• OS 3D Printed Tabletop Reading Lamp

    ProgressTH • 12/29/2021 at 17:00 • 0 comments

    December 29, 2021 | Applied Technology Lab We finally finished the first prototype of a tabletop reading lamp.

    It's similar to old-school banker lamps or library lamps but very simplified and in the process of being optimized for 3D printing. I say optimized because there are many improvements that need to be made. 

    We have to splice/crimp the wire to get it tucked away in the PVC, add a switch, and modify the design to (a) enable the use of bolts to secure the PVC connections instead of depending only on hot glue and (b) create a hollow base design that can be filled with a dense material like plaster, concrete mix, or hot wax/ball bearings to save you the 2+ day print time for the 75% infill design we current have uploaded here under FILES and on Thingiverse here. 

    Eventually this 3D printed opensource lamp will benefit from the sensors and automation we are working on for the prototyping platform. Powering a project that connects to mains is dangerous if not done properly so we're spending a lot of time making sure to get that right. 

  • An Intro to Lamp Prototyping Platform

    ProgressTH • 12/18/2021 at 06:29 • 0 comments

    December 18, 2021 | Applied Technology Lab - Our initial design for a lamp prototyping platform is taking shape. The files are included here on Hackaday IO but not yet on Thingiverse because it's still being tested and improved. Check out this video intro to the platform... 

    The basic frame and panels accommodating all the sensors we are thinking of starting with are ready. Now we're designing the electronics and also sorting out how we're powering it all. 

    In the future this platform is probably going to be made smaller to allow people with smaller printers to print it out and also to save time - and that will be the final version we release on Thingiverse. Iterations however will be available here in this project and maybe on GitHub. 

  • 3D Printed Sensor Panels for Lamp Prototyping Platform

    ProgressTH • 12/15/2021 at 19:02 • 0 comments

    December 15, 2021 | Applied Technology Lab - We've got a small and growing collection of customized panels for our lamp prototyping platform. They are easy to design in SketchUp and take little time to print. 

    In the picture above you can see a PIR motion detector and a rocker switch. We also have some panels fitting ultrasonic range finders and photoresistors with a little brim built in to try to block out the lamp's own light (see below). 

     The lamp is far from presentable but that is not the point. The point is to have a platform that can test a variety of options that can be incorporated into future lamps that will focus on both form and function.

    Next will be sorting out the electronics including basic things like wiring it to provide both AC and DC power to the project in a safe manner and with only one cord going to and from the lamp.  

    We added a zip folder with both the triangular and diamond shaped panels - these are just initial designs - the final design will be published on Thingiverse. 

  • E63 Lamp Building Process

    ProgressTH • 12/14/2021 at 12:48 • 0 comments

    December 14, 2021 | Applied Technology Lab - We finished this project after a few hiccups and still have some details to work out. But the files are online both here on Hackaday IO and also on Thingiverse here. 

    We learned a lot of basic things about building a lamp in general from this project which was supposed to serve as a platform for adding in electronics, switches, and other things we need to master to customize lighting fixtures in very precise ways. 

    Wiring something connecting to your mains is serious business and we're in no rush to do it until we're sure we can do it properly. You really should ask someone who is an experienced electrician before doing anything like this and do it at your own risk. 

    The light bulb socket itself is e27 and is very similar to these ones found here on Amazon. They have a 10mm wide threaded backing that will secure it to the housing of a pendant light fixture. All of our lamp designs utilize a 10mm opening with a slot for the wire to fit through and has worked really nice. 

    We have some older videos covering some of the thought process and building techniques used. 

    Part 1

    Part 2

    Part 3

    Now we're working on a modular prototyping platform for table lamps. A lot of lessons from this project will go into other additional lamps as well as added onto this E63 so please stick around!