# Upgraded Light For Pm 12x36



## Muskt (Nov 10, 2015)

Here are a few pics of my new & upgraded light for the 12x36.  I scoured the internet for way too long, and found several that looked good--of course the good ones required mortgaging my first born.  So, after all the searching, I checked the website for Advance Auto Parts.  Found one that looked promising & went to town to look at it.  Looked good, so I ordered it on the web (15% discount that way).  The full price is $39.  The thing comes in one of those *#&$^#@ blister packs.  Here is the funny part.  It comes with 4 9-volt batteries and a push button switch attached to test it in the store.  The batteries are wired in parallel so it is only receiving 9 volts.  It is bright!!

The housing is cast metal of some sort--Not Plastic!

I purchased a toggle switch while there & then home to the shop.

After removing the original light, it became obvious that some type of bracket would need to be fabbed.  So I located some Aluminum scraps and TIGed it up.  The base (where the bolt goes through) is one inch wide--helps for size determination in the following pics.  

This is important--If you look on the Advance Auto Parts website, the wrong light is pictured when you enter the search section.  The one that comes up has 9 LEDs and costs $59.  Here is a link--The writeup is correct, the picture is wrong.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...-P?cm_mmc=ET-_-Trans-_-Confirmation-_-General

I know the light will function adequately on 9 volts.  The package clearly shows 12-24 volts.  So, I would speculate that the voltage is not terribly critical.  I did have an unused 12 volt wall transformer (who doesn't have a bunch of them lying around?), & it works great, after determining the correct polarity.

For you safety Nazis, I realize that there is an exposed terminal on the switch--it is for "ground".  Get over it!

The light is really quite bright.  The pic of the chuck was taken with the new light 18 inches from the chuck (no flash).  Notice how crisp the shadow on the HS is.  The little screwdriver tips were placed there because there was some text and drawings on the package simply to show that small details could be seen clearly.  If there is a drawback to this light, it is that the light bouncing off the chuck jaws is a bit irritating.

Jerry in Delaware


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## kd4gij (Nov 10, 2015)

Looks good


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## turnitupper (Nov 10, 2015)

Muskt said:


> If there is a drawback to this light, it is that the light bouncing off the chuck jaws is a bit irritating.


Let the chuck rust up a bit.
John.


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## kd4gij (Nov 10, 2015)

Don't forget to remove the pack of bitts before you turn that lathe on.


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## kd4gij (Nov 10, 2015)

I picked up an articulate clamp on desk light at a garage sale for 2 bucks and put a 100 watt led daylight bulb I got at HD  for 9 dollars.


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## Swerdk (Nov 25, 2015)

20% off that part till thanksgiving. 
Code WHG6MBX. at store online you referenced


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Muskt (Nov 25, 2015)

I have been using that light quite a bit since the first post.  It is really bright; however, ( & this is a big however) --at certain spindle RPMs it gives a strobing effect that is really annoying (of course that could be the reflection from my forehead).  I am running a DC transformer to the light, and didn't expect the result I am seeing.  Truly qualifies as a PITA.

No shop work for a few days.  Going to see the Grandsons in Jersey.  Hope everybody has great holidays & stay safe if you drive.

Jerry in Delaware


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## mksj (Nov 25, 2015)

Could be poor regulation/ripple from your power supply. Might try a 12VDC battery and see if it the strobing goes away. If it does then would try a different power supply, or consider adding an inductor  and some capacitors in the DC supply line to tame it down. This is what the MachTach uses:


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## RJSakowski (Nov 25, 2015)

Muskt said:


> I have been using that light quite a bit since the first post.  It is really bright; however, ( & this is a big however) --at certain spindle RPMs it gives a strobing effect that is really annoying (of course that could be the reflection from my forehead).  I am running a DC transformer to the light, and didn't expect the result I am seeing.  Truly qualifies as a PITA.
> 
> No shop work for a few days.  Going to see the Grandsons in Jersey.  Hope everybody has great holidays & stay safe if you drive.
> 
> Jerry in Delaware



Because of their rapid response times, LED's make good strobes. I remember years ago they advised not using fluorescent lighting for machinery because of the strobing effect.
Many 12v d.c. power supplies have little or no filtering.  An electrolytic capacitor connected across the power supply should do the trick. Since the light is rated for 12-24 volts in, it most; likely has  voltage and or current regulation built in.  Voltage regulators require a certain minimum voltage to operate.  If the voltage drops too low, the regulator just follows the input voltage.  A simple transformer - rectifier supply drops to zero once every 1/60th or 1/120th of a second depending upon whether it is a half wave or full wave rectifier.  During that time, the LED goes dark.  Because of the persistence of our vision, we do not see these momentary blackouts but it does make the LED an effective strobe light. The following picture shows the effect of placing a capacitor in the circuit.  Full wave and half wave rectification are shown.  Without the capacitor, the voltage (light black lines) will drop to zero and whenever the voltage is below the red line, the LED is dark.  With the capacitor, the voltage (heavy black lines) stays above the red line and the LED remains lit all the time.





How large a capacitor will depend upon the current draw from the LED's, the input voltage from your power supply and whether it is half wave or full wave rectification.  If you use a supply with a higher voltage, you will not need as large a capacitor.  The capacitor's voltage rating should be higher than the maximum voltage it will see. 

If all of this is too complicated, there are easier options.  If you have a power supply from an old laptop, they are highly regulated switching supplies, usually around 19 volts @ several amps.  To do from scratch, I would just buy a 12 -18 volt switching power supply from an electronics supplier like DigiKey, Mouser, or Jameco or buy one off eBay.  The cost will be minimal, it should be less than $20. Here is an example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-5A-6...363519?hash=item4af1fb61bf:g:3SEAAOSwNNxWEwA1

I have a home-built 9 LED array for my mill and used a 24 volt switching power supply for it.  Works great.

Bob


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## Muskt (Nov 25, 2015)

Thanks guys.  Lots to think about--too bad I'm so electronically challenged.  I though about some type of power supply vs the wall wart.  Definitely got to do something different.  Will look into it after the holiday.  Got to spend some time with those two grandsons, don't you know.

Jerry in Delaware


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## Muskt (Dec 22, 2015)

Well, it has been a while (seems like forever) since I have been able to spend time in the shop.  Got a few minutes to my self yesterday.  I went to Radio Shack, and found a female receptacle that fits an old (unused--12 volt) laptop power supply (really not sure of its history; but, it works).  It will be mounted on the backsplash near the tailstock.  Anyway, the power supply is a tremendous improvement over the wall wart.  Strobing is considerably lessened.  After I get it all set, I'll post a pic or 2.
Happy Holidays to all.
Jerry in Delaware


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