Spindle Light For PM45M

darkzero

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Most of you have probably seen this already but a few have asked about it so I'll repost this in it's own thread so it's not so hard to find.


My LED spindle light made from an angel/halo eye for automotive applications (you know, like those that first appeared on the 5 series E39 Bimmers).

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I got the idea from xalky in a different thread. For the LED ring, I used a 90mm (OD) ring that has 60 SMD (surface mount) LEDs. I purchased mine from ebay seller three-tech which is JLC Lighting. There are many others on ebay that sell them for varying prices & in different prices, I choose this seller only cause they were closer to me. Search "LED angel eyes" or "LED halo" (they're used for headlight conversions to mimic early 2000s BMW headlights). Super Bright LEDs also sells them but they did not have the size I needed.

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I choose the 90mm ring so it would fit just over the bottom ring on my quill. Had to remove just a bit of the ID to fit & it snaps right into place. Although I didn't need it I added a bit of double sided tape just in case. Couldn't have asked for a better fit!

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For the AC-DC converter, I purchased this one from Amazon. Also can be found on ebay, search "24 VAC to 12 VDC". You can use any 12V DC power source such as a wall wart like this. It doesn't need to be 1A, I believe my ring runs on just under 300ma. The LED ring has resistors already so you can just hook it up (making sure polarity is correct) to any 12V DC power source & that's it.

The reason I used the AC to DC converter is cause I did not want to power it off an external source like plugging it into an outlet. The stock halogen lamp on the PM45 is 24V AC so I choose to power it off that. That way it's powered off the mill & when I shut off power to the mill the light turns off as well without having to turn of the switch.

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Here's a pic of my control panel below. To the left you'll see a transformer with a gold name plate. On it you'll see that terminals 32 & 33 is 24 VAC which again is for the stock lamp. Directly under the transformer is an orange terminal block with terminals 32 & 33 (the blue & red wires) is what you want to wire up the AC to DC converter to. However if you follow the red wire on terminal 33, it leads to the white circuit breaker that's to the right of the transformer. So I hooked up 1 wire from terminal 32 directly to the converter for AC input. Then I hooked up another wire from the output end of the white circuit breaker to the converter for the other AC input.

Then you would run 2 wires for the DC output from the converter to the LED ring and a switch (polarity matters for the LED ring since it's DC). Negative from the converter runs directly to the black wire on the LED ring, do not use the common ground on the machine for negative. Positive from the converter runs to a SPST switch, then another wire from the switch to the red wire on the LED ring.

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I used a lighted rocker switch that has an LED indicator that runs off 12 VDC so I had to run an additional ground wire to the switch coming of the negative of the converter. This is the switch that I used, they're local to me but it can also be ordered online & they have other color indicators. It fit right into the hole on my mill's head, no modifications or mounting hardware needed.

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Quill fully retracted to 5"

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That sure lights things up! Can't wait to get to that point myself. :thumbsup2:
 
That sure lights things up! Can't wait to get to that point myself. :thumbsup2:

Yup, you'll love it once you get up & running! I'm sure you'll get there very soon, can't wait to see. But if for some reason you don't (hopefully you do), there's always these for BPs. Those are the only "complete" units I have seen that I think are worth buying but the dimmable ones are pricey.
 
Roger on the SPENDY part! Dadgum, they're proud of those guys! With all the help I've gotten so far I have confidence I'll be able to gather the knowledge I need to get my hand full of parts cobbled together.

Thanks so much for your help in my thread.
 
Roger on the SPENDY part! Dadgum, they're proud of those guys! With all the help I've gotten so far I have confidence I'll be able to gather the knowledge I need to get my hand full of parts cobbled together.

Thanks so much for your help in my thread.

Yes they are. But for their non dimmable version I don't think the price they're asking is too bad considered it's an anodized alumn housing, the LEDs they are using, lifetime warranty. Well if they're made in China then that's a different story. They look like nice units but I guess we'll never know. :)

No problem. :thumbzup:
 
If you want dimmable, all you need is a dimmable constant current driver that outputs the correct voltage (or voltage range) and current, and a taper pot with an appropriate range and scale (linear or log). Stick the driver in between the power supply and the LED(s), wire up the pot to the right spot on the driver and you're golden. LED lights are about as simple as you can get - if you can plug in a bulb, you can wire up an LED light :)
 
Glue some rare earth magnets to the ring of lights then it is easy to remove and re-install. You can get them on e-bay for 3 bucks.


I found the rings for $36.99 and $2 shipping at Amazon. I also found a scrap 12v wall wart to run one when it gets here. My deal is that a 90mm ring will have to be glued to the bottom of the spindle. No step on mine.

JLC 6000K Xenon White 60-SMD LED 90mm Universal Fit LED Angel Eyes - Version 2

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AQPVVQQ/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_nCTtub0GXBTBV
 
Good suggestion. Might just slice up some of the hard drive magnets I have here. But RTV would also be easy to scrape off.
 
If you want dimmable, all you need is a dimmable constant current driver that outputs the correct voltage (or voltage range) and current, and a taper pot with an appropriate range and scale (linear or log). Stick the driver in between the power supply and the LED(s), wire up the pot to the right spot on the driver and you're golden. LED lights are about as simple as you can get - if you can plug in a bulb, you can wire up an LED light :)

Yup, that's why I can't understand why they charge $100 more for their dimmable version (but then again I never really cared to look what they are using). Seems like that one sells the most. I guess some people don't have the know how and/or just want it ready to go, perfectly understandable.
 
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