Please read and follow the steps carefully to ensure this lighting kit is installed properly.
If you are viewing this user guide as a PDF file, you can also view this online by clicking here.
Package contents:
6 x White 30cm Bit Light
1 x 8 Port Expansion Board
1 x Battery Pack (3 x AA batteries not included)
Important things to note:
Laying cables in between and underneath bricks
Cables can fit in between and underneath LEGO® bricks, plates, and tiles providing they are laid correctly between the LEGO® studs. Do NOT forcefully join LEGO® together around cables; instead ensure they are laying comfortably in between each stud.
CAUTION: Forcing LEGO® to connect over a cable can result in damaging the cable and light.
Connecting cable connectors to Expansion Boards
Take extra care when inserting connectors to ports of Expansion Boards. Connectors can be inserted only one way. With the expansion board facing up, look for the soldered “=” symbol on the left side of the port. The connector side with the wires exposed should be facing toward the soldered “=” symbol as you insert into the port. If a plug won’t fit easily into a port connector, do not force it.
Incorrectly inserting the connector can result in bent pins inside the port or possible overheating of the component when connected.
Installing Bit Lights under LEGO® bricks and plates.
When installing Bit Lights under LEGO® pieces, ensure they are placed the correct way up (Yellow LED component exposed). You can either place them directly on top of LEGO® studs or in between.
Instructions for installing this kit
The Big Bang Theory set can have a variety of configurations depending on how you choose to seat your characters and other movable items. There should be little or no impact as you install the LED lighting kit, but make adjustments as necessary. Your set does not have to be configured the same as our set to enjoy the effects of this LED lighting kit.
Remove the light from the left hand side of the back wall.
Remove the light from the right hand side of the front wall.
The steps below show details for one light. Follow the steps for both lights.
Disconnect the transparent yellow cone piece from the black tap piece.
Grab a White Bit Light and feed the plug end through the large end of the transparent yellow cone piece.
Pull the wires all the way through until the LED is inside the transparent yellow cone piece.
Bend the wire so that it comes out the the transparent yellow cone piece at a right angle.
Line up the black tap piece to insert back into the transparent yellow cone piece. Have the large round end facing the same way as the wire coming out of the transparent yellow cone piece. In the photos, you can see that they are both facing right.
Very slowly, join the transparent yellow cone piece and the black tap piece back together. It is a tight fit and doing this slowly will prevent damage to the wires.
Put the lights aside for now.
Remove the green lantern from the bookshelf behind the couch.
Remove the green tap piece from the top of the lantern and the transparent green round plate from the front of the lantern.
Grab a White Bit Light and feed the plug end through the square opening of the green headlight piece. Get it to exit the green headlight piece through the round opening. Sometimes we need to bend the wires slightly near the plug end of the wire to get it to feed through.
As you continue to pull the LED wire through, try to arrange it so that the yellow LED component is mostly facing outwards from the brick. If it is facing inwards, you may not get the best lighting effect for this piece.
Replace the transparent green round plate on the front of the lantern.
With the wires running towards the back and away from the transparent green round plate, replace the green tap piece on top of the lantern. Do this slowly as there are wires running between these two pieces.
Put the green lantern aside for now.
Remove the plasma ball from the bookshelf behind the couch.
Remove the transparent clear top piece and the black 1 x 1 round plate.
Put the black 1 x 1 round plate aside as we won’t be using it in this model anymore.
Grab a White Bit Light and feed the plug end through the top of the black 1 x 1 round brick.
Pull the wires through until the LED component is sitting face up on top of the black 1 x 1 round brick.
Replace the transparent clear top piece.
Put the plasma ball aside for now.
Remove the lava lamp from the bookshelf on the right hand side of the door.
Disconnect the transparent red cone piece from the black round plate.
Grab a White Bit Light and rest the LED component end inside the transparent red cone piece.
Very slowly, join the transparent red cone piece and the black round plate back together. It is a tight fit and doing this slowly will prevent damage to the wires.
Put the lava lamp aside for now.
Remove the coffee table with the lamp on it.
Remove the lampshade and the lamp stem from the table.
Grab a White Bit Light and feed the LED component end up through the bottom of the round 2 x 2 brick under the table.
Run enough wire through so that you can rest the LED inside the lampshade with the yellow LED component facing the top of the lampshade.
Very slowly, join the stem of the lamp shade and the lamp back together. It is a tight fit and doing this slowly will prevent damage to the wires.
Replace the lamp back on the table. Pull the wires back through the table leaving a little bit of slack between the lampshade and the table.
Place the coffee table back into your desired position in the living room. Keep the wires from the bottom of the coffee table running towards the back wall.
Open the cupboard door, wrap your finger inside the door frame and slowly lift so that the door assembly comes away from the floor.
I have my thumb pressed into the floor for what I find to be a more controlled separation.
The gap only needs to be large enough to fit the plug end of the White Bit Light wire through. Expect other bricks to separate as can be easily seen when you look at the back of the model.
Run the plug end of the White Bit Light from the base of the coffee table underneath the door and the plate underneath the door.
Run the wires flat along the floor (for neatness) and make sure that the wire under the door is running in the middle of two studs.
Push the door and loose bricks back down.
Turn the model around again and remove all the tiles from the top of the back wall.
Grab the top two rows of bricks from the left and wiggle and lift them up. Don’t worry if you don’t get them all (like me!). We are mainly concerned with the second row of bricks behind the light and the bookshelf items we removed earlier.
Grab one of the wall lights and refit it to the back wall, running the wires over the back of the wall.
Grab the green lantern and replace it on the bookshelf, running the wires over the back of the wall.
Grab the plasma ball and replace it on the bookshelf, running the wires over the back of the wall.
Remove the 1 x 8 tan brick from the top row of bricks on the right hand side of the door.
Remove the 1 x 3 tan brick from the second row of bricks behind the blue man statue.
Grab the lava lamp and replace it on the bookshelf, running the wires over the back of the wall.
Make sure the lava lamp wires are running in between brick studs and replace the 1 x 3 tan brick to the second row of bricks behind the blue man statue.
Replace the 1 x 8 tan brick to the top row of bricks on the right hand side of the door.
Find the top two rows of bricks that you removed from the left side of the model.
Detach the 1 x 3 tan brick from the second row of bricks.
Make sure the wires from the wall light is running in between brick studs and then replace the 1 x 3 tan brick.
Find what’s left of the top two rows of bricks that you removed from the left side of the model.
Detach the 1 x 8 tan brick from the second row of bricks.
Make sure the wires from the green lantern and the plasma ball are running in between brick studs and then replace the 1 x 8 tan brick.
This will leave you with two 1 x 8 tan bricks from the bricks you removed from the left side of the model.
Replace the 1 x 8 tan bricks to the top row of bricks on the rear wall.
Bring your attention to the front right of the model where the other wall light was located.
Pinch the second row of bricks down on the outer wall column and left them up.
The brick across the walkway and top tiles will probably come off as well. This is ok.
Grab the remaining wall light and refit it to the front wall, running the wires over the back of the wall as seen in the picture.
Replace the top of the outer wall column and any other pieces that came off when you removed it.
Remove the 1 x 4 and 1 x 8 tan tiles that run from the front to the back of the model.
Grab the wire from the wall light and wrap it around the two studs on top of the wall as seen in the picture.
Replace the 1 x 4 tan tile.
Continue to wrap the wires around each pair of studs as you run it towards the back of the model.
Replace the 1 x 8 tan tile.
Replace the tiles along the back wall.
The last tile will have the wire from the front lamp running under the end of it.
When you turn your model around, it will look something like the picture above.
Grab the 8 Port Expansion Board and plug the bit lights into it.
Grab your battery pack and connect it to an available slot on the 8 Port Expansion Board.
Congratulations! You’re done. Turn it on and enjoy the show!
Optional: Tidying up the rear of the model.
The wires can be easily hidden from view at the back of the model. But if yours is visible from the side, you may want to tidy things up back there.
Below are some images of what I did with spare Lego pieces from my collection. Feel free to follow something similar or if you have a better idea, please share it with us!
Guess what?
One of our customers did come up with a better idea and shared it with us!
He made a section underneath the model with a cavity to hold the battery pack and wires. Here’s what my version looks like made with mostly spare parts.
The base structure is 28 x 16 studs, which is the same as the model. The sides are 2 bricks and 2 plates tall, which is the minimum height to hold the AA battery pack.
You’ll notice a gap in the base of the structure. This is so the On/Off switch is accessible when the battery pack is enclosed.
The battery pack is a fraction too wide to fit comfortably in an enclosed space that is 6 studs wide. So, down the left hand side of the battery, I have a row of plates to stop the battery pack moving sideways.
Place the Big Bang model on top of the base level. Put the 8 port expansion board, battery and as much wire as you can underneath.
Spend some time feeding the wires through so that there is little excess wire left. Remember to feed them in between the brick studs and carefully join the Big Bang base to the bottom section.
I found that the battery was still a bit loose so I removed a piece of the bottom section and ran another row of plates along the top side next to the battery (on the left in the photo).
Now there are a row of plates along the bottom and along the top of the left side of the battery.
Now you can turn it over, switch it on and enjoy!