flexible flashlight mount

adrianmariano

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I saw the recent thread about reading by flashlight, and I have a related question. I want a light for my 7 year old to use to read by in bed. Right now she's using a Phorm Light Voyager (fluorescent). She doesn't clip it onto the book, though. She sets it in her lap and points it at the book. We used this for a while with the AC adapter but do to a change in furniture arrangements, she's now in a location with no power outlet and the behavior of this device on batteries isn't great.

I was thinking that if we could set up either a light with an integral mount, or more likely a mounting system of some kind that would let me clip a light either onto a 3/4" thick shelf or onto a part of the bed (up to 3" thick if we use the posts).

I've seen a few clip on lights, but typically the clip is meant to clip onto a book or something fairly thin, not a thick shelf.

So do you know of a suitable light or a flexible mounting system or have ideas on the fabrication of such a system that would work with a small light. (I insist on AA or AAA batteries for this application.) I could consider also mounting something directly to the wall.

(Note that headbands are often suggested for reading. I don't think a headband would be good in this case.)
 

Dances with Flashlight

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Check out the Peak mount at this link. Works with any Peak light with a keychain body. You can very easily remove the keychain post and attach the light to this mount (or replace the post with a momentary switch).

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/212589

magnetclamps.jpg
 

Skyeye

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Use a flexible microphone mount. I think you can still get them at Radio Shack. It is about 18" long and comes with a mic clamp on one end and usually a screw mount on the other. Other than that, perhaps you can get a 2C snake light and change the incan bulb for a suitable LED which you can get at Wal-Mart. Run time should be great with the LED drop-in and really C's are probably better for longevity in this application. Other than that and that, get an extension chord and use a nice 110V. clip on bed light.:D
 

adrianmariano

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Check out the Peak mount at this link.

That peak mount looks nice. I suppose a downside (?) is that you're stuck with Peak. (And it looks a bit short...though there's no indication of length anywhere I could find.) Anybody know if the peak 1 LED light makes a good reading light?

Regarding a mic mount, I'm not sure if I've found the sort of thing you have in mind. Googling for "microphone mount" turns up this thread as one of the first hits.

Is this the sort of thing you meant? http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--SHUA98D (Kind of pricey.)
 

NonSenCe

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hmm interesting thoughts arise of this topic..

*how about those adjustable desk mike stands? hmm they dont clamp down but the base does weigh enough so they are not so easy to tip over. because of the base it must be putten into shelf? with the adjustment you can aim it to where you want the light showing?

(i think i will buy few of these mike stands myself and use them as "legs of a desklamp"!)

*how about zebralight h501warm tint, its an angle light and then hung small magnet glued to the shelf or post. and zebras "butt" stuck on it. its a wideflood light that is nice for reading.

i am thinking that i will glue a magnet on the zebras butt and then start tacking it on metal stuff if i need it. (under the car hood etc)

*how about one of those niteize belt carriers that mount a 2aa size light and can be rotated? and tieing that into a post?
i think it was called something like: nite ize stretch lite holster?

*how about using one of those bicycle bar flashlight holders somehow?

*how about lookin at the brick and mortar store for right size plastic tube for the flashlights body. screw that into the post at correct angle and just use the pocket clip of the flashlight to hang it from it? or maybe even just those thin metallic angle braces and screw that on the post at right angle and again use the pocket clip as mounting point? -easy to use the flashlight as flashlight too.
 

adrianmariano

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Seems like there are at least a few flashlight mounts out there like the bike mounts, the headlamp mounts, etc. But it's not so obvious to me where to find options for flexible support. In using mounting options like those, the trick would be integrating the mount to the flexible support and not running into weight problems from an overly heavy mount.

I don't think just gluing a Zebralight to the wall is quite flexible enough. (Also my wife doesn't think our 7 year old needs a $60 light.)
 

Illum

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Mcgizmo has these everywhere...Loc Lines I think is what they are called

Use a flexible microphone mount. I think you can still get them at Radio Shack. It is about 18" long and comes with a mic clamp on one end and usually a screw mount on the other.

I've been thinking about those goose neck magnifying glasses. Since the locking ring for the optic behavies like that of a hose clamp I think if you shorten the metal in pair of some strain relief material like rubber or foam between the ring and the flashlight you would easily be able to fix the light on one of those...


I have a couple of these and they work very well, $11
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/st...oreId=10001&catalogId=10001&productId=239548&
20" arm, hollow so if your willing to run something inside it you can, a cheaply made table clamp with the same threaded hole as the glass mount. The glass can be screwed off and there's an isolating ring between the glass frame and the arm.
 
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adrianmariano

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I have a couple of these and they work very well, $11
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/st...oreId=10001&catalogId=10001&productId=239548&
20" arm, hollow so if your willing to run something inside it you can, a cheaply made table clamp with the same threaded hole as the glass mount. The glass can be screwed off and there's an isolating ring between the glass frame and the arm.

Can't tell much from their web page. Are you saying that the thing has something functionally like a pipe clamp that encircles the magnifier. So I might be able to cut it shorter and get it down to ~1 inch diameter, with maybe a piece of old bicycle tubing or something to provide grip between the clamp and the light?
 

Illum

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Can't tell much from their web page. Are you saying that the thing has something functionally like a pipe clamp that encircles the magnifier. So I might be able to cut it shorter and get it down to ~1 inch diameter, with maybe a piece of old bicycle tubing or something to provide grip between the clamp and the light?

yeah, but now that I look at it closer, you'll have to trim the metal piece to size then reform the end so that it can be placed back in the shaft for it to lock. In the past I've seen ones where the metal piece surrounding the glass is simply locked by a rotating hex nut and I was able to adapt it to use with a smaller glass, but this wasn't it

this is what you get when it comes [G2 not included :grin2:]


two boxes, ones the glass the other the arm and clamp


The glass assembly closer


the metal ring is held in place at the center. the two ends of the metal are formed into a stub and inserted into the center piece. The round portion cannot be rotated its all one piece down to the chamfered piece

The isolator


The checkered piece to the right is screwed onto the arm, the dial is loosened to allow the glass to rotate, if you want, the set screw in the opposite side can be loosened and the glass assembly removed:)

The rest of the stuff


The original idea was from an astronomer friend who needed something to light up a table at night when us astronomers have star parties, so I took a radioshack enclosure, sawed a hole in it, wedged the glass holding piece inside it and glued it.
3 Luxeon reds driven at close to 150ma on high, 50ma on low. just as a concept I used a 9V cell, I have an AC adapter too if AC power was available


The isolator allowed me to pivot the light engine 360 degrees to point at any area of interest I desired on the table



I have not tried to see if I can actually hold a flashlight using it, though it seemed plausible for such an idea
 
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adrianmariano

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How about a rechargable book light? http://www.x-tremegeek.com/templates/SearchDetail.asp?productID=25698 they have a lot of other travel reading and USB lights too

Well, she's using a book light now and the way she uses it is to set it in her lap pointed towards the book.

Two things gives trouble for the book light. One is that she might be reading a book with a large area. In my experience most booklights don't light up a large area very well. (Say a book that is 12" x 20" when open.) Another problem is that some children's books are very thin but large paperbacks and don't hold a book light very well.

(I also prefer to avoid stuff that takes weird batteries, though in the case of booklights I suppose this avoidance does lead to a weight issue. Note that we have four book lights.)
 

adrianmariano

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yeah, but now that I look at it closer, you'll have to trim the metal piece to size then reform the end so that it can be placed back in the shaft for it to lock. In the past I've seen ones where the metal piece surrounding the glass is simply locked by a rotating hex nut and I was able to adapt it to use with a smaller glass, but this wasn't it

Let me see if I understand. You've got the lens which is encircled by a metal strip. At the attachment point that metal strip is bend 90 degrees at each and and secured (friction fit? glue?) into a shaft piece which slides into the isolator which in turn somehow attaches to the flexible part.

So a crude solution might be to remove the lens and glue a flashlight to the end, say?
 

adrianmariano

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Mcgizmo has these everywhere...Loc Lines I think is what they are called

I had some trouble find these at Mcgizmo, but http://www.loc-line.com/ has a reasonably good product decription. If I wanted to use these I'd have to figure out how to connect the NPT threaded end (whatever that is) to something that could hold the light. Another observation is that the magnetic base alone costs more than the gooseneck magnifying glass. The ability to adjust the length is nice.
 

Mr_Light

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Illum

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So a crude solution might be to remove the lens and glue a flashlight to the end, say?

the metal ring is kinda like the symbol omega, only with the legs vertical and tucked in a hollow shaft



yeah...pretty much
I was kinda hoping to make a bracket of some kind that just screws to the neck and be done with it. Microphone goose necks are expensive and the way microphones are designed it doesn't have enough flexibility to adapt it for a flashlight unless your light happens to be cone shaped:eek:
 

adrianmariano

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Can the flexible part of the magnifier pinch fingers when you are trying to flex it around?
 

Illum

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Can the flexible part of the magnifier pinch fingers when you are trying to flex it around?


I dunno, I've always used pliers when working with any form of sheet metal.
I suppose I'll find the time to reproduce the concept using one of these before I go ahead and recommend it:ohgeez:
 

adrianmariano

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It seems I wasn't clear. My wife said that microphone mounts pinch her fingers when she tries to adjust the position of the mic. Is that a possibility with the flexible cable that supports the magnifier and lets you move it to different positions? (Does it have parts that open and close as it flexes?)

I thought of two possible ways to attach a light to loc line. One is to end with pipe threading and screw on an iron pipe segment. Then glue a magnet to the light. Another approach would be to use the loc line screw mounting part which would let me screw the loc line onto whatever mounting aparatus I choose. (Then the only question is what mounting choices are there that can be screwed on? The bike mounts seem to be designed to go around bike frame, which doesn't seem ideal.
 
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