Cufflink flashlights

Endalaus · Jun 10, 2012

Hello all

My first CPF thread, so please forgive any unitentional errors on my part.:crazy:

In a moment of whimsy I was wondering if it was possible/feasible for someone (me) with a reasonable level of mechanical aptitude but not much knowledge of flashlight electronics to build a couple of micro- lights into a set of cufflinks. A bit of googling later i came to the conclusion that no such thing is comercially produced ( perhaps for good reason). I was wondering if any of the CPF experts out there had ever tried to build something like this? Anyway, I've set out a few specs below, all of which are open to constructive or even destructive criticism!

Must fit a case with max external dimensions of 20x25x5mm
must not be made of plastic - who wants to wear plastic cufflinks?
must be possible to build with hand tools and basic power tools (no cnc or micro lathes)
must not require a custom pcb or micro circuitry
Must have an output of at least 2-3 lumens
any other requirements I haven't thought of, please suggest!

PhotonWrangler · Jun 10, 2012

Hi Endalaus,

Search for "LED Blinkies" and you'll see what's currently available in a form factor that's almost as small as you're looking for. It might be feasible to modify an existing white blinkie to work with a thinner battery and to not blink.

Endalaus · Jun 10, 2012

Thanks photonwrangler, will do

PhotonWrangler · Jun 10, 2012

In the same general category you'll find balloon illuminators. These are available at party supply stores. They make white ones that don't blink.

lewong · Jun 11, 2012

Search Google for the open source project called icufflinks. They look like the power button on a MacBook and there is a pulsing LED. All the code, circuit board files, schematics and CAD files are on github. It may give you some more ideas.

Endalaus · Jun 11, 2012

Great, thanks for all the suggestions.

fyrstormer · Jun 11, 2012

Seems like you could glue some Photons onto a pair of cheap cufflinks.

electromage · Jun 11, 2012

It seems like one of the machining wizards here needs to come up with something for this niche! If you had the proper tools and materials, it couldn't be too difficult to build something from scratch. A metal "body" with an epoxy dome over a tiny SMT LED might be fun. If I had an occasion to wear cufflinks, I'd certainly go for something like that rather than the typical fare.