Show HN: Lamp Carousel – DIY kinetic sculpture powered by lamp heat (2024)

(evan.widloski.com)

102 points by Evidlo 7 days ago

23 comments

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I wanted to share this fun craft activity for the holidays that I've been doing with my family over the last few years. I came up with these while cutting up some cans trying to make an aluminum version of paper spinners.

There are a variety of shapes that work, but generally bigger+lighter spinners are better. Also incandescent bulbs are the best, but LEDs work too.

They remind me of candle carousels I would see at my grandparents' house during Christmas. Let me know what you think!

yial 6 days ago

This is such a charming project! I’ve been quite taken for years by the “Christmas” decorations that spin using a candle.

I quite like these more - mainly because they could be added onto a lamp that puts off heat, and be kind of a perpetual decoration with subtle motion.

I love your “dad turbine” design, and the flying wing has some magical quality to it.

Thank you so much for sharing!

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blacksmith_tb 4 days ago

It wouldn't (just) be convection, but it would be easy to have a spinner over the top case fan on a PC... though going the other direction, convection off a fanless PC (I have a little Zotac) might be enough to spin a very light spinner (mylar might work, though to get a pivot without friction won't be easy).

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lgvld 6 days ago

So cool, thanks for sharing.

We used to do that as children as well: a spiral cutted out of paper on top of a long skewer stuck into a potato. Felt like perpetual motion somehow.

It works if you put it on top of a radiator btw.

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danielbln 6 days ago

These look fun, I'm partial to the dad turbine. Too bad (for something like this) that basically none of my lamps produce much heat these days.

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dpflug 6 days ago

This feels like the delightful oddities one would stumble across on the Old Internet. Thank you for sharing!

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darubedarob 4 days ago

How can i make on that creates water light ripples on my roof?

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  • Evidlo 4 days ago

    Just make a big spinner and put it above a lamp with multiple bulbs. The interference pattern will make a ripple effect.

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andai 6 days ago

Delightful, thank you for sharing. You have added a little bit of whimsy to the world :)

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IshKebab 6 days ago

Do people still use incandescent bulbs in America?

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  • rconti 6 days ago

    Looks like they were only (generally) outlawed for sale in 2023. Though some states were ahead of that.

    They last a long time, though, and I imagine a lot of people are still using their existing bulbs. I can't imagine doing that in CA, where our electricity is expensive, but if you're paying 6c/kWh, I suppose, may as well?

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  • whitehexagon 5 days ago

    A generation of under investment in energy production will create all kinds of government backed environmental propaganda. Incandescent bulbs = bad. Fossil fueled AI data centers = economy.

    If there was a true environmental motivation for reducing our electricity usage, our bills wouldn't be 60% network charges, they would be 100% usage based charges.

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    • IshKebab 5 days ago

      Wait are you saying that you think incandescent bulbs aren't bad? Wtf?

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  • brcmthrowaway 5 days ago

    I hope so.

    Some lampshades call for a point source which LEDs struggle to replicate.

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    • IshKebab 5 days ago

      Wow imagine caring so little about the environment...

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gridphp 5 days ago

I thought it's something about LAMP Stack! lol

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