Mill LED Light

737mechanic · Post by **737mechanic** » Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:21 am

I have thought about building one of those lights for my mill but not sure if I would like it or not. But the more I look at your setup the more I think i might make one and see.

They make LED's now that are true white. If looking for a white LED find the ones that are close to the 5500K color temp range and there wont be any blue in it at at. I build LED flashlights and use led's only in that range because I can't stand the blue tint the older LED's had.

JMcTool · Post by **JMcTool** » Sun Mar 14, 2010 6:05 am

Last week I picked up a 4 head (3 LEDs each head) light that uses velcro mounts and runs on (6) AAA batteries. I intend to mount it above my lathe. I tested it a few days ago, and so far it looks good. One on the right and left of a mill might be just the ticket.

Harbor Freight 96794-2VGA $14.99
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/D ... mber=96794

Jim

knudsen · Post by **knudsen** » Sun Mar 14, 2010 7:43 am

Welcome to the group, Jim.

737mechanic wrote: They make LED's now that are true white. If looking for a white LED find the ones that are close to the 5500K color temp range and there wont be any blue in it at at. I build LED flashlights and use led's only in that range because I can't stand the blue tint the older LED's had.

Ahhhhh, yet another benifit to being color blind

Had to cheat the test to get in the Navy

Hmmm, I didn't say that.

I ordered some LEDs in a string meant to use as "xenon" ground effects for cars. I hope they will coil up tight enough to use around my mini-mills' spool. If not, I'll have the dumbest looking Range Rover in town

Flybynight · Post by **Flybynight** » Sun Mar 14, 2010 11:27 am

Herm Williams wrote:I don't know if it is true with a lathe or with newer flourescent bulbs but at certain speeds synchronization can cause the spindle to appear stopped.
re

Yep multiples of 60. (because elec is 60 cycles per sec) 60 rpm 120 rpm and up 600 rpm. 1200 rpm etc.

JMcTool · Post by **JMcTool** » Sun Mar 14, 2010 2:32 pm

Thank you, knudsen. It looks like a good forum with lots of interesting topics, good info, & good people.

gangel99, I like your project and appreciate the research you put into learning about LEDs. Now that I have gone over your PDF (nice work!) more closely I appreciate the lumens you produce with the arrays.

All without as much waste heat and the ready breakage of an incandescent or compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). Also, not toxic like the CFLs are from the mercury inside. The LEDs are also instant-on vs CFLs that need to warm up before producing full light. Incandescents would likely have a reduced lifespan from machinery vibration, so the LEDs are an excellent choice.

I use a few 20-LED handheld lamps around the house that run off (3) D cell batteries. They produce good bright near-white light and the batteries last a very long time. It was a gift from a friend via a thrift shop, so unfortunately I can't tell you where to get any.

BTW, here are just a few hits I got from google by a search on "compact fluorescent hazard":
http://environment.about.com/od/greenli ... ercury.htm
http://www.epa.gov/waste/hazard/wastety ... /index.htm

To get the last cent of savings from your LED installation, hook the wallwart to a line that gets switched off when you shut down the shop. Wallwarts are "phantom loads" in that they consume some power even when the device they run isn't being used. A nit to be sure, but a dozen or two wallwarts around the house/shop do cost something.

Jim