With school back in full swing and a wedding to attend there wasn't much time for projects but I did get some good ground work done in converting the old fluorescent desk lamp to an LED. I wired up three of the four as soon as I had them to test with a 1kΩ resistor to ensure I wouldn't burn them without a heat sink attached.
The first task with any project was to take it apart. I took photos so I would have a better chance of putting it back together. Most useful to me was removing the inverter to power the fluorescent tube which will provide a nice space to install an AC to DC converter for the new lights.
I was especially liking the built in electrical outlet that I will reconnect. I have a new power cord ( another PC power cord) that will connect to both the outlet and the transformer. It took a while to find what I wanted but I eventually found a 16V AC to DC wall wart plug in the bin of damaged components. I tested it and was getting no power so it was necessary to open up the protective case and look onside. The cases are usually chemically fused or glued shut so it's a destructive process which works fine for my purposes.
Behold the damaged wire behind the case. Likely this happened when the cable was pulled very hard from being tripped over or unplugged by pulling many times. I am planning to repaint the lamp with an oil rubbed bronze so the cord would need replacing anyway. Simply de-solder the old wires and solder in the new which, generally, is a simple job.
I had done a test fit with the case still on and it was a tight fit. With the outer plastic off I had to find the right orientation and the transformer fit in very nicely. I will use a method of insulation similar to the original and warp the electronics with thin corrugated cardboard.
Lastly for today the LEDs, as I mentioned briefly, need to be attached to a heat sink so they do not over-heat. I plan to make use of the metal lamp housing to act as their heat sink. The lamp was built with two parts, one a outer metal housing and an inner reflective shield to increase the light produced. The two pieces hold the magnifying lens in place and I will modify the reflective inner part to hold the lenses for the lights.
I traced the part and then used a circle template to draw a generally correct size space. I then drilled out some of the space to be removed.
The next step is to use a fine tooth blade with my jig saw to cut out the entire hole. It's not going to be perfect but I can fix any cosmetic flaws later.
Thank you for joining me this week and until next time, happy creating.
The first task with any project was to take it apart. I took photos so I would have a better chance of putting it back together. Most useful to me was removing the inverter to power the fluorescent tube which will provide a nice space to install an AC to DC converter for the new lights.
I was especially liking the built in electrical outlet that I will reconnect. I have a new power cord ( another PC power cord) that will connect to both the outlet and the transformer. It took a while to find what I wanted but I eventually found a 16V AC to DC wall wart plug in the bin of damaged components. I tested it and was getting no power so it was necessary to open up the protective case and look onside. The cases are usually chemically fused or glued shut so it's a destructive process which works fine for my purposes.
Behold the damaged wire behind the case. Likely this happened when the cable was pulled very hard from being tripped over or unplugged by pulling many times. I am planning to repaint the lamp with an oil rubbed bronze so the cord would need replacing anyway. Simply de-solder the old wires and solder in the new which, generally, is a simple job.
I had done a test fit with the case still on and it was a tight fit. With the outer plastic off I had to find the right orientation and the transformer fit in very nicely. I will use a method of insulation similar to the original and warp the electronics with thin corrugated cardboard.
Lastly for today the LEDs, as I mentioned briefly, need to be attached to a heat sink so they do not over-heat. I plan to make use of the metal lamp housing to act as their heat sink. The lamp was built with two parts, one a outer metal housing and an inner reflective shield to increase the light produced. The two pieces hold the magnifying lens in place and I will modify the reflective inner part to hold the lenses for the lights.
I traced the part and then used a circle template to draw a generally correct size space. I then drilled out some of the space to be removed.
The next step is to use a fine tooth blade with my jig saw to cut out the entire hole. It's not going to be perfect but I can fix any cosmetic flaws later.
Thank you for joining me this week and until next time, happy creating.
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