Hi all, hoping someone might be able to help me on this one.
I think there's a lot of diy lights enthusiasts on here!
I want to put a small bright bulb inside a tube and then connect it to the mains.
Think big torch (but not a long one, quite a shallow tube length) and needs to be able to be plugged in.
(I know, bit of a weird one, It’s a silly home made lamp i’m making for the girlfriend....!)
Bulb needs to be 60w or brighter i think and about 30mm in diameter (or less).
I'm thinking an oven bulb but can only seem to find them in 40w.
That's the sort of size anyway.
Been looking at led bulbs as they’re small but there seem to be hundreds of them and they have different fittings and it’s leaving me confused to say the least.
I thought I had the answer when I discovered GU10 bulbs but they seem to be 50mm in diameter so too big, plus probably too long.
There are loads of other led type bulbs but i’m unsure as to how to get the different connectors to be fitted to a mains cable and am confused by all the ratings and talk of transformers etc.
I have some really good deal extreme lights which obviously use small powerful bulbs and are obviously battery driven, i'm thinking I need something along those lines but can be plugged into the mains.
Any help appreciated, all the bits would need pretty much plug and go as I have useless diy man skills!!
Oh I also want to put an inline dimmer switch on the cable if possible.
Any help or pointers much appreciated.
Tom.
Think big torch (but not a long one, quite a shallow tube length) and needs to be able to be plugged in.
(I know, bit of a weird one, It’s a silly home made lamp i’m making for the girlfriend....!)
Does it need a motor or just light?
Why don't you just buy a torch?
Lol! No motor, just light.
It's not what you're thinking, it is just a reading lamp project!
Buying a torch is not a project though, this is and it'll be a really cool lamp when and if I can do it.
I hope anyway......
LED is probably the way to go.
I've done custom car lights for dashboards etc, its just a case oof using some simple arithmetic to determine which diodes and resistors you need to use. Very cheap too. A simple mains adaptor will drop the voltage to maybe 12v.
http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/index.php?osCsid=udu91d1ulv12dk08sg2kdm4g41
http://www.hebeiltd.com.cn/?p=zz.led.resistor.calculator
Ikea gooseneck/anglepoise LED thing butchered and in a PVC pipe. (It does get warm though) Its focus is actually quite tight so you might not need a "Top Hat" round the source.
You can get 12v 250w dichroic MR 11/12 if you want but stuff will go on fire.
