LED-in-resin lamp cast from light bulb it replaces

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By Sean Michael Ragan
Posted 2011/01/24 @ 10:58 pm
Category Electronics, Workshop

If you can’t find a reasonably-priced LED replacement for that burned-out appliance bulb, you might do what Andy Brockhurst did: Wire up an LED cluster, yourself, and embed it in resin cast into a mold taken from the original bulb. Looks like he even painted it to match. Check out the Flickr set.

BY Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I write for MAKE, serve as Technical Editor for MAKE magazine, and develop original DIY content for Make: Projects.

In the Maker Shed

8 Responses to LED-in-resin lamp cast from light bulb it replaces

Stevo1974 on January 25th, 2011 at 1:33 pm said:

How do you run the electricity to it? Could you retain the endcap and use that to poewr the LED?

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japroach on January 25th, 2011 at 6:16 pm said:

The white and orange wires look to be what is powering it.

If you kept the endcap, a 120V bulb would need an intermediate circuit to limit the current going to the LED. With a high voltage LED (http://solidstatelighting.wordpress.com/2009/01/29/seoul-semiconductor-acriche-120v-ac-led/) a small resistor would be enough, with a standard LED it gets more complex.

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- Stevo1974 on January 25th, 2011 at 6:30 pm said:
  
  I’m just saying that if one were to follow through to a natural conclusion, then the bulb would be installable in the appliance. In that application, how woulg the wires be used to power the bulb. Do you see my point?
  
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  japroach on January 26th, 2011 at 1:24 am said:
  
  Yes, you’re right that isn’t very practical. You would have to drill out the original socket to pass the wire through or something. Maybe it is just an aesthetic piece.
  
  Re-using a glass bulbs base should be do-able, as its just replacing a portion of the cast.
  
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craig on January 26th, 2011 at 8:06 pm said:

Yes, to make an exact screw-in LED replacement bulb it would be easy to solder to the existing socket’s contact points. Casting the mold would be tricky involving having the socket placed in the mold, but doable. I have used those cheap LED nightlight internals as a quick & easy 115VAC driver for various LED projects. I have three ultrabright blue LEDs off one removed nightlight board in an odd application for over 3 years now, 24/7.
BTW. you’d be amazed of the 115V LED replacements now. C5, C7, and all others becoming reasonably priced too.

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Bruno on January 26th, 2011 at 10:09 pm said:

Great idea, but the only problem with LED replacements for incandescent lamps is that they are not going to replace the lamps in such appliances as ovens.

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tknv on February 13th, 2011 at 2:46 pm said:

やってみよう

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Anonymous on April 12th, 2011 at 10:15 pm said:

I like this cool designed light lamp.This one LED light lamp is very cluster and less costly.This one LED lighting lamp also good energy saver lamp.

grow lights

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