For a while I have wanted to improve the lighting on my desk. I didn’t really know what to build until I came across Opossums’ amazing 3D printed LED bridge lamp on Thingiverse. The lamp has a great design and I wanted to build it, but for my application I needed to make some modifications.
I use an L-shaped desk and when necessary I would like to be able to illuminate the small extension of the desk. To solve this, I designed and 3D printed a base that allows the LED strips to be rotated towards the part of the desk that I want lit.
In this article, I will show you how to build the 3D printed rotating lamp yourself.
How does the rotating base work?
The base contains a 3D printed thrust bearing that allows the top platform with the LED bridge on it to rotate. All components of the base are 3D printable, except for the 10mm steel ball bearings that are used for the thrust bearing and the three M5x30 bolts+washers that hold the assembly together.
How does the lamp attach to the desk/table/etc?
You can attach the lamp to any flat surface by using three screws in the designated screw holes, or by sticking double sided tape on the bottom of the base.
How far does the lamp rotate?
The base gives the lamp 100° of rotation.
How to build the 3D printed rotating lamp
What you’ll need
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Parts | ||
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M5*30 Bolt
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x 3 | ||
M5 Washer
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x 3 | ||
10mm Ball Bearing
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x 8 | ||
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About 13cm / 5 inch per curved segment
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Check Price | |
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Check Price | ||
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Check Price |
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3D Printed Parts | ||
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Base
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x 1 | ||
Bearing Cage
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x 1 | ||
Top Plate
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x 1 | ||
Clip
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x 3 | ||
Strain Relief
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x 1 | ||
I used 4 curved segments per lamp, but you can pick a different number
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x ? |
Preparing the components
Gluing components into place
Wiring
Final assembly
After this you can hook the LED strips up to a power supply or to the control electronics that you plan to use for the lamp.
Conclusion
The lamps work exactly as intended and I am happy with the result. I had some concerns beforehand about how the smooth the 3D printed smooth bearing would be, but it works very well.
Hi Tim. Thanks for the nice solution. I always have this problem with the tape on the LED strips and your article helped me fix it.
You are welcome!