Author Topic: A high powered LED lamp  (Read 15527 times)

Offline spuddevans

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A high powered LED lamp
« on: August 19, 2009, 03:24:03 PM »
Before I started on building Bog's Paddleducks engine, I built this LED lamp for my wife's workshop (she does girly things there that I just dont understand)



Basically it is a high powered LED light ( or 3 lights   :D)

I built it because the lamp that my dearly beloved used to use was a standard 2 x 60watt lamp and she found it would get unbearably hot to work near, and the flicker that flourescent's give off gives her headaches. The solution? LED lamps, they run cooler than conventional incandescent bulbs and use far less power.

Here's a closer shot of the Light module. They are held onto the main stem via a little ball and socket arrangement. Then there is a little knurled thumbwheel that clamp and releases the grip on the main stem.



And the shelf clamp, the design comes from a clamp that I saw on Arc Euro's website that is a vice stop ( I think )



The light bodies are made out of Ali' and are 2 piece in construction.


The LED sits against the piece on the right, the LED has a disc of aluminium on the back of it as a slight heatsink, I say slight because it needs additional heatsinking. Hence I use the back piece as a heatsink and I finned it for additional cooling.





As you can see the two halves are a push fit, they stick together quite well, plus when the LED heats up and then the heat transfers to the back part, the heat will expand it ever so slightly and jam tighter. (well that's the theory anyway).


The light from these LED's is usually very narrow, but very intense in beam. That's why you need a diffusing lens, that little clear plastic thing on the left of the above photo.

The LED's need 3.2-4.2 volts each at about 400-650mA (depending on how bright you want them) I got a little power supply from the same place I got the LED's from which powers them all and it fits inside this,



That is a standard inline light switch got from B&Q. I had to clear out some of the plastic innerds including one of the screws holding the 2 halves together, hence the cable tie for added peace of mind.


So how does it compare to a normal light bulb? I did a little test. I got the old 60 watt lamp, adjusted it to the same height as the LED's and switched both the LED light on and one 60watt bulb on.



As you can see, I am not using flash on that picture as my flash is the test subject!! I have set my camera on Manual exposure and these next 2 shots were both taken with the same settings, no adjustment to either exposure or to colour temp settings, and also absolutely no adjustments made on the computer in photoshop.

1st up is lit only by the 60Watt lamp.



2nd is lit only by the LED  lamp.



Now let me tell you that each of those LED's are rated at 3watts, so a total of 9Watts of power being drawn  :jaw:


I got all the LED's, diffusers and the power supply from Dealextreme in hong kong, these are the links;

LED's : http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1302
Diffusers : http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2395
Power supply : http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14034


Tim
Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with an axe  -  MI0TME

Offline Stefan Pynappels

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2009, 04:22:24 PM »
Well done Tim, I guess that is where Lau will be having her nails etc. done now then....

Offline raynerd

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2009, 04:45:50 PM »
Could do with a few of those over my machines - are your prices reasonable? :thumbup:  :clap:

Offline Mike K

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2009, 04:50:12 PM »
Nice.  My project list just got longer.

Mike

Offline Divided he ad

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2009, 05:02:20 PM »
My kind of Job this Tim..... Nice one  :thumbup:


Luxeon LED's are quite simply awesome in their light output.... But as you said need the heatsink!!


I am quite fixed on making something like that now....... The list just grows and grows!!!





Ralph.

P.S.  Just a thought.... Could you ground all the LED's to the casings, using the clamp to connect the earth wire to and only have one wire going to each housing for the positive feed? (Bit like how I do my torches)
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Offline CrewCab

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2009, 05:26:58 PM »
Now I do like that  :thumbup: .................. what's the overall diameter of the aluminium Tim, I'm guessing about 25mm?

Ralph, earthing through the ally casing should work  :scratch: ................... guys are my calcs right in that the 2Amp power supply is just about right for 3 x LED's  :smart:

CC

Offline spuddevans

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #6 on: August 20, 2009, 03:03:34 AM »
P.S.  Just a thought.... Could you ground all the LED's to the casings, using the clamp to connect the earth wire to and only have one wire going to each housing for the positive feed? (Bit like how I do my torches)

Yes you can do that, I should have done that but I got a little confused as to which power supply I had. Dx do several different ones, some have the LED's in serial (which I thought this one was, until I had finished it all and wired it in series, only to find no light when switched on ) and ones that power the LED's in parallel. So I had them all wired in serial, tested it and then had to re-wire. I was just wanting to get it running, so I just bodged quickly re-wired it to parallel.

Now I do like that  :thumbup: .................. what's the overall diameter of the aluminium Tim, I'm guessing about 25mm?

The ali is 22mm round  :thumbup:

Quote
guys are my calcs right in that the 2Amp power supply is just about right for 3 x LED's  :smart:

Yep, dead on for 3 x 3watt LED's, or 1 9watt ( really really bright )


These are really easy to make, and would work great as additional lighting for a mill or lathe.


Tim
Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with an axe  -  MI0TME

Offline Brass_Machine

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #7 on: August 20, 2009, 11:09:21 AM »
Quite nice... we all need things like that in our shops!

Eric
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Offline Darren

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #8 on: August 20, 2009, 11:34:15 AM »
Very nice indeed,

Just bear in mind that the higher the voltage you put through an LED the brighter it burns......and shorter it lasts......and I belive it's exponential
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Offline spuddevans

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2009, 12:18:54 PM »
Very nice indeed,

Just bear in mind that the higher the voltage you put through an LED the brighter it burns......and shorter it lasts......and I belive it's exponential

That's very true Darren, these particular LED's that I used have a max voltage rating of 3.8V (as I remember), you can overcook them slightly, but it will run a lot hotter and have a shorter life. Also when you use even a slightly higher voltage, say 4.5V, which is only 0.7V more than the rated max, the current consumption goes up quite a lot, I think it can go up from 0.6Amps to well over 1amp,. hence the extra heat generated. In reality it is the Current that you have to worry about with LED's. The ratings of current are the ones to pay close attention to  :zap:

If you are thinking of making a LED based lamp like I did, the best thing to do is to use a power supply designed for LED's. Dx do several including the one I used, and they are constant current types. This means that the power supply will automatically adjust the output voltage to keep the rated current constant. ( this is within reason, most of the constant current supplies will give the range of voltages the supply can deliver )

So you decide how many LED's you want to use, then find a power supply that can give you the needed voltage and current. This will depend on whether you intend to put the LED's in series or in parellel. Some LED power supplies put out a constant current of 330mA at a voltage range of,say 24-32volts, a power supply with that rating would be able to power between 7 and 9 LED's wired in series, and would automatically adjust itself to the right voltage to give the rated 330mA.

Or the power supply I used was a 2Amp constant current at 3.5-3.8Volts, this can only power LED's in series, so I was able to get 3 x 3W LED's in parallel.


Tim
Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with an axe  -  MI0TME

Offline Alan Haisley

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #10 on: January 31, 2013, 12:01:32 PM »
Tim,
The vender appears to have changed the SKU on the diffusers you used.

I got all the LED's, diffusers and the power supply from Dealextreme in hong kong, these are the links;

LED's : http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1302
Diffusers : http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2395
Power supply : http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14034

I think it is now 1917.

Now, to the reason I was reading your post in the first place: I was looking for clues on how to make the socket part of a ball and socket joint. Turning a ball is pretty obvious but how the heck does one turn the inverse of one?  :scratch:
It seems likely from your post that you must have done it.

Alan

Offline krv3000

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #11 on: January 31, 2013, 04:57:17 PM »
well dun

Offline spuddevans

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #12 on: January 31, 2013, 05:36:32 PM »
how the heck does one turn the inverse of one?  :scratch:
It seems likely from your post that you must have done it.

Actually I cheated, I drilled a hole very slightly undersize for the ball (about 0.1-0.2mm smaller) and then cut a slot with a hacksaw to allow a bit of spring to grip the ball. In fact I think I cut the slot 1st, which then allowed the steel to spring apart while drilling providing for the grip on the ball.

With a larger ball socket it would be possible to turn a slight concave inner section in the lathe I guess.


Tim
Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with an axe  -  MI0TME

Offline Bluechip

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #13 on: January 31, 2013, 06:33:40 PM »
I don't think industry is all that keen on internal spherical wotsits.
 
I've seen quite a lot of 'ball-joints' made by using a sphere between two shallow countersinks ..
 
Dave BC
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Offline No1_sonuk

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Re: A high powered LED lamp
« Reply #14 on: May 20, 2013, 06:35:59 AM »
With a larger ball socket it would be possible to turn a slight concave inner section in the lathe I guess.
A Ball-nose end mill could work too.