Mill Quill Ligthing

[Cedge]

I've watched several members on this board and others make the "Flying Saucer LED Light" addition to their mills. I too made this mod, early on, and felt I'd pretty much solved my lighting problems. Unfortunately, even after adapting the darned thing to a wall wart to save on batteries, the LED's tended to lose strength and eventually stopped doing their job. I liked the idea well enough to go through completely replacing the unit a couple of times but the results were disappointing after a short while.

My loving wife reminded me that my recent engine project had put me way behind on her Honey Do List, so Friday she dragged me off to Lowes to gather replacement parts for some track lighting she's been patiently waiting on me to change out. I couldn't grumble much.... after all she never mentioned it at all while I was building my most recent engine. The one that took up nearly 5 months of prime Honey Do weather.

We got the needed components and the prices were less than expected, so the little light that caught my eye as I turned a corner was just an added bonus. The light has a small magnifier lens and a florescent ring shaped lamp. The flex neck and the mounting clip didn't get me excited but the small size of the lamp itself did. It would make a PERFECT replacement for the ailing LED unit. At $24.00 it wasn't going to break the bank.... so in the cart it went.

A bit of study and it was soon obvious that a new switch and a small electrical enclosure for the little circuit board would set things right. Radio Shack... here we come. $5.00 and change later, I had the goodies I needed.

Today, I spent about 30 minutes to bodge the whole thing together and the results were excellent. It looks almost as cool as the Flying Saucer, but the florescent lamp seems to put out more even light. I was even able to use the same adapter I made to mount the original light. Hopefully this version has a better lifespan than the LED units.

Below are photos of the LED and the Florescent that replaced it.

Steve

I had to do the track lighting repairs first. She's patient.... but not that patient...LOL

 

[black85vette]

WOW! Great project. Looks like it works perfectly. So how about the Lowe's stock number??

 

[lazylathe]

Very Cool Steve!!!

Looks like it is a lot brighter than the LED version.

This has got me thinking about doing something up for my Sherline mill....

 

[black85vette]

Aha! Think I found it. Took a few searches to find the right key words, but see if this isn't it:


http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=125054-47842-16913-000&lpage=none

 

[Cedge]

That is the right one. I removed the flex, lens and lens cover, shortened the cord and mounted the transformer circuit inside the Radio shack box. The box was just right for the available space.

The light does seem brighter and the diffusion shield will keep the chips at bay while spreading the light a bit more than the LED's did. Time will tell, but it appears to be the solution I've been searching for.

Steve

 

[black85vette]

Chuck; good thing I saw your post. I went over to Lowe's during lunch and found the lamps, but they were on the bottom shelf and none on display. I had to be persistent to find them even knowing what I was looking for. I went ahead and bought two because I like the ring lamp and lens for my work table in my office. I do my electronics and small work there and this will be great for my dim weak eyes. Good thing I got two because the first one had a bad lamp in it. Back to Lowe's to get another one.

Also found this on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW!-12W-FLUORESCENT-RING-LIGHT-+-MICROSCOPE-ADAPTER_W0QQitemZ350278205920QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20091113?IMSfp=TL091113178003r5253#ht_5262wt_1236

A little more expensive but less work to mount.

And this appears to be a desk and articulated arm version of the same light.

http://www.gxoptical.com/html/gxo_bench___floorstand_magnifi.html

 

[black85vette]

Looked at the bulb and it has no part number on it. Did a couple of searches on Google and have not found where to buy spares for it.

 

[gunboatbay]

Looks like the same ebay seller that vette listed, also sells spare bulbs. FWIW flourescent bulb light output (lumens) starts to diminish gradually as soon as they're put to use. So if you're really happy with this light, it might be wise to get an extra bulb for future use while you still know of a source.

 

[black85vette]

The one on ebay does not appear to be the same bulb as the light from Lowes. In looking at mine the base is a good deal smaller than the one on ebay. I have some contact information for the importer and am going to try to contact them Monday.

I have the fixture and like it a lot but really want to be sure I can get the bulbs before I invest any time in it. Until then I have it clamped to the edge of my work table in my office and it works great for doing work on small components.

 

[Tin Falcon]

I have been thinking about doing an LED one there is a string of battery operated L.E.D.s on my desk my wife picked up after Christmas on sale in January. The stores likely have them out and there will be sales again. Also with all the electronics it is fairly easy to get power adapters cheap or free if you look around.

 

[gunboatbay]

black85vette, if you get the info on replacement bulbs, please post it for us.

 

[lathe nut]

Fellows, I picked up a light like the one on this discussion at the local Harbor Freight, part # 97448, $20.00 the bulb # T4 12W 6400K, did not look for one yet, will post if I find something, Cedge, how did you mount your to the machine, thanks, Lathe Nut

 

[Twmaster]

Ooooh! I like that one from H-F! And I have a 20% off coupon!!

I'll get two. One to aid my weak eyes on the work bench. One for the Taig mill. Schweeeet!

 

[Cedge]

Lathe Nut...
Mounting will vary from mill to mill. I turned a collar out of aluminum to fit the exposed stationary section of the quill on my SX3 mill. It's secured by 3 #10 x 24 socket head screws that clamp it to the shaft. I super glued the light frame to the aluminum ring. Super glue worked fine for the LED setup and seems to be doing the job with this light as well.

George Seal made a new steel bearing retainer ring for his X2 and used super magnets that he hot glued to the LED lamp frame to mount his.

The nice thing about this lamp is the diffused light doesn't seem to cast harsh shadows on the work piece. I think its a keeper.

Steve

 

[lathe nut]

Twmaster, I had a coupon also, they have a nice heavy base, should have got more that one also, that would be an excuse to go back.
Cedge, thanks for the instructions, appreciate it, Lathe Nut

 

[jmshep]

If anyone wants to persevere with an LED illuminator I have posted a PCB layout in the downloads section. I originally made it for photography but it works equally well with my X2 mill.

I have not included any construction details - it is a case of choosing high output 5mm LEDs each fed by a resistor with a value recommended for the type of LED and voltage used.

If any one needs more details let me know.

 

[Rickus]

Just an FYI on the Lowe's light. I found one at our local Lowe's, bought it, and once I got home went on the internet and logged on to their website about replacement bulbs. Their response was they do not carry replacement bulbs and know of no other way to get one other than to contact the manufacturer. Since they are in China, good luck! I returned the lamp.

Rick Acosta
Retired Air Force
Loranger, La

 

[Rickus]

One question. Do the LED's tend to fade quickly? I understood they should have a much longer life span over bulbs. Thanks..

Rick Acosta
Retired Air Force
Loranger, La

 

[black85vette]

Their response was they do not carry replacement bulbs and know of no other way to get one other than to contact the manufacturer. Since they are in China, good luck! I returned the lamp. Rick Acosta

I have tried emailing the importer / distributor with no reponses yet. I am going to try a phone call next. However I did not return mine. I decided not to mount it on the mill without a spare bulb, but have left it in my office on my work table. I took the worthless magnifying lens out. Also discovered it makes a great light ring for macro photography without the magnifying glass in the way. So, mixed reviews. It is a keeper but not for the mill.

 

[Cedge]

Jeeeeze guys.....LOL. I only shared what I did to solve my own problem. If you can get there by another way, I'm definitely not gonna be upset....

Steve