The base was designed to fit lithopane 3d printed shades. The shades were created using Voxelab's free VoxelMaker slicer and printed using their Aquila 3d printer, however any slicer that supports converting images to lithopanes, or any web based software such as the free site https://itslitho.com, could be used, as can any 3d printer.
After converting using the sphere settings:
the sphere was moved down on the Z axis so that the bottom was below the plate providing the opening to sit on the base.
You will need to adjust the diameter and amount of Z movement to get the required height and width based on the image imported.
The base comprises 4 parts; the base itself, a lid that fits on the underside, a disk that sits on the top to keep the shade on and a post to hold the disk on and support the LED.
The LED pins are fed through the post so you should cover each pin with tape or heat shrink tubing to prevent them from shorting.
The components are held in the base by posts and supports and glued in place with a hot glue gun.
The battery charging module sits behind the battery.
Fully assembled.
On/Off switch
Down for on and Up for off.
Control button
When the lamp is first switched on the light will be solid white. Press the Control Button to circulate through the 5 modes from white:
- 1. It will flash red/green 3 times to indicate that it is in light change mode. In this mode the light will gradually circulate the colours Red, Blue, Green, White and back to Red, merging the colours as they change.
- 2. Solid Red
- 3. Solid Blue
- 4. Solid Green
- 5. Back to solid White.
Recharging
I suggest the lamp has a 1, 000 mAh battery so should run for quite a long time between charges. To recharge:
- Use any USB charger and plug the supplied USB C lead in the recharging port.
- The base will glow red to indicate that the battery is recharging.
- When recharging is complete, 2 to 3 hours depending on the power output of your charger, the base will glow blue and recharging will stop.
It is not a problem if you do not disconnect the lead for a while once recharging is complete. You can use the lamp while it is plugged in for recharging.
Regulating the battery charging
The TP4056 charger used is provided with a regulating resistor of 1.1K ohm that provides a charge at a rate of 1, 000mAh. This is really too high for the 1, 000mAh battery used which should be charged at a maximum of 500mAh. It is fiddly, but you can remove the board mounted resistor (R3), or I find it easier to break it by scraping a knife across it as this leaves the post to solder to, and solder on an external resistor to reduce the current. Here is the table showing resistor values and current produced. (Check with a meter that you are still reading the correct resistance across the connection as it is easy to short these and this would cause damage.)
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