light reading

Books are an important part of most interiors and whilst adding interest and colour they do not bring light! Light Reading was designed to nestle in amongst your books and remain invisible until illuminated. The Light is made from a material called 'Secret sign'. This is bent into the shape of a book or more specifically the dimensions of a good dictionary. Inside the book a low energy lamp is mounted providing a safe and low temperature light source. Once illuminated the light reveals its title, which is laser engraved on the inside. Provided with clear cable, switch and plug.

Designed 2002 Short listed Peugeot design awards 2003. Distributed by Thorsten van Elten.

CD Lamp

61 CDs illuminated down the center. Not an LED project but could be easily converted to a 1 watter or more.

The website contains all you need to know to build one as well as improvements the author would make in a second version.

http://photocreations.ca/cd_lamp2/index.html

Ultra Capacitor 350 Farad

Designed as a cylindrical package similar in size to a standard "D" cell battery, Maxwell's BCAP0350 ultracapacitor is ideal for automotive subsystems, medical devices, UPS/backup power, wind turbine pitch control, and many other applications requiring a pulse of energy that cannot be efficiently provided by a battery or power supply alone.

The BCAP0350 works in tandem with batteries for applications that require both a constant low power discharge for continual function and a pulse power for peak loads. In these applications, the device relieves batteries of peak power functions resulting in an extension of battery life and a reduction of overall battery size and cost.

The BCAP0350 is also an ideal source of back-up power and pulse. It can provide extended power availability, allowing critical information and functions to remain available during dips, sags, and outages in a power supply or battery change. And, like all Maxwell ultracapacitors, the BCAP0350 is capable of accepting changes at the identical rate of discharge.

http://www.maxwell.com
http://www.maxwell.com/ultracapacitors/products/medium-cell/bcap0350.asp

High-Powered Laser DVD Laser

Make a DVD Burner into a High-Powered Laser

The laser pictured above has a peak output measured at 225 mW (average output 200 mW). It's a visible red at about 650nm. It can light matches, pop balloons, cut electrical tape, and so forth. It can do pretty much anything a Pulsar 150 from Wicked Lasers can do, because it's basically the same thing. The only differences? This laser was home-made, and cost about 1/3 the price.

http://www.vilos.com/lasers/lasers-howto.html

Streamlight 4AA

After two years of use it still shines bright. I liked this model so much that I own two of them, one for the house and one for the glovebox.



There are seven LEDs in this light that produce a intense short beam. This is very useful for doing tasks that are close. I know from personal experience that I do not recommend using this light to look for your missing elderly dog at night. This light just does not have the casting power as that of a precious maglite.

For its item, it's size and power source can't be beat. The local fire fighters all use this flash light too. They have an attachment on their helmet that allows this to be strapped on. The Streamlight is made to be water resistant, though it may as well be waterproof. It also has been rated for use in hazardous locations.


Here is the spot light from about 5 feet away, cast on the bathroom wall. The beam is very even and bright due to the use of a back reflector. This light suffers from the purple / blue tint associated with the superbright 5mm LEDs.

Warning: lithium batteries seem to over volt this flash light and unless changes have been made. The use of these batteries will destroy the LEDs inside.

Technorati : flashlight, hazard, led, maglight, review, waterproof

A bar full of LEDs

This is the new bar room my father is finishing up. Underneath the bar are strips of amber leds casting at 90 degrees.


One of the track lights is a 1 watt Luxeon, it may look off from a distance, but it is hard to look at head on. The one watter casts a nice even warm light. Three watters might just be what were looking for.

28 LEDs

I bought some leds recently and am going to build a light. Hopefully a very bright low power light. Here are some tests I have done. This simple rig consists of 28 LEDs, contaiing half and half of warm white leds and the super bright white leds that spike closers in the blue spectrum. Each have a spread of 30 degrees and when the light mixes its very bright and very white. Its so white infact that its unusual. Most of the light we are exposed to is from incandesent and that is very yellow. So this light not spiking in the yellow is quite odd.

I wonder if a massive array of leds mixed and calabrated could be used for color calibration and proofing at a print house.

Don't let the pictures fool you, though it is dim, the room is bright enough to be usable. I intend the rig in its complete state to have about 200 lights and be capable of running off of 4 AAAs.