# A flying saucer in my garage



## Cedge (May 12, 2008)

Right after buying the X3 mill, it became very obvious that the large head on the machine also cast a large shadow, making the work space something akin to working in a dungeon by torch light. I began looking for solutions on Ebay and found some impressive LED rings for microscopes......but way too expensive. I also spotted ring macro lights for cameras, but they too were more than I wanted to invest. Then I spotted the "flying saucer" camping lights. 

I bought one at Walmart for about 6 bucks and brought it home. I cut it up but just couldn't quite come up with a way to mount it due to the DRO scale on the mill's quill. I wound up saving the LED's and trashing the rest. While Tim (Zeusrekning) was visiting last Friday, I showed him what I had and how I hoped to use them, sometime down the road. Later that evening he sent me a PM directing me to Bob Warfield's web site to see one that he had posted. As shown below, it was mounted on the X2 mill.








Not much modification is needed to use it on the X2 mill since the batteries are still inside and the magnets on the shell can be easily used to mount it to the mill head. Things get a wee bit trickier when the quill diameter is over 2.5 inches. That means the switch, and batteries have to be removed and a huge chunk of the shell has to be carefully cut out on the lathe in order to make it fit. Then there is the DRO to deal with. It runs to the edge of the stationary part of the quill, making direct mounting access impossible. 

It finally hit me that I needed to make an adapter that would let the light sit below the stationary and overlap the spindle section. Once I had the idea, the rest of the process made sense, even if the details were still fuzzy. With that in mind I slid over to Northern Tool and found just what I was wanting. Someone on HSM had mentioned that Northern offers a double ring version of the same "flying saucer", but with double rows totaling 48 LEDs, for a paltry $14.00. One chunk of aluminum, some boring and mill, a few screws, a battery cartridge from a $1.00 LED flashlight and two venetian blind hold down clips later I had what you see below.






The flip side .....






Three screws are used to clamp it to the stationary section of the quill and the battery tucks nicely behind the DRO scale without losing any quill travel. Removing the battery pack and loosening one screw is all it takes to remove the whole assembly. 
















I almost decided to use a 4.5 volt transformer to power the light but realized the wires would be a bit of a hassle when the quill is extended and retracted. The 3 AAA battery pack from an el cheapo $1.00 turned out to be the perfect solution. It fits nicely into the available space and is easy to change when the batteries go flat. Since I have an spare battery pack, it's simple to keep a fresh one ready to go when needed. 

Okay.... before someone asks... the small light behind the ring is what I was using before this hack. It is one of the inexpensive "head band" LED lamps you often see on Ebay. They can be found for as little as $2.00 - $5.00 and do a great job. There was just no place to mount one on the front side or the ring light might not have happened. All you do is remove the elastic straps and drill a hole in the center of the strap bracket. Screw it to the machine and it's done. A 5 minute job that works quite well. The light is even hinged so that you can move the beam to where you want it. Here is the one on my X2 mini mill....







Thanks go to Tim, Bob Warfield and some forgotten poster over on HSM... between the three of you, somehow you managed to nudge me in the right direction and get my head out of that damned box...LOL. 

Steve

PS... The ring light comes configured for AA batteries, but the smaller AAA batteries worked just fine, allowing the battery pack to easily fit the limited space behind the DRO scale.


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## zeusrekning (May 13, 2008)

That turned out great. And the venetian blind clips give it that cool Frankenstein feel. You'll be in a different world actually being able to see what you're doing. I think these machines should come with lighting like this.
Tim
By the way Steve I notice that cylinder is still in the mill ???
Am I going to need to look at your time sheet? :big:
Good work all the way around.


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## PTsideshow (May 13, 2008)

Very very slick ;D


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## Cedge (May 13, 2008)

Tim...
Careful... or I'll have apply for unemployment benefits...LOL Thanks guys. It looks like it's a keeper, to me.

Steve


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## Cedge (May 14, 2008)

Update

The AAA battery pack was a bust. The amperage draw was such that battery life was less then 8 hours. The fix was to secure a Radio shack battery holder for 4 AA batteries and modify it to work with 3 AA batteries. This was as simple as replacing one battery with a piece of wire to assure continuity. Cost was $1.00.

Steve


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## tel (May 14, 2008)

I like it, I've rushed out and bought one off ebay for the X2. More when it arrives.


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