Pillage the Toy Box.
 

How to make a case light from a Kid's toy.

My kids don't have a toy box, they have toy room. And it's so stuffed, I had to start throwing stuff out. But as I was throwing stuff out, one toy caught my attention.



You can see I already have it apart. This thing took four 'C' batteries. I hate toys with batteries because it takes a couple of hours and about 60 batteries to get everything working in the toy room again... ...so this had to go.



There's nothing quite so sweet as being able to rip something apart.
The mechanicals of this was a fluorescent U-shaped bulb, little circuit board, an on/off switch, and four batteries. First, since I don't know a thing about electrical stuff... I had to ask. Someone said the batteries add up to about 6 volts...give or take. Said the 5 volt source should work fine. So off came the batteries, and on I spliced an old Molex extender.
Conclusion... I was worried about doing electrical work, but people really helped on the internet. I think this will provide enough light to work by at night time, yet so far, doesn't shine directly in my eyes. Maybe I'll think of something to cover the bulb so the light is green/yellow/blue? tinted. This was even better then the $3.50 I spent on putting a window and painting my case... this one was totally FREE!