Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 18Conclusion & future developments.
The lamp looks great, and I have had very positive reactions to it. In future, I am going to stick with something that resembled the paper shade - I think that material and construction really chimes well with the overall construction of the lamp - it's mechanical nature, the repetition of angles.
Lessons:
- I am not going to bother with shade hangers, unless I can be very precise - it's too easy for it to just look lumpen and misshapen, especially with a material as coarse as corrugated cardboard.
- The base shape isn't quite right - is slightly too long, and aesthetically, isn't in keeping enough with the shape of the rest of the lamp. Needs to be looked at. I really want something that doesn't hide the top-heavy look of the small, internal foot. It isn't really top heavy at all.
- The handle should be strong enough to carry the lamp from room to room.
- I should have designed the base cover so that it was incorporated into the uprights and the connector pieces. There's no good reason why they can't do both functions, and it was just shoddy process (and over-excitement) that meant the base covers needed to be another layer.
- Air pressure - The lamp is quite well sealed, so when pushing it down fast, the pleats sometimes pop out, and don't stack nicely. When pulling up fast, they tend to suck in, and sometimes get caught on the internal structure. I think more work on the hanger / stringer stuff might lead to progress here.
I've got a "todo" as well, so here's a quick run through of what's on my Thiswayup to investigate list:
Fully product-orientated version, probably based on simplified laser cut parts, with a durable pleated fabric shade.
Size - With the shade on, the lamp is bulky. I would like the size of the shade to reflect the profile of the mechanism inside - so it is tall and narrow, or short and fat.
The handle opens at the top for fitting, like a doctor's bag. Will save having to snap the shade onto the skewer without being able to see what you are doing.
Paper shade without corner inserts - I'm absolutely positive there must be some way of making the joint in the corner of the shade integral - so the paper is continuous and doesn't have the smudgy rice-paper insert. Any ideas here are welcome!
Use CCFL tubes from old flatbed scanner as light sources - (picture) these look just about the right length to just slot right in where the halogen lamp-holders are now! Would have to do proper switching since there is a terrifying difference in voltage there.
Use LED clusters / panels as light sources - I've made lamps with panels of LEDs before, and like how they can be crammed in and stay cool. Would tend to be more energy efficient too. Not hard to retro-fit a few power-LEDs into this cardboard lamp with a new transformer.
Wall or ceiling mount - ceiling mount is just like the pantograph that studio lights hang from.
Risk of fire - I've tagged this on the end as if it's an aside, but it's actually rather a deal breaker when it comes to production. There's 110W of heat being expended inside this paper cocoon, so it needs to be looked at. I know there is such things as fire-retardant spray, so I will look down that route initially. Maybe I will take this lamp out into the yard and set it ablaze, like a viking burial.
Knitted tubular shade - too homespun? How about this - The lamp as an installation, incorporating a mechanical knitting machine, that is constantly knitting a tube hanging from the ceiling, and then the mechanism of the lamp is also motorised and has hooks on it's struts, and is climbing up the inside of the tube, like an inch-worm? Creepy.
Angled version - so lamp can be tilted. Lots of people ask whether it can do this, and seem disappointed when it doesn't This requires a lot more materials knowhow, or engineering. Or trial and error.
I've just got some parts for a half-scale, table-lamp sized model through from Ponoko. They're my first laser cut parts ever! Adorable! So expensive to get things shipped with them though. However, I've already fitted some of the pieces together, and that'll have to be my test bed for developments I think.
I think there's loads of possibilities with this design. I'm going to keep trying them until I run out!
Lessons:
- I am not going to bother with shade hangers, unless I can be very precise - it's too easy for it to just look lumpen and misshapen, especially with a material as coarse as corrugated cardboard.
- The base shape isn't quite right - is slightly too long, and aesthetically, isn't in keeping enough with the shape of the rest of the lamp. Needs to be looked at. I really want something that doesn't hide the top-heavy look of the small, internal foot. It isn't really top heavy at all.
- The handle should be strong enough to carry the lamp from room to room.
- I should have designed the base cover so that it was incorporated into the uprights and the connector pieces. There's no good reason why they can't do both functions, and it was just shoddy process (and over-excitement) that meant the base covers needed to be another layer.
- Air pressure - The lamp is quite well sealed, so when pushing it down fast, the pleats sometimes pop out, and don't stack nicely. When pulling up fast, they tend to suck in, and sometimes get caught on the internal structure. I think more work on the hanger / stringer stuff might lead to progress here.
I've got a "todo" as well, so here's a quick run through of what's on my Thiswayup to investigate list:
Fully product-orientated version, probably based on simplified laser cut parts, with a durable pleated fabric shade.
Size - With the shade on, the lamp is bulky. I would like the size of the shade to reflect the profile of the mechanism inside - so it is tall and narrow, or short and fat.
The handle opens at the top for fitting, like a doctor's bag. Will save having to snap the shade onto the skewer without being able to see what you are doing.
Paper shade without corner inserts - I'm absolutely positive there must be some way of making the joint in the corner of the shade integral - so the paper is continuous and doesn't have the smudgy rice-paper insert. Any ideas here are welcome!
Use CCFL tubes from old flatbed scanner as light sources - (picture) these look just about the right length to just slot right in where the halogen lamp-holders are now! Would have to do proper switching since there is a terrifying difference in voltage there.
Use LED clusters / panels as light sources - I've made lamps with panels of LEDs before, and like how they can be crammed in and stay cool. Would tend to be more energy efficient too. Not hard to retro-fit a few power-LEDs into this cardboard lamp with a new transformer.
Wall or ceiling mount - ceiling mount is just like the pantograph that studio lights hang from.
Risk of fire - I've tagged this on the end as if it's an aside, but it's actually rather a deal breaker when it comes to production. There's 110W of heat being expended inside this paper cocoon, so it needs to be looked at. I know there is such things as fire-retardant spray, so I will look down that route initially. Maybe I will take this lamp out into the yard and set it ablaze, like a viking burial.
Knitted tubular shade - too homespun? How about this - The lamp as an installation, incorporating a mechanical knitting machine, that is constantly knitting a tube hanging from the ceiling, and then the mechanism of the lamp is also motorised and has hooks on it's struts, and is climbing up the inside of the tube, like an inch-worm? Creepy.
Angled version - so lamp can be tilted. Lots of people ask whether it can do this, and seem disappointed when it doesn't This requires a lot more materials knowhow, or engineering. Or trial and error.
I've just got some parts for a half-scale, table-lamp sized model through from Ponoko. They're my first laser cut parts ever! Adorable! So expensive to get things shipped with them though. However, I've already fitted some of the pieces together, and that'll have to be my test bed for developments I think.
I think there's loads of possibilities with this design. I'm going to keep trying them until I run out!
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
Im 14 and im designing my own version of this.
Even better for me because you did it out of cardboard which i can acquire easily.