Physical Project

Cultural Hall Lighting Project

A reusable event-lighting rig built from 48 extra-long LED fairy light strands, printed spools, a circular support ring, and a suspended power platform.

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Completed cultural hall lighting rig glowing overhead — The finished system was first built for a wedding reception and has since been reused for Christmas parties and other large events.

Overview

Detailed build guidance

How the full system is designed

This system contains 48 12v 100 foot "fairy light" LED strands. Each strand has 3 lights per foot for a total of 300 lights on each strand, and draws 380 milliAmps. If you want to keep it to a 15 amp draw, you would reduce the number of strands to 39. At 48, it draws 18.24 amps, so you would need a 20 amp circuit and 20 amp power cord.

Each strand is wound onto a 3d printed spool. 12 spools are mounted on a 90 degree arc of flexible piping, using PEX in this build. Four arcs are joined with pipe tees and clamped together with hose clamps to form a circle, then mounted to a center plywood platform. The platform has 48 pigtails in 4 banks of 12, ready to be connected after the needed amount of lighting has been stretched out.

The spools have cutout arcs to let heat dissipate, since the unused portion of each strand can stay tightly wrapped while still illuminated and can get noticeably warm.

Any variations you see in the photos reflect later improvements. Some pictures still show the earlier 100W supply and daisy-chained distribution blocks. After testing, the build moved to a 250W supply and a 6-header distribution block so the four lighting headers run in parallel, keeping each branch around 4.6 amps instead of pushing the full 18.2 amps through the first block.

Another change was moving from plastic tees to metal tees. The exact hardware can vary, but the overall design principles stay the same.

Another reinforcement change was adding two 3-foot lengths of 3/8-inch threaded rod to strengthen the crossbeams. One rod stays full length, and the other is cut into two shorter sections to fill out the other half of the cross.

Bench test of the assembled lighting ring with the spools lit up — A bench test of the assembled ring with the lighting strands powered, showing the center platform, distribution blocks, and wrapped strands lit at full brightness.

At A Glance

Key build numbers

48 LED strands, each 100 feet long and wound onto its own spool.

18.24A Total draw with all strands powered, so the design expects a 20A circuit.

4 x 12 Four ring sections, each carrying twelve spools on a 90-degree arc.

300 LEDs per strand, based on three lights per foot across the full run.

Parts

Main materials and hardware

Electrical

12V power supply rated for 20.8 amps
48 male 5.5 x 2.1 mm pigtails
Four 12-header distribution blocks
One 6-header distribution block
50-foot 20A power cord
48 fairy-light strands with matching female connectors

Platform And Ring

Two 15-inch by 15-inch plywood panels
Flexible 1/2-inch PEX for the ring arcs
Rigid 3/4-inch tube for supports
Two 3-foot lengths of 3/8-inch threaded rod, with one full piece and one rod cut into two sections for crossbeam reinforcement
Four 1/2-inch metal PEX barb tees
Four pigtail retention blocks
Twelve small hose clamps
Forty-eight printed spools and sixty spacers

Rigging

Four eye bolts with washers and nuts
Vinyl-coated wire
Heavy-duty carabiners and quick links
50-pound pulley
100 feet of quality rope
Cable ties, clamps, and small hardware for strain relief

Printable Parts

Electrical System

Power distribution and cable management

The later version of the build uses a 250W supply and a six-header distribution block so the four twelve-port blocks run in parallel rather than pushing the full current through one chained path.

The pigtails are taped for a cleaner finish and restrained with printed retention blocks so the spool cables cannot yank loose from the power blocks during setup.

Power distribution blocks and wired pigtails on the platform — The top platform carries the power supply and distribution blocks for all forty-eight lighting strands.

Neatly organized pigtails and platform wiring — Hair ties and simple anchor points keep the pigtails tidy when the rig is stored or partially deployed.

Platform Assembly

Sandwiching the center support

The center platform is made from two plywood squares with the ring supports trapped between them. Cable-tie holes in the bottom panel hold the flattened and overlapped support arms in place before the top panel is tied on.

A later improvement was adding two 3-foot, 3/8-inch threaded rods to strengthen the crossbeams. One rod remains full length, while the second rod is cut into two shorter pieces to reinforce the remaining half of the cross.

Bottom plywood platform with ring supports fastened in place — The lower platform anchors the support arms and establishes the ring geometry for the full assembly.

Top and bottom platform pieces strapped together around supports — Once the supports are secured, the top platform goes on and becomes the mounting surface for the electrical gear.

Spools And Spacers

Printed parts that make setup repeatable

Every strand is transferred from its shipping card onto a printed spool, with a clip glued to the side to hold the connector. The spool vents help shed heat when long unused sections remain wrapped and illuminated.

The guide also recommends using a drill-driven jig to wind the spools efficiently without overstressing the wire if something binds. See the video demo.

That same drill brush setup can also be used after an event to roll the strands back onto the spools after an event.

The printed part files are available here: spool, spool clip, spacer, and pigtail retention block.

Close-up of printed lighting spools mounted on the ring — Printed spools and spacers keep each strand organized and free-spinning along the ring.

Printed spools and spacers mounted in sequence along one ring section — The spacer layout keeps neighboring spools separated so they can spin freely without rubbing while the strands are deployed.

A spool loaded with lights and set up for the drill-brush winding jig — The drill-brush jig used for winding can also help roll the strands back onto the spools after an event.

Rigging

Suspending the ring safely

Four eye bolts pass through the platform sandwich and connect to a simple suspension rig made from coated wire, crimps, carabiners, and quick links. A pulley and rope allow the full ring to be raised once it is centered on the floor.

Suspension rig attached to the platform with eye bolts and wire — The hanging hardware turns the platform into a liftable centerpiece for the entire lighting ring.

Installation

Deploying the lights in the room

Once the pulley is hung, the rig can be staged on a table so the spools turn freely while each strand is walked out to the wall or to a suspended nylon line. The original notes recommend leaving a little slack and avoiding over-tension at the far-end anchor points.

For halls without enough built-in attachment points, the strands can be clipped to nylon support lines stretched across the room.

Fully assembled cultural hall lighting rig suspended during setup — A fully assembled version of the rig, with the ring, spools, center platform, and hanging system all connected before final light placement.

Installed lighting across the room from one angle — One finished view of the installed strands stretched across the hall.

Another deployed view of the lighting system across the cultural hall — Another deployed view showing the finished lighting pattern spread across the full cultural hall for an event setup.