Sherline 2K Mill Base and Electrical

[jjr2001]

Great little Mill and great mods that you have done but all the talk on LEDS and Ohmites (Rheostat/Potentiometer) has me confused.
What is a DC lamp? Incandescent lamps work on AC or DC.
It is not usually possible to dim ordinary LED's unless they are of a special dimmable type, and even then it is often unsatisfactory and not done with a rheostat. LED's operate at around 4.5 volts DC, and if you have 12 volt LED's, somewhere in that circuit the 12 volts is dropped to 4.5 Volts. I could be wrong about all of this, but I would suggest that you do more research before you think of spending $20 -$30 on an old outdated Ohmite rheostat, or even think of buying a modern cheap variable power supply. See link below for more information on dimming LED's.

Dimming LED lamps: the dos and don'ts | Lux Magazine | Luxreview.com | Americas | Home page

Thanks for the note Moby, I have not tried to vary the brightness of my shop lamps at this time since they are just about right as they are. LEDs are DC lamps and the ones I have used are designed to draw a specific current. If the current is exceeded then that
is the end of the LED.
I have in the past varied the intensity of led's by varying the current available to them. But of course that was then and this is now. So anything would be an experiment which I do frequently. I may just have to set up an experiment with this in the future.
Sorry about the confusion. I was just thinking out loud and not being specific enough. I do know and can say that you can blow an LED by giving it too much current. In my experience with panel mount LEDs which would draw only about 20 ma they would definitely dim with less than 20 ma. If you boosted the voltage or allowed more current to the led it would self destruct.

Cheers, JR

[jjr2001]

JR,

That is a pretty good looking kit PS, and definitely handy around the shop for the price and a box to put it in. Be curious to see how the output looks on a scope with a single big cap but for $8. I was thinking of one of these PWM dimmer controllers but they will need a wall wart to drive them. Most of the LED controllers are PWM that I have seen. This one could be taken out of the package and perhaps organized into your 4x4 box for $8, but again need 12VDC at 8A or less (~2A) if you are only driving a couple of 5-7W MR16s.

Personally for me and for shop use I prefer full on brightness and if it's too bright I just get a lower wattage units or a different color band because they are cheap. Also the goose neck allows me to move it away if it is too bright or causes dark shadows. That little track light I picked up was only about 18" long and was set up for 120VAC already...plug n' play and with 4-50W equivalent bulbs covered most of my lathe area from the ceiling. Nice that your unit had the stuff built in for 120VAC. I noticed the Target had a non-replaceable bulb...but I'm sure we could remedy that and replace with an MR16 socket...dirt cheap by the bundle.

Whatever you do with lighting your space I'm sure it will be perfect for you and your fine little mill setup. ~PJ

So far the brightness is just about right. I really like these since they include the goose neck and run of the 120V mains. Easy to set up on a small machine.
I did order two of the power supplies. Really like the variable volts and current limit. I have a few small gear head motors to experiment with for driving the axis on small machines.

That PWM dimmer looks like just the ticket if you have a lamp that is too bright. Not expensive at all. Just need a box for it and the 24 vdc power supply. Of course it all depends on the particular lamp that you have.

Cheers, JR

[Captainleeward]

Now that I've seen yours I want one...Cap.

[jjr2001]

Thanks Captain, I also did not know that I "needed" one until I saw one! While I was familiar with the Sherline lathe I
had not seen their mill until I visited their store in Vista California. Of all the tools in their show room this one just
jumped out and said "take me take me home please". Well with a plea like that how could I resist? To add fuel to the fire I visited
the machinist museum after the Sherline show room. The working machine shop in the museum had both the lathe and mill in use. Of course they also had a room full of full size machinery. That is when I knew one of the Sherline Mills would end up in my trunk and follow me home. Soooo I returned to Sherline and that bad boy ended up in my trunk.

This is a true story, the names and facts have not been changed!

Cheers, JR

[thehomeengineer]

Very tidy looking little machine Are they made in the US as I have not seen them in the UK?.

[jjr2001]

That is correct Andy. They are made and distributed from Vista California. Here is a link to their web site:
https://sherline.com/
The company has come a long way from that first lathe back in the 70's I believe. The original was built in Australia!

Cheers, JR