Mini Spot for Modeling Shoots

The device that I am about to illustrate can be useful to "claymation" or modeling enthusiasts, to illuminate in a limited way, the details of their railway models or personal mini-sets for amateur cinematographic shooting in stop motion, as in the classics, much loved Wallace & Gromit or the Gumby series.

Furthermore, it can also be used as a simple desk lamp.

Not long ago I happened to find on a famous Chinese e-commerce site an offer of four small 39x35mm 12 volt COB LEDs (bulbs), with various connections for automotive use.

I bought them mainly because they were affordable.

As often happens, I believe with many of us, once the package arrived, I realized that I had made the purchase without having any need for those devices. So I asked myself how I could use them without them becoming one of the many gadgets that fill my desk drawers.

Looking at them carefully I realized that they could be used to create MINI CEILING LIGHTS for a desktop micro-cinema set.

Ideal for those who make model railways or stop-motion shots of puppets.

Since I had also recently purchased a new 3D printer, I thought there was no better opportunity to get to work. So here is my first project published on Instructables.

To design the eight components (14 pieces in total) of the mini-ceiling light, I used Thinkercad.

While I am publishing this article I am working on a control unit sufficient to regulate the power of up to four mini-spots, using an Arduino Uno. You can already see the wiring diagram at the bottom of the article. Soon you will see on these pages the control unit in its final version complete with container, obviously 3D printed.

List of components:

4x COB LED car bulb (bulbs) 39x35mm 12 volts

Washers hole 5mm external diameter 8-12mm

1mm thick iron wire

4x M5x16mm hex head bolts

Aluminum strip obtained from a drink can measuring 62x17mm

Quick glue (cyanoacrylate)

Mini manual drill.

Printer thread

The printer I used is a Creality Ender 3 V3 SE, the slicer program used is Ultimaker Cura 5.5 with presets for the previous version of the Creality, Ender 3 V3, which worked perfectly.

1x Anchorable base

1x Swivel Arm

1x (or more) Extension Arms

1x Arm Support

1x Support

1x Ceiling light body

2x Horizontal flags

2x Vertical flags

(4+n) Tightening knobs.

Anchoring base

The base, whose diameter is 50 mm, can be anchored to any wooden or metal surface using 4, 4mm straight head screws.

The side hole for the knob is already threaded M5 during printing.

To avoid damaging the support arm, we recommend inserting an aluminum strip obtained from one

drink can measuring 17x62 mm along the entire internal perimeter of the housing hole

of the arm.

This is the element that must be inserted into the Anchorable Base. We recommend printing vertically with supports

This element is optional and can be used to increase the height of the device, with three elements it reaches approximately 50 cm (in these cases it is recommended to anchor the base).

The hole on the knob side is already threaded during printing. The through hole has a diameter of 6mm.

It is recommended to print using the Supports and building the piece horizontally resting on the narrow side.

This element connects on one side to the ceiling light support and on the other to the vertical arm (Support arm or Extension arm).

The threaded hole on which the knob grips is obtained during printing, the passing ones have a diameter of 6mm.

It is recommended to print using the Supports and building the piece horizontally resting on the narrow side.

Nothing special, it is a "c" shaped piece with three holes that we recommend printing with supports.

It is the main piece that will be the base in which the lighting body will be housed. On one side it has a pin that fits into the "c" support, and on the other the knob that blocks it.

The M5 thread is made during printing

After printing, check the eight holes where the flag pins will go with a minidrill and 1.1mm tip, to eliminate any traces of printer filament.

Cut 2 pieces of 1mm diameter iron wire, 54mm long and two 52mm long.

Bend only on one side at 90 degrees for the length of 8 mm

Insert the pieces of wire into the four flags. Being careful, always fold from the other side for the length of 8 mm

Just to test, insert the four flags into the appropriate holes in the ceiling light, then remove them.

Glue the COB LED with its sticker to the ceiling light.

Arrange the four flags

Place the M5 16mm bolt in the knob, firmly join the washer with a drop of quick glue.

The knobs are unified. You need 4 + one for each extension arm (optional).

It is advisable not to overtighten the knobs as they grip the plastic and could damage the thread.

In these images you can see, in concrete terms, how the object I created, on a slow motion shooting set, can be useful for illuminating in a limited way, that is, isolating a detail from the general context, a part of the set, just like occurs in the reality of film sets

For the electrical part of the complete set I provided a 12 volt control unit governed by Arduino Uno.

By regulating the power of the light emitted through potentiometers. I'm working on it. For now I can start by listing the necessary components:

Arduino Nano

12 Volt power supply 50-100 watts

Millhole plate

Potentiometers (1 for each channel)

Mosfet IRF540N (1 for each channel)

10K resistor (1 for each channel)

Resistance 100 (1 for each channel)