GE LED Sphere Christmas Light Repair Clip

This is a simple clip to repair our Costco purchase of “GE Energy Smart Random Sparkle 3 Pack LED Spheres”. (see photos)

There is a pretty serious design flaw in the model I own: the rubber bands that hold the two halves of each sphere together degraded and snapped after only a single winter season outdoors! When I went to put the lights back outside this year, I found broken rubber bands in my storage bin and the halves of each sphere split apart.

3D printer to the rescue.

These clips are simple, lightweight, and fast to print. (A set of 6 took me 10 minutes including printer warm up and filament load.) If they only survive one season, I'll print more next year.

Printing

Each sphere requires 6 clips. I used transparent PETG for UV protection (versus PLA) and a clean look. (In the photo here you can see two clips installed, but they blend in quite well.)

2 perimeters should be adequate to ensure a 100% solid part.

Installation

Remove any remaining rubber bands and align the pins to bring the two halves of the sphere flush together. You can either remove the jewel reflectors for access to each clip or use a needle nose pliers to insert the clip among the reflectors. I found a needle nose pliers to be quicker and less painful given all the sharp edges on those reflectors :-) 

Source Files

If you'd like to adjust the part to your preference, my quick Fusion 360 model is included as well.