Show Your Workbench

[arawn]

chalkboard paint available at any home improvement store and in any color you want!

[tubelectron]

Well, yes, that's a good idea, as at least it offers you the advantage of pinning upon the wall your infos & schematics, right in front of you.
Even if do not have the required surface, it reminds me that I should use a steel flat bar and magnets to do it...

A+!

[robmdall]

Gabriel, I have been intrigued with this project since you posted it. Im not ready to build something similar, yet maybe smaller. Can you share some details? I am only assuming that the depth from LED to glass is important? As is the LED viewing angle and mcd? I believe the LEDS need to be between 380nm and 400nm?

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.

bob

I decided I wasn't happy with my PnP Blue circuit boards (no surprise, given my personality), but I didn't want to pay for the MG Chemicals UV light - so I made my own!  It cost about $20 in LEDs from China, and all the wood used is scrap from around the shop.  The glass was maybe $3.  So, I believe that I saved money - as long as you don't count my time!  If you count the time I spent, this thing cost me about $1000!

{click pics for bigger versions}




It works REALLY well.  Even with my first couple, where I didn't really know what I was doing, they've come out at least as good as the best I could do with the PnP Blue toner transfer method.  Its also MUCH faster!  I'm liking this system a lot.




The business end.  

It uses 200 UV LEDs, in 40 strings of 5.  The 18V power supply came from someone's lap top (I've no idea whose), and at 2.23A is WAY more than I need.  The LEDs draw about 20mA each, and the 40 resistors are drawing less than 19mA each, so the total rig draws about 800mA.  I briefly thought about just using power direct from the wall, and using the LEDs as the rectifier with maybe a couple caps to reduce the ripple, but I decided that wouldn't be the safest option in the world!





200 LEDs and 40 27ohm resistors, joined with a couple different Western Union Linesman splices.  Why?  Because sometimes I get to be a bit obsessive.

Can you say, WAY more work than it was worth?  I thought you could.

Wiring the LEDs took me about a month (though I took a couple weeks off in the middle, though), and the case for it took me about 15-20 minutes (not counting buying the glass; that was another 10 minutes - I really like having a great hardware store half a block from my shop!

It takes about two minutes to expose the board, about 30-45 seconds to develop it - maybe a minute - and you are ready to go.  Totally cool!  Mind you, if I were to do it again, I would use PnP to make 4 or so circuit boards for the LEDs, instead of making all those linesman splices!  I'm pretty sure it will work forever, though, so I'm not overly bothered by it - now that its done!

By the way, I designed the LED array using THIS SITE.


Gabriel

[G. Hoffman]

Gabriel, I have been intrigued with this project since you posted it. Im not ready to build something similar, yet maybe smaller. Can you share some details? I am only assuming that the depth from LED to glass is important? As is the LED viewing angle and mcd? I believe the LEDS need to be between 380nm and 400nm?

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.

bob

Well, I did calculate the angle and the spacing so they would all over lap at the depth from the glass, but other than that I wasn't too worried.  I used to be a video lighting guy, so that is kind of second nature to me.  Yes, the wavelength needs to be in the appropriate range for the board you are using, but honestly now that I've finished it, I just use it. 

As for advice - buy some extra LEDs, as you will probably have a few failures.  (When I ordered my lot of 200, I got 204.  I wish I had ordered another 20 or so, just so I would have spares for the future.)  DON'T try to wire it by hand the way I did.  It takes too long, and at that point you may as well buy one of the UV florescent fixtures that Mouser sells.  Damn thing took me 60 hours or something.  Well, 20-30, at any rate.  On the other hand, it works, and it works really, really well.  I can usually get away with developing after only a minute or so, but it goes a lot faster if I leave it for 4-5.  Oh, and always double up your transparency film - one layer of toner doesn't seem to be opaque enough.


Gabriel

[darron]

i took a photo while it's a bloody mess! thought it was funny (:

[markeebee]

Very, very nice, Darron.

Can't beat a bit of Stussy.

[darron]

Very, very nice, Darron.

Can't beat a bit of Stussy.

that's the only authentic way to achieve the pretty boy look these days. haha. that's not me, it's shaun klinger!

will take some proper shots one day showing off all of my gear and memorabilia!

[kupfer_m]

Here's my bench...
Taking a nap after all that playing with wires and resistors!

[deadastronaut]

^awwww...they do love to get involved...even if its just sleeping on ya stuff...

[markeebee]

^^
Those modular things look very interesting.   Must've been a bugger to build, what with you only having four toes on each paw.

[Ben N]

True that, Mark. If there is anything more important to this hobby than a soldering iron and a DMM, it would have to be opposable thumbs.

[kupfer_m]

^^
Those modular things look very interesting.   Must've been a bugger to build, what with you only having four toes on each paw.

That's when I come in with my thumbs!

[cloudscapes]

[arawn]

what kind of paint is that and do you thin it first?

[John Lyons]

Etienne! 

[cloudscapes]

what kind of paint is that and do you thin it first?

acrylic


I prefer acrylic because it's easier to clean up and is less toxic than oil. it's also more brittle, though, but I've got that covered by coating the whole thing with hard epoxy afterwards. I don't know which acrylic is the best but this brand can be found cheaply 5 minutes from home in a huge range of colors (>100), so....

thinning with water, usually yes. if I'm doing the base coat, 2 parts paint 1 part water. if I'm splashing it iwth the toothbrush, it's usually a bit thinner. if I'm painting details like art or words, a bit thicker.

[arawn]

Awesome

[cloudscapes]

I've been meaning to do a youtube tutorial on how I paint, decal and coat my boxes. many many people have asked.

that's where the gif clip comes from.

[kungpow79]

How do you attach the enclosure to that little platform?  What is it?  A tin can?

[Perrow]

How do you attach the enclosure to that little platform?  What is it?  A tin can?

I'd say it's a plastic cup on a piece of cardboard.