vinsanity286
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2006
- Messages
- 184
Hi all,
I recently got a small lathe and this was my first project. It has been on my key chain for a couple months now and it works great for its intended application, and sometimes as a main task light. It is called a Utilitech #0225284 and it is usually right in the check out isle. The light is solid brass but has an ugly coating on it. The seems don't line up, is has a plastic button and a angry blue 5mm led.
I turned them down to reveal the brass as well as make the seems flush. Of course I had to polish them. Then I made brass buttons. Please forgive the bad photos and smudges, they have not been polished in a while. The second one from the front is otherwise stock. The one in the back is the one I carry and got some more love(and also has rougher machining as it was pretty much the first thing I cut on the lathe).
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Made a pill out of brass to fit a roughly:eeew: cut down 3000k xr-e. Future examples with get an xpg on a 10mm board. Contacts are also brass and are insulated with delrin. As you look into the body of the light you can see how I made a hi/lo switch. Tighten for hi(direct drive) and loosen for low(100ohm resistor). The spring contacts first for low and the solid brass slug powers hi. These are both press fit/glued to a delrin insulator that fits over the stock pcb. The negative wire of the led is soldered directly to the pill and the positive wire is soldered to a brass contact under the delrin that is just barely visible in this pic. I'm waiting on thermal epoxy so the led is not glued down yet. I also cut the head down to allow for a wider spill.
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The business end.
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I very much like the warm tint and of course it has a great even flood.
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Sorry for the long post and thanks for watching.:wave:
Vin
I recently got a small lathe and this was my first project. It has been on my key chain for a couple months now and it works great for its intended application, and sometimes as a main task light. It is called a Utilitech #0225284 and it is usually right in the check out isle. The light is solid brass but has an ugly coating on it. The seems don't line up, is has a plastic button and a angry blue 5mm led.
I turned them down to reveal the brass as well as make the seems flush. Of course I had to polish them. Then I made brass buttons. Please forgive the bad photos and smudges, they have not been polished in a while. The second one from the front is otherwise stock. The one in the back is the one I carry and got some more love(and also has rougher machining as it was pretty much the first thing I cut on the lathe).
Made a pill out of brass to fit a roughly:eeew: cut down 3000k xr-e. Future examples with get an xpg on a 10mm board. Contacts are also brass and are insulated with delrin. As you look into the body of the light you can see how I made a hi/lo switch. Tighten for hi(direct drive) and loosen for low(100ohm resistor). The spring contacts first for low and the solid brass slug powers hi. These are both press fit/glued to a delrin insulator that fits over the stock pcb. The negative wire of the led is soldered directly to the pill and the positive wire is soldered to a brass contact under the delrin that is just barely visible in this pic. I'm waiting on thermal epoxy so the led is not glued down yet. I also cut the head down to allow for a wider spill.
The business end.
I very much like the warm tint and of course it has a great even flood.
Sorry for the long post and thanks for watching.:wave:
Vin
