Help with LED/lighting for tracing table!

bboySushi

bboySushi

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Hey guys, I know a lot of you are pretty savyy with lighting/electronics, so right now I want to build a portable (still outlet powered) light table/box for tracing. Probably somewhere in the size of 16 x 20".

I'm having difficulty figuring out what light source to use. The easiest (but not cheapest) would be to buy two desk lamps with the short flourescent looking lamps (or maybe they are just tubular halogens), pop the ballasts out and put one on each side of the light box. Each of those lamps would probably run me $30 each though. I might as well buy one of the $120 light boxes from Loomis in that case.

I would love to use LEDs as they don't run as hot and are much less bulky, but I'm not sure what to get to give a bright uniform light, and how to buy/hook up a power source. I thought of using LED tubes/christmas lights from home depot but I think the effect would be very patchy.

Is this something I'm looking for? http://www.led-outlets.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=227&products_id=245

I also need to pick them up this week so I can buy the materials to build the actual box (some sheet metal, plexiglas and wood).
 
You can get stuff like that from Active Surplus. I think I would try a couple of strips with a more opaque plastic to use as a light diffuser.

You would also need a 120AC to 12 DC transformer. also available at an electronics place
 
You could use this sort of thing;

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-...HT-STRIPS-W0QQAdIdZ476191576QQfeaturedAdZtrue

Use the white LEDs, comes with the power adapter.
You will need a method to make this indirect lighting. It only takes a couple of inches from the reflective surface to make these appear as one continuous light source.
Don't use them as direct lighting, the LEDs are still pin point sources and very hard on your eyes. (As you might notice from those cheapy running lights on cars)
 
VFR.CBR said:
You could use this sort of thing;

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-...HT-STRIPS-W0QQAdIdZ476191576QQfeaturedAdZtrue

Use the white LEDs, comes with the power adapter.
You will need a method to make this indirect lighting. It only takes a couple of inches from the reflective surface to make these appear as one continuous light source.
Don't use them as direct lighting, the LEDs are still pin point sources and very hard on your eyes. (As you might notice from those cheapy running lights on cars)
Click to expand...

Exactly what I was thinking.
 
Anyone have an old monitor? if you pull the actual panel, you are left with a diffused white light. The monitors you could get for free are probably not as big as you are looking for though.
 
The full fluorescents are too big and heavy though, I need something easily transportable in a car and light enough to carry without straining yourself.

The computer monitor thing is interesting but is there a secret to getting the screen to light up? Are you talking about an LCD monitor screen or the old CRT ones?
 
bboySushi said:
The computer monitor thing is interesting but is there a secret to getting the screen to light up? Are you talking about an LCD monitor screen or the old CRT ones?
Click to expand...

LCD. If you remove the actual LCD panel, you are left with a diffuse white light. I'm not sure how to force a CRT to go white (and it would be big and hot and hard to balance on its *** for tracing).
 
Just build one with the LED strips. It will be the lightest and easy to build.
bboySushi said:
The full fluorescents are too big and heavy though, I need something easily transportable in a car and light enough to carry without straining yourself.

The computer monitor thing is interesting but is there a secret to getting the screen to light up? Are you talking about an LCD monitor screen or the old CRT ones?
Click to expand...
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