Ring-light for milling machine

[wefalck]

Not much progress on the Botter-model since I came back from vacation. Once reason is also that in the meantime a little item ordered in China had arrived:

 

Ever since I came across the LED ring-lights for cameras and microscopes, I thought something like this would also make a good illumination for the milling machine. However, all these lights were to big and too expensive for the purpose. With my limited electrotechnical and electronics knowledge I did not dare to put something together myself. Then I became aware of the so-called 'angle eye' cosmetic tuning parts for cars. Apparently, these are fitted around the bulbs in car headlights to give the headlight a aetherical appearance. They are produced, guess where, in China and sold via ebay at a price at which I cannot get the components, not considering the hazzle of soldering everything together. I ordered a couple (for obvious reasons they are always sold in pairs) and fabricated a lamp around these rings made from epoxy base-material.

 

The components of the lamp

 

As I wanted to protect the LEDs from oil splashes I chose a Plexiglas-offcut of suitable size and bored an annular groove into it. The groove has a shoulder on which the epoxy ring rests so that the LEDs do not touch the front cover of the lamp.

 

Turning the lamp body

 

The outside of the lamp was milled to shape by holding the body in a three-jaw chuck mounted on my upright collet-holder.

 

Shape-milling the lamp body

 

The backside is covered by a washer-like lid turned from a piece of bakelite sheet. Into the 'handle' of the lamp a neodynium magnet was embedded that holds the lamp to the spindle of the milling machine.

 

Turning the lid

 

The lamp was painted using a stainless steel acrylic paint.

 

The finished i-Mac-style lamp

 

As LEDs require a current-stabilised power-source, I ordered, again from China, a small electronic transformer or 'driver' for LEDs.

 

The lamp in action

 

More: http://www.maritima-et-mechanika.org/tools/attachments/attachments.html#Ring-light

 

Now work on the model recommences ...

 

wefalck

[Jay 1]

Wefalck, that's an awesome idea--thank you for sharing it with us!

 

Jay