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

104 points by Evidlo 10mo ago

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!

abstractspoon 10mo ago
[dead]
danielbln 10mo 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.
- anonymousiam 10mo ago
  You're in luck: https://inside.lighting/news/25-06/new-bill-pushes-end-incandescent-light-bulb-ban https://inside.lighting/news/25-06/new-bill-pushes-end-incan...
  - mohaba 10mo ago
    Why would they be in luck? Did you read the article? Just because the efficiency floor is eliminated doesn’t mean production would or even could restart.
  - thayne 10mo ago
    Wow. That is disappointing, but not terribly surprising given the current government.
- Evidlo 10mo ago
  I've not found any LED bulbs that didn't put out enough heat to work.
yial 10mo 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!
andai 10mo ago
Delightful, thank you for sharing. You have added a little bit of whimsy to the world :)
IshKebab 10mo ago
Do people still use incandescent bulbs in America?
- rconti 10mo 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?
- brcmthrowaway 10mo ago
  I hope so. Some lampshades call for a point source which LEDs struggle to replicate.
  - IshKebab 10mo ago
    Wow imagine caring so little about the environment...
- whitehexagon 10mo 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.
  - IshKebab 10mo ago
    Wait are you saying that you think incandescent bulbs aren't bad? Wtf?
lgvld 10mo 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.
LilyMed 10mo ago
[flagged]
dpflug 10mo ago
This feels like the delightful oddities one would stumble across on the Old Internet. Thank you for sharing!
chews 10mo ago
It's like an on demand do-nothing machine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv6YvKPXQzk&list=RDkv6YvKPXQzk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv6YvKPXQzk&list=RDkv6YvKPXQ...
gridphp 10mo ago
I thought it's something about LAMP Stack! lol
darubedarob 10mo ago
How can i make on that creates water light ripples on my roof?
- Evidlo 10mo ago
  Just make a big spinner and put it above a lamp with multiple bulbs. The interference pattern will make a ripple effect.
  - darubedarob 10mo ago
    Thanks
blacksmith_tb 10mo 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).

104 points by Evidlo 10mo ago

abstractspoon 10mo ago

[dead]

danielbln 10mo 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.

anonymousiam 10mo ago
You're in luck: https://inside.lighting/news/25-06/new-bill-pushes-end-incandescent-light-bulb-ban https://inside.lighting/news/25-06/new-bill-pushes-end-incan...
- mohaba 10mo ago
  Why would they be in luck? Did you read the article? Just because the efficiency floor is eliminated doesn’t mean production would or even could restart.
- thayne 10mo ago
  Wow. That is disappointing, but not terribly surprising given the current government.
Evidlo 10mo ago
I've not found any LED bulbs that didn't put out enough heat to work.

yial 10mo 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!

andai 10mo ago

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

IshKebab 10mo ago

Do people still use incandescent bulbs in America?

rconti 10mo 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?
brcmthrowaway 10mo ago
I hope so. Some lampshades call for a point source which LEDs struggle to replicate.
- IshKebab 10mo ago
  Wow imagine caring so little about the environment...
whitehexagon 10mo 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.
- IshKebab 10mo ago
  Wait are you saying that you think incandescent bulbs aren't bad? Wtf?

lgvld 10mo 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.

LilyMed 10mo ago

[flagged]

dpflug 10mo ago

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

chews 10mo ago

It's like an on demand do-nothing machine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv6YvKPXQzk&list=RDkv6YvKPXQzk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv6YvKPXQzk&list=RDkv6YvKPXQ...

gridphp 10mo ago

I thought it's something about LAMP Stack! lol

darubedarob 10mo ago

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

Evidlo 10mo ago
Just make a big spinner and put it above a lamp with multiple bulbs. The interference pattern will make a ripple effect.
- darubedarob 10mo ago
  Thanks

blacksmith_tb 10mo 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).