Bolster
Flashlight Enthusiast
I'm looking to pay someone to custom build me an LED solution, that will make a nice little old lady (my mom) very happy.
Here's the deal: Mom loves sewing on a 1960s vintage Italian Necchi sewing machine. However it has a 1960s vintage light source to light up the fabric as it goes through the machine...very, very dim, as you can see:
Mom's getting up in years and she just can't see the fabric well enough. I've installed bright new overhead lights but there is still a shadow that shows up... see how the machine is made and you'll understand. We've also tried various other lighting solutions all of which get in the way. What I need is a modern LED that can put out 50-100 lumens of neutral white (or thereabouts) directly above where the fabric goes through.
Here I've popped open the front cover and inserted a tape measure below, in the fabric path...the bulb takes up about 1.5 inches...
And here you can see the light assembly better...just above and left of the sewing machine foot.
There is a power source right there ... I assume it's 110v AC...it's the grey plastic cable with the shiny metal tie-down a few inches above. Now this may be the deal killer...I don't know anything about powering LEDs but maybe they're only powered by low voltage DC? In which case, I'm screwed, because there's no place to insert a transformer. And I really don't want to be running a cable to a battery pack somewhere.
So...is it possible to upgrade this light source? The new light source would have to fit into a space about .5 x .5 x 1.5 inches, where the old light sits now.
Yes, I realize this is not a battery solution, its a wired solution...what do you think? If I get you precise measurements, and do the modification/installation myself (which Im sure I can do...I own a mill and can custom make any mounting hardware I need)...
...can anyone help me out?
(PS: I'm open to other less radical solutions, such as standalone lamps that might work for the job...it's just that the existing task light is in the perfect position where it is; if I could just get it brighter life would be good...)
Here's the deal: Mom loves sewing on a 1960s vintage Italian Necchi sewing machine. However it has a 1960s vintage light source to light up the fabric as it goes through the machine...very, very dim, as you can see:
Mom's getting up in years and she just can't see the fabric well enough. I've installed bright new overhead lights but there is still a shadow that shows up... see how the machine is made and you'll understand. We've also tried various other lighting solutions all of which get in the way. What I need is a modern LED that can put out 50-100 lumens of neutral white (or thereabouts) directly above where the fabric goes through.
Here I've popped open the front cover and inserted a tape measure below, in the fabric path...the bulb takes up about 1.5 inches...
And here you can see the light assembly better...just above and left of the sewing machine foot.
There is a power source right there ... I assume it's 110v AC...it's the grey plastic cable with the shiny metal tie-down a few inches above. Now this may be the deal killer...I don't know anything about powering LEDs but maybe they're only powered by low voltage DC? In which case, I'm screwed, because there's no place to insert a transformer. And I really don't want to be running a cable to a battery pack somewhere.
So...is it possible to upgrade this light source? The new light source would have to fit into a space about .5 x .5 x 1.5 inches, where the old light sits now.
Yes, I realize this is not a battery solution, its a wired solution...what do you think? If I get you precise measurements, and do the modification/installation myself (which Im sure I can do...I own a mill and can custom make any mounting hardware I need)...
...can anyone help me out?
(PS: I'm open to other less radical solutions, such as standalone lamps that might work for the job...it's just that the existing task light is in the perfect position where it is; if I could just get it brighter life would be good...)