More 3D printed Christmas lights.
Added 2020-10-26 05:20:32 +0000 UTCThe novelty hasn't worn off yet. I was hoping to make the traditional olive shaped lamps customisable, but the algorithm is super-complex where the sides touch the round sections. I think I may actually have found my first real use for geometry equations. I just made these ones a fixed size by making adjustments visually.
The standard white PLA filament is surprisingly good in this application. It really looks like retro lamps. Another nice thing about the white PLA is that it makes the inevitable layer step line up the side of the light less obvious.
The caps above were made to be an easy friction fit over an old set of tungsten lights that I'd converted to LED. To use with actual tungsten lamps would require ventilation holes.
Once I've finished messing about I'll put some openscad and complete STL files up for those who are interested.
Comments
You know what I (half-fear) think will be the next step? Christmas 'lights' that are in fact small cylindrical LED screens, playing Xmas scenes, or just fancy light patterns. Hmmm... or looping candle videos.?! (We have LED cylinder advertisement screens on some of the pillars in a local mall.)
Hagen
2020-10-30 15:48:24 +0000 UTCThese ones are designed to press fit onto a common style of tungsten based light string sold in the UK. I'd guess it's available elsewhere in the world too. The string shown was converted to LED with a suitable capacitive dropper power supply.
Big Clive
2020-10-28 08:36:59 +0000 UTCAre they designed for the old fashioned bayonet fitting you used to get on tungsten fairy lights or 8mm RGB LEDs?
2020-10-27 17:11:12 +0000 UTC1950s I am lucky to still have my families 3ft Pifco tree with bulbs like these, sad to say I threw out the box it came in. Sample of bulbs I have that may inspire you to recreate, I just found a few links for interest, https://www.merrytheschristmascollection.be/ligbulbshoulant.htm http://www.laboutiquevintage.co.uk/blog/vintage-christmas-decoration/ I hope to rebuilt the wire harness for the tree and use a mains variable supply to run the bulbs on a lower voltage and add small external SMD LEDs on the base for the ones I kept when they blew. All the best to every one John
John Harrison
2020-10-27 10:58:15 +0000 UTCYou can set the layer transition to be put in a random point (or sharpest angle) so that the seam is a bit less noticeable. These also look like they'd be excellent candidates for spiral or vase printing - where there is no layer transition because it's printed in one continuous line.
2020-10-26 20:06:28 +0000 UTCClive, any chance of you doing an OpenSCAD video about getting started with it, you have used it, sworn at it, found the easy way around issues etc, come on, DO IT :)
2020-10-26 19:29:46 +0000 UTCNot as bad as a PCB, design it, revise it, revise it again, spot an issue and fix it, revise it again, look at it again for 2 days before ordering :)
2020-10-26 19:25:25 +0000 UTCYeah great, now my brain won't stop throwing ideas at me until I spend two nights modeling and printing a whole bunch of crazy shapes.
MrTridac
2020-10-26 19:08:38 +0000 UTCDam, that is something else to print, I have a 3D printer on order (Flsun Q5 £163.42 from Banggood) and have to learn CAD and how to tweek it LOL Great review from Major Hardware with the comment that the nut and bolt that come with it have been fine tuned :) https://youtu.be/73GX-h4S9B4
2020-10-26 19:05:11 +0000 UTCMeasuring humidity with analogue circuitry is complicated by the need to run the sensors with AC to avoid damaging them by electrolysis. These days it's really cheap to get sensors that measure humidity, temperature and pressure. All on one tiny cheap chip that communicates with serial data.
Big Clive
2020-10-26 18:12:56 +0000 UTCThe LEDs seem much sharper or glaring... probably the lenses inside for the >4000 K type ones. Or the blue for chanukkah are simply piercing with the focused lenses inside. Would these be great with a chunky 8 mm LED inside? Or wouldn’t you get much more light from the larger surface area
Cerity
2020-10-26 18:00:48 +0000 UTCThose sure look great! Makes a 3D printer very tempting just to make them. Personally I would much prefer a tree with just 20-30 of these over any other modern light set on the market, where it's how many LEDs can you cram on a string .
Seán Byrne
2020-10-26 17:47:43 +0000 UTCOpenSCAD is pretty good. I've made a few basic things with it. Each time I make something I try and make it just a little bit more complex.
Neil Tonks
2020-10-26 17:26:10 +0000 UTCI like them so much I've just fired up my printer after 5 months. Funny thing is, the reel of pla has been sitting on the machine, in the kitchen, no protection from damp or extremes of temperature. Seems to be printing fine.
Neil Tonks
2020-10-26 17:23:12 +0000 UTCVery nice. Certainly a retrofitting. Takes me back to my grandma's tree lights.
Paul Noble
2020-10-26 17:15:37 +0000 UTCThose look absolutely beautiful! Wow nicely done
Michael Thompson
2020-10-26 16:45:27 +0000 UTCClive I deeply appreciate hiw you've embraced the parameterization/progamability provided by OpenSCAD. It doesn't seem to have as many adherents on youtube (and thus perhaps across the 3d printing world) as i would like.
Jeremy Impson
2020-10-26 15:40:21 +0000 UTCClive I deeply appreciate hiw you've embraced the parameterization/progamability provided by OpenSCAD. It doesn't seem to have as many adherents on youtube (and thus perhaps across the 3d printing world) as i would like.
Jeremy Impson
2020-10-26 15:39:44 +0000 UTCIn the last vid for this, Clive said he uses Cetus2 by Tiertime ❤️
Cerity
2020-10-26 15:09:44 +0000 UTCI like it all, although I'd probably have to find cad sw that allows for a visual component in the design stage. I couldn't say for certain, however it seems you've changed tack in your shared activities. I like the 3D printing. You're a creative, an artist, and this way we get to see/experience the confluence of your various skills, talents, and abilities. Perhaps endeavours into entirely new territory for you & many others. These lockdowns, quarantines, and times of activity spent in more mindful a manner for the sake of health, etc. have prompted many of us to take roads less traveled by. One cannot stop the waves, but they can learn to surf. There truly is something great about a good teardown for reverse engineering or discovery, isn't there (rhetorical)? ps. If you go ahead with design for an automatic humidity balancing system, I vote for all analog devices. Damn the arduino (no offense to anyone). I may be mistaken, but I think AvE is short for Arduino versus Evil. -Cheers
2020-10-26 14:28:45 +0000 UTCThe moment when technology becomes beauty. Good job.
2020-10-26 13:52:34 +0000 UTCThey look really good.
mj
2020-10-26 12:30:29 +0000 UTCThese are great Clive. Started tinkering with the OpenSCAD scripts. I've played with OpenSCAD before but this has inspired me to get back into it. Cheers!
2020-10-26 11:24:21 +0000 UTCWow, these turned out really great. I think it's time for me to break out my Christmas decorations early so I can start experimenting with these. Thanks!
Brooks Andersen
2020-10-26 10:28:19 +0000 UTCImpressive! Safer too to ye-olde flaky glass painted vintage screw-in sets of our childhood
Andrew Donaldson
2020-10-26 10:17:11 +0000 UTCI've used your OpenSCAD scripts as a starting point to poke around in it - and my first attempt was to de-truncate the cone at the top of the LED socket. Ostensibly this was for more light diffusion but mainly because it was a thing to try. ;) As an aside, I wanted to make some octagonal ones to use on a Gallium2 board's 15mm spacing but I realized that the "diameter" is corner to corner, not face to face as it would have to be to wind up with them neatly side by side. For a regular octagon, the conversion factor is sin(90)/sin(67.5) (in degrees) - or in short, the diameter (as yet untested, I don't have a printer) needs to be 16.236mm for a face-to-face dimension of 15mm.
2020-10-26 09:12:20 +0000 UTCThey look great
2020-10-26 08:47:56 +0000 UTCLooks like I shouldn't wait until Christmas day to see if Santa will bring me a 3D printer. What printer do you use Clive?
AlfaGuy
2020-10-26 07:49:32 +0000 UTCThose are lovely!
Michael Thompson
2020-10-26 06:33:37 +0000 UTCIt does work well, even at very low LED current. If a clear LED is used it projects a pattern inside, but if a diffused one is used it lights evenly.
Big Clive
2020-10-26 06:20:23 +0000 UTCThey're styled on the vintage olive lamps of my childhood. The shape and size has turned out just right. With a diffused LED inside they light very evenly.
Big Clive
2020-10-26 06:18:10 +0000 UTCNice light defusion on the white pla.
Jamie
2020-10-26 05:31:46 +0000 UTC
