LED Desk Lamp Conversion from 13 Watt Fluorescent Bulb

thingiverse

<h2>If you like what you see here, consider leaving a tip.<br></h2> Convert your fluorescent lamp to LED with this DIY LED bulb. By taking on this project, you assume all risk to person and property. If you don't have the necessary knowledge and experience working with electrical circuits, just buy a new lamp and forget you were ever here. <h3>Parts List:</h3> <ul> <li> LED Strip - 12 mm wide x 1 mm thick. </li> <li> AC to DC switching power adaptor - Usually 12 V for most LED strips. 1 A should work fine, but test current draw to be sure. </li> <li> M3 x 30 mm screws - Something with a short shank will be helpful but not necessary. </li> <li> Wire of an appropriate gauge - I used 22 AWG. </li> </ul> <h3>Instructions:</h3> <ol> <li> Unplug the lamp and cut the cord to the fluorescent ballast before you do anything else. You don't want to accidentally power your new LED bulb with AC power. <br><br></li> <li> Choose your DC power supply based on the current draw of the of LED strip that you will use. I used 8 sections of an LED strip for a bulb: two strips of 4 sections each, with 3 LEDs per section for a total of 24 LEDs. At 12 V, the LED strips drew just over 500 mA, so I used a 12 V, 1 A switching power supply.<img src="https://cdn.thingiverse.com/renders/e1/d9/ce/61/5d/ca4b878c4e9be0abc2c36071565a9b3d_preview_featured.jpg"> <br><br></li> <li> Solder the two LED Strips in series and solder two lead wires to one of the strips. Attach each lead wire to a 30 mm screw by wrapping the wire around the screw' shank, then screw it into the 3D printed bulb base. The screws are now the power terminals of the bulb, and you can use the existing wiring in your lamp for power. Take note of the polarity of the bulb terminals and connect your power supply to the lamp's cord accordingly.<img src="https://cdn.thingiverse.com/renders/e0/8e/00/12/c7/085bfa7212f6a7408cc0dd33c37b3a9d_preview_featured.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.thingiverse.com/renders/d1/12/5e/97/15/6f9555a013b780fbdb8b394ae0f6ce71_preview_featured.jpg"> <br><br></li> <li> Now slide the LED strips in to the bulb base. It should be a snug fit, but if you find the fit too tight to slide the strips in, try using a butane/propane torch to lightly soften the plastic first. <br><br></li> </ol>