Thread: LED Lighting for HM-45 Mill

Umm why can't Aluminum be properly earthed Dave?

Stuart

Aluminum is not a good conductor like steel. I have 240v aluminum lights here that have a earth wire running back down to the metal base.

Dave

Are you sure the earth wire isn't there to bridge a pivot joint? Coz Aluminium is a pretty good conductor. They use it for wire instead of copper at times.
Stuart

Conductive Materials or Metal Conductivity - TIBTECH innovations -

Going by that chart it looks like your right there. I know they use aluminum as heat sinks but I never thought it was that conductive.

Dave

Dave,
The problem with earthing aluminium is the corrosion and oxide that clean aluminium produces.
Aluminium oxide is a pretty good insulator.
Try putting multimeter probes on some aluminium that has some weathering.

If aluminium must be earthed, it is often plated with something - tin was in use many years ago.
The use of a suitable grease also helps keep the air and moisture out of the joint.

John.

Originally Posted by electrosteam

Dave,
The problem with earthing aluminium is the corrosion and oxide that clean aluminium produces.
Aluminium oxide is a pretty good insulator.
Try putting multimeter probes on some aluminium that has some weathering.

If aluminium must be earthed, it is often plated with something - tin was in use many years ago.
The use of a suitable grease also helps keep the air and moisture out of the joint.

John.

I'm with you
Ally is okay for conducting...but one it starts to corrode problems occur

Corrosion
Thats probably why I don't see plain aluminum earthed then. That is why it had me under the belief that it wasn't real conductive.


Dave

Hi Stuart,

Do you have a picture of the LED lamps you are using?


For what it's worth, some electrical supply power cabling (the cables that run between the power poles outside your house) are made from aluminium, The ones made by Olex, are a high tensile steel core with layers of aluminium conductors wrapped around them. I remember working on the machine that wound the aluminium wires at the Olex factory.

Nothing to do with LED lighting, but just a bit of useless information.

Regards
Ray

Ok, just about got it done. I just have to clip the cables and sort out a power supply ( which I have already.)
One thing I noticed, is the power supply I am using makes some noise when driving the LED lamps. Not sure if its because I am not using a proper LED driver supply or normal for these LEDS.....

The lamps look bright enough ( thank the Lord.....lol)

Sterob

Looking at that last picture will these get in the way? They just seem to be large.

Dave

Hi Stuart,

Looks pretty good, a big improvement over the standard worklight.

The power supply noise you can hear, is it a high frequency whine? If so could be caused by either the switched mode power supply or the led modules.

Some of the more recent led modules come with switched mode current limiting circuitry built into the module itself.

Try running it from a 12v car battery to see if it's the led modules or the power supply.

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by Dave J

Looking at that last picture will these get in the way? They just seem to be large.

Dave

I don't think so Dave. They don't seem too big to me.( 80mm square) Maybe they look bigger in the pics.
I can fold them back, if need be, but they won't work to good if I do.
If they do get in the way , I will have to go to Plan C......*sigh*
Sterob

Originally Posted by RayG

Hi Stuart,

Looks pretty good, a big improvement over the standard worklight.

The power supply noise you can hear, is it a high frequency whine? If so could be caused by either the switched mode power supply or the led modules.

Some of the more recent led modules come with switched mode current limiting circuitry built into the module itself.

Try running it from a 12v car battery to see if it's the led modules or the power supply.

Regards
Ray

Thanks Ray,
Yeah I think it is alot better.
Yes, it a high frequency noise. I'm just using a basic 12V 2A transformer power supply at the moment and I'm pretty sure the noise is coming from the power supply itself. It also changes if there is one lamp or both lamps powered up.
It may not be a problem as I certainly won't hear it over the Mill running.
Thanks for the suggestions, If I can hunt down a 12V battery, I'll try it out.
I may buy a LED driver power supply and try that.

Sterob

It must be the photo, because they looked bigger than 80mm square in it.
I am also sick of having the one standard light with it's shadows. If I didn't have the few fluro's around the mill it would be impossible to see with just it.

I did look at an idea to work 2 lights into the head extension, but I have scraped that way of doing it, so it's back to the drawing board. LOL

Dave