The LED Studio Light Project

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Page 6

       The next step in the studio light saga was to make the fixture yoke that can support the light head on a tripod. I started this task out by machining a couple of Delrin spacers for the mounting studs seen below.

       Two 3/8-16 studs were installed into the side support beams of the light head and locked into place with 10-24 grub screws...

       The fixture yoke was made from 1/4” x 2” 6061 aluminum bars which will make the upright portion of the yoke.

       The horizontal member of the yoke was made from 1/2” x 2” aluminum bar (not shown) and will sit on top of the tripod sleeve seen below. This sleeve was made from 304 stainless steel and TIG welded for extreme durability.

       The parts are clean and ready for assembly!

       The assembled yoke came out very nice and extremely rigid which is a must considering the weight of my new light.

       I tested the new yoke on the light head and placed the light on top of a commercial speaker stand that I bought for the purpose.

       I used a captive pin to secure the light to the speaker stand and keep the head from turning after being aimed.

       Not a bad speaker stand considering it was $20 shipped from Amazon ;0) We will see how it stands up to use in the future.

       The next and final step in my build was to create a reflector that will redirect the peripheral light spill from the array back into a forward throw pattern. The light is definitely a floodlight and no where near a spotlight however a reflector will help greatly to concentrate the throw pattern and increase brightness.
       I sketched out a reflector design on a piece of masonite that was comprised of two focus angles: 32° and 38° from the vertical plane. These tiered angles will harvest about 20% of the light spill and throw it forward for better performance.

       Before starting the metal work of the reflector I decided to add some flush hardware to the lens bezel so that the reflector screws could be removed without affecting the lens bezel. This will make service to the reflector and array much easier without worrying about the glass lens falling out :oP

       I started the reflector by covering the delicate polish on one side of the sheeting with blue painter’s tape. I then cut four even strips to make the four sides of the reflector.

       The back side of the reflector was given a brushed finish with a flap-wheel sander for aesthetics.

       The next step was to cut all four sheets to match my template. All four sheets were clamped together and cut on the bandsaw (not shown).

       A sheet metal brake was then used to bend the angles needed in the reflector pieces...

       The use of a protractor helped me get the bend angles needed to match my calculations.

       The tape was now removed and the pieces are ready for a test fit on the light head.

       The reflector pieces fit really well at this point and the angles seemed to be correct however there was still more to do.

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