Magnetic Table Lamp

by HHarry

39K50376

Intro: Magnetic Table Lamp

I wanted a new table lamp, but found a regular table lamp rather uninteresting. I wanted to create a lamp with which it is possible to readjust the shape and size.

The table lamp exists out of eight cubes, with which you can build different shapes. Each cube has four bright 0.5 watt straw hat LEDs inside.

This lamp was easy to make, but consumes a lot of your time.

The light output depends on the total amount of cubes that you use. If you use just one cube you have little light (for example as a night light), if you use all the cubes you have more than enough light to light up a room.

The overall cost of this project was low, except for the neodymium magnets (40 $), which seem to have risen in price the last year.

STEP 1: Materials and Tools

Materials:

40 0,5W straw hat LEDs
8 bridge rectifiers
8 6.8 Uf > 12v capacitors
16 39 Ohm 1W resistors
Perfboard
Conductive silver
White acrylic sheet
192 nails
1926 mm by 5 mm round neodymium magnets
12v power supply 2 amp
Toggle switch
Wooden board (9 mm thick)

Tools:

Wood glue
Super glue
Jig saw
Miter saw
Sand paper
Wood clamps
Drill
Drill bit3 mm, 6 mm
Hole saw 67 mm, 74 mm
Solder
Solder iron

STEP 2: Sawing, Drilling and Gluing

Saw 48 squares of 10 cm by 10 cm out of the wooden board.

Saw a 45 degree corner off each side of each cube.

Draw a cross in each square and make a mark 1.3 cm from each corner. Drill a 3 mm hole in each mark, and drill a 6 mm hole 3 mm deep on top of that.

Drill a 67 mm circle in the middle of each square.

Use wood glue to glue five pieces together so that you get cubes with one side missing.

STEP 3: Drilling Acrylic Circles

Saw 48 74 mm circles out of white acrylic using a hole saw.

Use super glue to glue the white acrylic circles on the inside of each cube and on the eight remaining squares.

STEP 4: Making Connections

Put nails in each 3 mm hole. Solder them together on the inside of the cubes.

Each nail of each side represents a negative or positive connection. Starting from the upper left corner you've got positive, on the upper right corner you've got negative, on the lower right corner you've got positive and on the lower left corner negative. Use electrical wires, solder and a solder iron to connect the positive corners together and to connect the negative corners together.

STEP 5: Circuit

The source voltage is 12 v. Each cube has four 0.5 watt LEDs inside. To drive the LEDs in each cube, I made a circuit containing the following components: bridge rectifier, a 6.8 Uf capacitor and two 39 Ohm 1w resistors. Schematics are shown in the above picture.

Solder the circuit to the LEDs. Solder this to a positive and negative connection inside the cube.

I used a bridge rectifier so you can place the cubes on each other in whichever way you want, the LEDs will always turn on.

Use wood glue to attach the remaining squares onto the cubes.

STEP 6: Magnets

Use super glue to attach the magnets into the holes in each corner of the squares (on top of the nails). Use conductive silver between the nail and the magnet for better conductivity.

Glue the magnets in the same pattern as you made the electrical connections. For example upper left corner south, upper right corner north, lower right corner south, lower left corner north.

Repeat this process for each side of the cube.

STEP 7: Base of the Lamp

Saw two 14 cm by 14 cm pieces out of the wooden board.

Saw four 14 cm by 4 cm pieces out of the wood. Saw a 45 degree corner off the short side of each piece. Glue these pieces together on top of a 14 cm by 14 cm to create a box, leaving the top aside for the moment.

Drill a 6 mm hole in the middle of the front and the back of the box.

Draw a cross on the remaining 14 cm by 14 cm piece (the top) and make a mark 4 cm from each corner. Drill a 3 mm hole in each mark, and drill a 6 mm hole 3 mm deep on top of that.

For stability of the base I glued some iron bars inside the box.

STEP 8: The Base Part 2

Put the cable from the 12v power supply through the hole of the back of the box.

Put a switch through the hole on the front of the box.

Solder the positive end of the power supply to a terminal of the switch.

Solder a wire to the other terminal of the switch.

Put nails in each 3 mm hole. Each nail represents a negative or positive connection. For example, starting from the upper left corner you've got positive, on the upper right corner you've got negative, on the lower right corner you've got positive and on the lower left corner negative. Use electrical wires, solder and a solder iron to connect the two positive corners together and to connect the two negative corners together.

Solder the positive and negative wires of the power supply to the positive and negative connections on the top of the box.

Use wood glue to glue the top onto the box.

Use super glue to attach magnets in the pre-drilled3mm deep holes. Use conductive silver between the nail and the magnet for better conductivity.

STEP 9: Enjoy!

Finish thetable lamp with bees wax or wood oil or ...

Enjoy the light and the different shapes of your table lamp.

74 Comments

Tiqahsya 4 years ago

Hello, I hv a question.
How do you switch on the lamp? is it always turn on?
Thanks in advance 😊

nlewis10 5 years ago

Ahhh! So excited to find this project! I created a buildable art project last year using connect-able acrylic tubes using barrel connectors. They were so difficult and easily broken, I was thinking of re-working the connections with magnets. There is one 12v power source for about 70 acrylic tubes. Do you think magnets on the end of each tube will work to move power and possibly information, (such as led coding) ? I think it would be fun to let people build something and then be able to change the light modes.

klopwouter 5 years ago

Thanks a lot for this beatiful idea! I made one as well :). Details can be found on my website: http://elexperiment.nl/2018/06/magnetic-table-lamp-making/

mtosmond 9 years ago

Fantastic project! I *really* love the modular design. It makes me wonder what other applications this could be used for, besides lighting. Speakers? Cooling fans? Drive motors? I'll be obsessing over this one for a while!

aschmidt13 9 years ago

awesome

nerdtoob 10 years ago

Hey I noticed that you said a 6.8uf 12v resistor but on the picture it is a 6.8uf 35v resistor and I cant find a 6.8uf 12v resistor anywhere. could you post a link?

nerdtoob 10 years ago

Never mind figured it out it says greater than 12v

thebuckeyeguy 10 years ago

Very ambitious and well executed. Good Job!

decfootylad 11 years ago

i wondered where the wires from +ve and -ve corners go, on the mini pcb's inside each cube.

Kirgdeking 11 years ago

Hello, I have a question: instead of the acrylic sheet, can i just use a 2mm PVC sheet of plastic as i am on a low budget?

mganpate 11 years ago

its very nice project kindly send us pdf pls pls on mahesh.gan.143@gmail.com.

Saakaszwili 11 years ago

Hi
Your project is so awesome that i decided to take it, althought i have no experience in wood or elektronic work. I've got one question, what was the thicknes of the acrylic scheet ?
Thanks in advance

HHarry 11 years ago

Thanks
The acrylic sheet is about 3 mm thick.

Cupofblack 12 years ago

This is pretty awesome. Sorry if this question seems obvious, I'm new to circuits:

Do the magnets have an effect on the current, and is that why you alternate them? And if they do, does it matter what how you orient them?

Stoffo 12 years ago

Hello! Thanks for your comment on the magnets, this has made things easier.
One question remains though: I'm having trouble finding the good LEDs required for this project. You said: "0,5W straw hat LEDs", but I'm finding many different LEDs with all different lighting strengths. Could you possible give a link or name of the type of LEDs you have used? Or maybe the amount of lumen emitted from these LEDs?

Thanks in advance,

Chris.

HHarry 12 years ago

These are the LEDs i used: http://www.benl.ebay.be/itm/220649093432?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

But feel free to use any kind of led you want (resistor value have to be recalculated).
I used these straw hat LEDs because of its wide angle and high output.

mxmega 12 years ago

Hi,
A question regarding the circuit.

I can't quite understand how it works.In the picture, i see only 2 legs of the rectifier in picture of step 5 whereas in the picture in step 1, the rectifier has 4 legs. Are 2 of the legs cut off?

Also, does the capacitor used needs to have polarity for it to work?
Are both the resistors connected to the one leg of capacitor, and if so, does the other leg of capacitor connect to the rectifier? Because I can't see where the the parts are connected together.
Finally, when soldering the circuit to the cube, are all 4 of the legs shown in diagram at step 5 connected somewhere? If so, where?

I'm a complete newb in electronics, and if you can clarify this I'd be forever grateful.

Btw, awesome ible :)
thanks in advance

curious youth 12 years ago

hi incredible ible !
im from aus and having trouble tracking down the magnets with the right dimensions. and suggestions for me as i really want to make this lamp. its great :)