Gallery, Projects and General > Gallery
Water feature lamp.....
Divided he ad:
What you making??? is it under 3oZ!!!?? :D
Sorry... Light art.... Had to be a crappy joke in there somewhere!!
I await the thread.........
Well come on, I'm waiting! :hammer:
Ralph.
Bernd:
Nice job Ralph. :bugeye:
I hope that part is made from stainless or some other rust proof metal. :hammer:
Ever think of going into buisness doing stuff like this?
Can't wait to see the results.
Bernd
Divided he ad:
Hi Bernd,
The part is aluminium, it should be ok for non salt water applications ??? Well car engine componants seem to be ok with it !?
The cap is going to be sealed on when the power lead is in, I will use clear silicone sealant, cause it is a powerfull gluing agent and once set is waterproof. So the electrical parts will be fully protected. even if the water gets into the shell it will not affect the LED leads or the wires. (I've put LED's into water many times and even unprotected they still work!! It may affect the battery a little but it still shines!!)
Production... Not with the amount of time I took on this! Admittedly I had a concept drawing and I drew a few little 'internals' ideas on paper first but it was once again muchly developed on the fly (yes Eric I was sat on the back of a small flying insect that helps me design metalic wonders!! :D ;) )
I am one of those make it as it is needed sorts... I couldn't get 2 parts exactly the same using dials if I tried.... I'm crap at that. Maybe I'll get better with time? I could never re-create an exact of any of my torches or engines... They are all originals and never are two exactly alike! I think it makes everything a bit more special that way :thumbup:
Anyway, My brother came round today and has given the design and build the seal of approval... Now just the wire and a small resistor and I'll deliver it and get a few photo's ;D
Ralph.
MadModder:
Nice work. :thumbup:
Looks like they're connected in parallel.
If it were in series, it would just be one wire connecting them. ;)
There's one downside going the parallel way. First you add the current they use, lets say 4*20mA wich is 80mA. You calculate the correct resistor value. Everything works. But, LEDs are not an exact science. Every LED is individual, and has different forward voltages. +/-0,1V or so. If anyone dies, the one with the least forward voltage will die first, and then there are only 3 working, and they need only 60mA, but the resistor is calculated for 80mA. Then the rest will follow the first one to the grave very soon.
This might happen after a day, or after several years. You never know. :D
Putting them all in series has another disadvantage. If one fails, they all go out. Or if you're unfortunate it will go out shorting itself after a time of sporadic flickering, and the others will get a too high current. Again...
The best way is to have one resistor for every LED, and then parallelling those LED+resistor modules, so to speak. Takes more space, is slightly more expensive, but will last longer. :)
Divided he ad:
Yep, your right.... Parallel! Casting my mind back and then thinking about it, I remember the way to wire both.... Funny what you remember when questioned...or corrected!!! ;) So much for my highschool memory !!(18years and counting!) :hammer:
I haven't done such for so long it is all a bit hazy.... I have mostly just done what works!!
The 1 resistor per LED would be pretty awkward in the confined space... But I may look into it? ... Looked into it and the results are as follows...
Currently the parallel display would require 1x8.2ohm resistor rated 1/4 watt (the same if it was in series)
If it were 1 resistor per LED then 4x470ohm resistors would be required Rated at 1/2 watt
Issues at this time.... #1/ the fitting of 4 resistors into the confined space.
#2/ the purchase of 4 1/2 watt resistors (all mine are 1/4 watt rated) this is more about hassle than cost!
#3/ the fact that it works, and I can always repair/make another if it goes pearshaped!!
#4/ Quote from LED center....
--- Quote ---"When you buy a package of light bulbs, you’ll see a number on the box that says something like “Life: 1125 hours.” This is defined as the time it takes for 50% of test samples to burn out. But there’s really not a standard definition like this for LEDs—they gradually decrease in brightness instead of “burning out.” The number 100,000 hours (about 11 years) gets mentioned a lot. Since an LED is a diode, even after it ceases to produce light, it will still use power."
--- End quote ---
Thus meaning it should be good with a blown LED for a while :thumbup:
I have many items linked in this way that have worked for many hours and not yet failed... I have yet too see one that I own go out, and that's a lot of LED's!!
I thank you for your input MM, I think we all need a kick in the a#@ now and again!! I will try to do better with any electronicals in future ;D
I started this post at about 20:30 GMT now it's nearly 22:00.... That's what happens when you spend time researching your answers!!
Still happy to have learnt a great deal this evening :thumbup:
Ralph.
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