Picture lighting

I getting enquires from customers about lighting up their portraits mounted in picture frames.

That’s interesting…I would like too offer picture lighting so doing some searching to see what’s available and the costs.

Al's Workshop update

Arrived this afternoon 2 x RF controllers with remotes. This was one of those 'nifty moments' where I came up with the idea to use left over materials - in this case LED strips.

Since the start of COVID how many bats have I done...dunno lost count. Each bat consumes 1.5M so for the 2M light kits that's 0.5 or for 3M light kits 1.5M - leftovers.

The RGB kits range in price from around $12 - $16 and these RF controller kits were about $6 so by using the leftover strips I can save 6 - 10 bucks per bat light. When you working with a dollar here and a dollar there - that's quite a saving!

USB RGB LED strip lights (part 2) video

Al's Workshop - USB RGB LED strip lights (part 2)

As posted 3 x USB RGB LED strips arrived yesterday so keen to have a play with one of them this morning.

Setting up to do some testing.

USB RGB LED strip lights (part 1)

Postie delivered the order for 3 x USB - RGB LED strip lights with RF controllers!

Batman lights–the dummy battery box.

To save a few dollars I am now making my own dummy battery boxes.

Why two battery boxes...???

There is no room to mount the 3 x AA battery box in the centre of the back and...have it recessed to reduce the depth because there is LED strip in there to illuminate the name letters. The only spot is on one of the wings which would unbalance the light so I have opted for a 2nd (dummy) battery box that holds three spare batteries - on the other wing.

Order for LED strip lights

To short !!!...the last two sets of RGB LED strip kits that arrived are only 1M; they should have been 2M length. Contacted the supplier to complain and they say that's what I ordered - doubt that. To busy now so I'll think about that and follow-up later.

That's only 1M on that spool and the code has the _2 on the end.
Furthermore the 2M length fills the whole spool!

Al's Workshop updates

 

Another busy day with bats flying out the door but still feel like I'm threading water. This morning released a pair in the direction of Warragul - safe trip guys.

Did some more work on jobs then off on the usual Monday shopping trip including posting those two bats to Warragul I was surprised that 2 x Bats @ 1,2kg was $15.35 when last time 1 x Bat @ 0.6kg cost over $18. Thanks to Holly (see next photo) I packed the items so well there was no need for one of their pricey bags

Back home and out again to do some more including cutting more MDF blanks. After tea ended up doing two hours overtime to catch up a bit - with heaters on.

I've been saving Holly's tin food trays for packing stuff. This morning used two of them slightly modified to pack those two bats. 

Kmart update–bloody sold out !!!

Rang to check stock before I left to make sure they have stock then went to Stud Park to buy two of them. Waited over 1/2 hour in the service desk queue and was then informed none left – hopeless.

I've been reloading this bookmarked page for several weeks now since contacting Kmart with ETA late April early May. Kmart says high demand for this item!

UPDATE; Yay...looks like Kmart USB RGB LED strip lights are back in stock. See my previous posts about COVID procurement issues. Better get down there before they sell out again.

Parcel deliveries

WOW... parcel delivery yesterday and other one just now...more Batman LED lights



System is working well hand appears over fence with slow release of package into dish washing tray then press of video intercom button followed with wave to ET who is usually on the balcony.

Al's Workshop update

The RGB LED strip lights have finally arrived !!!

Repairing LED strip lights

Dismal day and worrying times with the bloody Chinavirus so it's nice to have a little win this morning. Managed to repair the faulty RGB LED strip that's been lying around since the first Batman light where it went faulty and I had to replace the whole length of RGB strip. This means I can now get another Batman out the door because we are still waiting for last order of LED strip lights to arrive.



Fixed the bloody thing (part of Blue missing) so we can now get another Batman out the door - yay

LED lights x 3 with RCU video clip

LED lights x 3 with RCU

As posted I want to modify one of the lights to power LED string or rice lights and if it works out I can offer this as a lighting option with remote control for the night lights.

As posted this is what I got from the market for $10.

Pulled one light apart, unsoldered the battery wires and held up to the desk lamp to get some idea of the PCB component and track layout. Interesting that the five LED's are in parallel with the IC switching the negative through the usual current limiting resistor. Cut the track on the LED side of that resistor and connected a length of six string LED's

Lights off..

Turn on lights with remote control.

The question now is how much current can I pull from that IC which has no identification on the package. Enough for now I'll take some more measurements tomorrow and see how it pans out. I need to get that lab power supply.

Al's Workshop update

With regard to my silhouette night lights I found something on eBay that I will offer as a optional lighting extra. LED fairy lights with remote control, battery or USB operation.

LED string lights delivered

Arrived today and I'm thinking of using them instead of the regular fairy LED's for silhouette lighting.

Samoyed night light - part 10b

Instructions

Samoyed night light - part 7

Swapped over from LED strip to LED string, mock-up tape down of the LEDS and a live test – all good.

Cut a suitable DC plug lead off a AC adaptor and wired to a string of LED's left over from Nat Mac's 

Greyhound night light.

Ready to tape down the LED's so I can check the silhouette lighting effect, relocate any if needed and then carefully hot glue in place.

that looks rather funny.

Made a MDF retainer to hold the controller.

Looks OK, for the next session tomorrow morning fire up the glue gun.

Silhouette night lights - some thoughts

Thinking about wiring a DC plug onto a 'normal' string of white LED's and plug that into the controller, then do another light test. Laying out and positioning LED strip in a wandering pattern is painful and messy.

Samoyed night light - part 6

Mounting the controller and doing a mock-up light test.

This worked out well, I'll use a small pivoting strip of MDF to secure the controller.