3D printed UHP searchlight (successor to my OL entry)

CAD so far

goals of this project:

  • smaller, more portable light
  • significantly improve durability and serviceability (aka no glue and metal threads)
  • maintain as many features as possible
  • eventually sell the light to fund future endeavours
  • make something borderline acceptable to TSA - im travelling in the summer to some remote areas and want to test it

shortcoming:

  • likely no speaker included tho i have a couple ideas so it might not be entirely impossible
  • likely reduced throw since the bulb im using is smaller and lower power *
  • 3d printing is slow and my current estimated print time is about 8 hours for a total 0.5kg housing
  • im not fantastic at CAD so the electronics could be tighter packed but im not skilled enough yet

photos so far


previous revision in cad
this version is larger and less efficiently packed.

todo:

  • purchase suitable 240vac to 12vdc board
  • print and test fit appropiate sections
  • tune up printer for new filament
  • clean bulb reflector (either alcohol or compressed air)
  • obtain AR glass that filters UV and is high transmitance (possibly get it sponsored)
  • decide wether to attempt some weak weatherproofing**
  • see if my school will lasercut the lid out of some cool frosted acrylic or sm

*these lower power bulbs also have smaller arcs so theres a chance the reduced reflector size wont be too impactful
** i could thicken the very front and use a large sheet of glass sealed into a 3d printed frame with silicone, then the 3d printed frame would screw onto the main body with a oring/gasket inbetween. same for the lid

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looking at the space. i could include either a forward or downfiring LED either in a TIR or mule, could be any 3v LED so that i can buy a cc buck module to power with. and i could add the speaker too.
if theres anyone interested in buying please reach out and let me know if these features are worth pursuing

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Idk about the exact details of this project but something that really helps me when designing stuff is doing it in paper first. Usually cad for me is just translating what i designed into something machines can make. Of course after you reach a certain level of complexity, designing in cad can be helpfull but i dont think this is something in that scope. I still do my circuits on paper as well. Alsk good luck, previous build was pretty cool as for the speakers i would say its scope creap but thats just me. I like to keep things minimal(not the same as simple tho).

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i will only add a secondary channel then. 3000k sft40 and tir maybe, or a larger reflector. not decided yet

big changes, went minimal and skipped the second channel, everything is screw mounted now too. it will have a standard plug for AC input.

all thats left is for m 240vac to 12vdc pcb to arrive and ill design the final electronics holder.

ive been busy with university interviews so progress has been slow this past week - the last one is on monday and then ill be back at it full force

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Maybe some universities would actually be interested in your hobbies if you go that path. Being able to do cad is a pretty big green flag for a technical university.

good news: i was accepted to UW madison; i printed the searchlight case and everything fits

bad news: the printer ran out of filament so everything needs reprinting to fully finish

heres some mockup photos (i installed everything i could to check dimensions)




notice the lack of glue, efficient use of space, and standard AC plug.
very demure

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Great news! Congratulations!

3D print looking good, this one will be mains powered rather than a battery pack?

Thank you!

the previous battery pack had a integrated inverter so both have been AC power. this one will be using the same battery pack but i want to sell this model eventually so i included a standard plug for whoever buys it to utilise. it also means the cable isnt integrated to the body so itll be easier to transport

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Nice


got everything printed, when i get out of school ill assemble evrything. should be 100% done by tomorrow unless something goes wrong

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sadly i messed up some sizes and may need to reprint everything, we’ll see. most things fit great tho. if ir edesign it ill improve the aesthetics a bit while im at it

if anyones interested in purchasing this please reach out and let me know what youd pay and if you have any design changes. i wont hold you to a price/purchase but itd be good to start lining things up sooner rather than later.

3 Thanks