LEDs There are four 10 Watt LEDs – red, yellow and 2 x white. They are screwed to the top of the heatsink, so they point upwards. I added a tiny amount of thermal paste between the LEDs and the heatsink so that the heat is conducted across any gaps between the two. [Originally I…… Continue reading Uplighter 3: Electronics
Choosing a heatsink The lamps will each consume 10 Watts (about 1 Amp at 10 Volts). These LEDs use about 30% of the electrical energy to produce light, with the remaining 70% converted into heat. So the four lamps will create 40 x 0.7 Watts, or 28 Watts, of heat. Generally, heatsinks are rated as degrees…… Continue reading Uplighter 2: Heatsink / frame
After creating bespoke lighting for three artworks, I have lots of experience of using 10 Watt LEDs and Arduinos, so I decided to create something for myself, something that I can use long after I’ve moved on to new types of project. I decided to create a bedroom lamp. I had two things in mind…… Continue reading Uplighter 1: Design
The art works Paul Conneally and Bearing Witness were exhibited from 12th January 2017 to 8th February 2017 at the Adult Education Centre, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester. I had wondered if the overall light level would be correct for an exhibition gallery. In my house the Poet appeared rather bright, but in the exhibition it was clear that they needed…… Continue reading “Paul Conneally” 6: Exhibition
The software for this one is quite simple. Five patterns (lighting effects) are predefined. The software displays a pattern for a few seconds (the exact time is randomised) and then selects a different random pattern and fades to that one. This just repeats indefinitely. For example, to create the effect of light coming from above, the…… Continue reading “Paul Conneally” 5: Software
It’s a little bit tricky to get the lamps to shine only at an angle – the LEDs distribute light over a full 180 degrees. There are two lights in each “gap” between diagonals. The bottom LED needed to illuminate only the upper diagonal, whereas the top LED needed to illuminate only the bottom…… Continue reading “Paul Conneally” 4: Shades
The electronics comprise an Arduino nano as the micro-controller and a circuit board containing five surface-mount MOSFETs, used to switch the LEDs in response to the Arduino outputs. The MOSFETs are designed to be surface mounted. In other words, they are very tiny and designed to be soldered by applying liquid solder to all the…… Continue reading “Paul Conneally” 3: Electronics
