Project Lamplighter - my homemade LED keychain fob

[Icarus]

I like this project but would like to see you post more pictures.

 

[calipsoii]

I like this project but would like to see you post more pictures.

As you wish!

 

[MrJino]

These are just too cool.
I would definitely want one, or a few. They'd make excellent gifts!

 

[Icarus]

:thanks: for posting new photos. :thumbsup:

 

[calipsoii]

Hi guys,

Looks like these will run just shy of 3 months on a set of batteries. My keychain one abruptly dropped out of regulation last night and has been dimming to a tiny spark ever since.

Unfortunately the batteries in that one were installed with a hammer so it's a museum piece now. :laughing:

 

[datiLED]

Unfortunately the batteries in that one were installed with a hammer so it's a museum piece now. :laughing:

Chuck it into your lathe, and drill them out. Then you can bore the tube for more clearance.

BTW, nice work.

 

[mcmc]

I just received mine - number 007 =) this thing is awesome!! Thanks CalipsoII!

 

[Zandar]

I'm still loving your 2 great homemade projects. Can you put me down for 2 lights please? I'd like to have one, for my brother the engineer's birthday, at the end of October if possible. Thanks Zandar

 

[calipsoii]

Hi guys, thanks for continuing to follow along! I love the feedback and find it very motivating.

I've been making these as time permits. With the little dude in the house now I get maybe 2-3 hours a week and it takes 8-10 hours to make one so you can see where that's going. #009 is about 50% complete.

Since more than a few people have expressed interest I think it makes sense to post a few details here. These are the key points I've been sending to each person who buys one, so if you've already read this, please skip over! If you haven't, it might influence your decision.

• They're splash-resistant but not waterproof so no swimming or showering with it.
• They're machined by hand on a manual lathe/mill and will likely have some tooling marks to reflect that.
• The LED suspension wires will be a bit bent in all models; it's unavoidable.
• They have a piece of Pyrex tubing in them. In 3 months of daily abuse I've never broken mine but the possibility is there.
• The spring is not attached in the tail so twist it open slowly so it doesn't shoot out (I'll send a couple spares just in case).
• They're really quite dim during the daylight hours.

There are some pretty awesome points to note too!

• Everything from the housing to the circuit board to the glass envelope is handmade.
• Lovingly handstamped with a unique serial number.
• Just shy of 3 months of 24/7 runtime on 4x SR41 batteries.
• The unlacquered brass will pick up a nice patina in your pocket.
• At night the orange LED looks like a tiny campfire spark captured on your keychain.
• You can pick up genuine Energizer SR41's on DigiKey for $0.80 each

Price for the Lamplighter without shipping is $85USD. Shipping charges vary based on your location:

• USA/Canada with tracking & insurance in 7-10 business days: $15
• Int'l/Overseas without tracking or insurance in 2-3 weeks: $10
• Int'l/Overseas with tracking & insurance in 6-10 business days: ~$40 (I can get an exact quote once I know your country)

So there you go! I have a small list of people who said they were interested. My goal has been to make enough of these to get one to each person. If you're on here and are no longer interested that is no problem at all, just PM and let me know! If you're not on here and want to be, post below or send me a PM.

bmetcalfe28
sassaquin
KuanR
Mr.Nobody
nfetterly
Nitroz
maverick06
cnjl3
Icarus
maxspeeds
zandar
Neg2LED
mk2rocco
​

Cheers all, enjoy your weekend!

 

[Zandar]

Calipsoii, So, that everyone has a fair shot at getting a lamplighter in a reasonable amount of time, I'd like to cut back my request to just 1 light, please. Thank you. Zandar

 

[calipsoii]

Hi Zandar,

That's no problem. I realize progress is slow so I hope it's not too frustrating. I just don't have the time I used to.

A bit of a status update:
- #009 is done and I'm 25% into #010
- I'm out of converters and need parts to build more so I have to put in an order to Digikey
- I'm going to do the next few in a batch to hopefully speed things along - we'll see if it helps!

 

[cnjl3]

Good! I see that i'm on your list. I will take one. Will i get a pm or email when it is ready?

 

[calipsoii]

Good! I see that i'm on your list. I will take one. Will i get a pm or email when it is ready?

Of course cnjl3. Waiting on electronic components right now.

 

[mcmc]

I've had mine on my keychain ever since receipt late May. Holding up fantastic and I love that little warm spark in the night =)

 

[calipsoii]

That's great to hear mcmc, thanks for checking in. I'm really glad you are EDC'ing it - please keep me in the loop on how it holds up and any feedback you have!

Still working on these in my spare time guys. I'm finding it easier and much more efficient to do the work assembly-line style, so I'm currently working on parts for 12 Lamplighters. I'd say they're ~20% complete? Going to keep hammering away at them and should (hopefully) have a dozen ready in a month or so here.

 

[Icarus]

:thanks: for the update. Was #009 not meant to be mine?

 

[calipsoii]

:thanks: for the update. Was #009 not meant to be mine?

That it is! Sitting downstairs on my workbench beside its shipping box. I'm waiting on a shipment of o-rings so that I can include a spare for you. Once they arrive I'll send a PM.

 

[Icarus]

Great! :thumbsup:

 

[maxspeeds]

I can't wait for #010 to be complete! I'm looking forward to hanging this on my keys with my McG sapphire. Does anyone know of an additional source to Digikey where we can purchase the SR41 batteries in bulk?

 

[calipsoii]

:thanks: for the update. Was #009 not meant to be mine?

PM sent!