3D printed LED lamp.

I'm a big fan of OpenSCAD, you can do some really amazing stuff with it. The undersized hole you had on your first print is as a result of how 'circles' are drawn. There is a great explanation (and work around) here: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual/undersized_circular_objects

I have subsequently nested multiple unions and differences to allow objects that protrude into hollow shapes.

Big Clive

I like the idea of the O-ring, but wonder how the 3D printing would handle the step back in of the channel for it.

Big Clive

One thing you might try, if your glass tube is just the tiniest too large/printed adapter too small, is to hit the printed adapter with a heat gun for a bit, to soften it up. You'll have to play with the timing, so as not the melt the adapter, obviously.

Justin Smith

One idea, you could make the hole for the tube slightly larger and add an internal groove for an O ring. That way the variation in glass tube diameter could be accommodated and still have a nice friction fit.

I wonder if you could get a better friction fit by printing ribs inside the insert rather than a smooth cylinder? - is the material soft enough for a narrow rib to deform slightly as the tube is inserted?

David Reader

Great idea; downloaded OpenScad, pasted the code and it rendered perfectly! The choice for difference() and union() is quite logical; your creating a shape with union and remove parts with difference(). This can (probably) be nested to create more complex shapes...

Paul Schuur

I really enjoyed this one maybe the next version could get a flash pattern or a chasing one.

For TinkerCAD users, I recreated it. https://www.tinkercad.com/things/8kfzgGbe5ie

evilution

I'm wary of making too many long videos. The shorter ones are often more popular.

Big Clive

It's a Tiertime Cetus MK2.

Big Clive

At least a couple of angled nubs to wedge in.

Stevan Farkas

Nice. What 3D printer do you use?

Richard Boyce

Just wondering, the Edison screw fitting. Couldn't you make a mating thread for the inside?

Neil Tonks

Nice video. Nice project. I know you have covered it before but I'd of liked to of seen the power supply being soldered and a few of the LEDs put together.

Neil Tonks

That looks great Clive.

Lawrence ORourke

Great video! I've been making LED tube lamps similar to your design, using plastic "bottle start" tubes as the globes. I cut open and gut the bases of failed CF lamps, and use soda bottle caps epoxied into them as bases that the tubes just screw into. The end result isn't quite as clean as your test tube lamps, but they still look fairly decent. I use OpenSCAD almost exclusively for all of my 3D design work, from simple brackets to functional gearboxes. I've been wondering about modeling up an Edison screw base that would allow me to eliminate the CF lamp based adapter, as even those are starting to get harder to find.

That's why he has us :D

Dustin

I wonder how long it'll take for the video to be demonetized by YouPrudes for your test tube fun there when it goes public, Clive. Hahaha

Honorary Octopus