine, but the eco drives need light to charge the batteries. I take the box out every once in awhile and let it sit under a lamp while I'm at work, but I just wish there was a way to keep them charged without having to leave the box out. In the new house I should have a place for them, but it is possible that place will be in a walk-in closet without constant light. My wife has this minimalist streak in her and I can see her banishing the box somewhere it isn't in the way. 

I started thinking about how I could get a light in the box to charge the Citizens. I found an LED strip with a USB cord on ebay for like 3 bucks and it gave me a great idea. I stripped the rubber off the cord to reveal the positive and negative wires on the LED and pulled up the winder part of the watch box to expose the motors. Then I spliced the LEDs into one of the motors. The motors only turn on intermittently for a short time before turning off again, so since I spliced the lights in to the motor that means the light will come on when the motors do, thus avoiding having a glowing watch box all the time. It works marvelously!! I stuck the strip of LEDs on the top of the lid and ran the wires down between the box and the level of the winders and I think it looks pretty clean. People would see the lights if they opened the box, but who is really doing that other than me anyway? I think it is a perfect solution for a goofball problem.















Pretty slick, eh? Anytime you can solve a problem with $3 and 10 minutes worth of stripping wires and splicing them together I say it is a win.  I may actually order a second one to wrap around the other side and bottom just so it is uniform all the way around the lid. It will be bright as hell, but it will be intermittent and won't be anywhere that it bothers me.