Now you can loosen the thumb screws and slide the whole focusing mechanism up and down with one hand to get the bat signal in focus on the ceiling. Bolt the locking slides' corner brace to the plywood using a machine screw and nut (and washer if necessary). Mark the hole location in the bottom of the cut hardboard/plywood and drill a small hole so the small screws fit. Slide the locking slides over each of the 1" PVC posts of the frame and screw in the thumb screws until they are snug with the inner 1" pipe. Using the #16 clamps, attach a corner brace (L bracket) to the top of the section with top facing up. Drill 1/4" holes in the middle of each of the sections. Cut out those circles with the jigsaw.Ĭut 4" sections of 1-1/4" PVC pipe (these slide smoothly over the 1" pipe). Now cut the holes for the locking slides by resting your 1-1/4" pipe against the corner and tracing the partial circle. Just to be safe, I wrapped electrical tape around the magnifying lens and the brackets to keep it from slipping in case you tip the lamp while carrying it or moving it. Place 4 corner braces equidistant around the hole and drill holes through the plywood and affix with machine screws and nuts (and washers if necessary). Drill a hole large enough to fit your jigsaw blade and using the jigsaw, cut about 1/4" inside the circle you drew, so you leave a shelf for your lens frame to rest on. Then with the focusing mechanism you'll build next, you can easily adjust the focus when you move the lamp to another table or demo it to your friends at work.įirst, cut the handle off the magnifying lens so it fits in your frame, and trace the magnifying lens' shape on a piece of hardboard (leftover whiteboard or thin lauan plywood) that fits flush across the bottom of your frame. I was able to focus the beam with a large (7" wide) magnifying lens I found at Walmart (in the optometrist section at the front of the store) for about $15. You'll need a way to not only focus the beam but you'll also need to easily adjust the focus every time you move the lamp to a surface with a new height. If you turn on your lamp with the bat symbol on it, you'll notice that it's really just a shadowy blob because the light is diffused and unfocused. This is the clever part that transforms your ordinary lamp into a bat signal that shines a symbol of justice into the heavens (or ceiling tiles). LED flood light (NOT A CFL OR INCANDESCENT LIGHT, any heat from the light could melt the acrylic bat symbol that sits on top).(8) 1/2" long 1/4" wide machine screws and nuts (and washers if necessary).(8) 1/2" corner braces (also called L brackets).1-1/4" PVC ( a single 2' length is more than enough). 1" PVC pipe ( a single 10' length should be enough).small black acrylic sheet (12" is more than enough).4' x 8' whiteboard (also called white hardboard, dry erase board, or smooth white board).Dremel and grinders/sanders to carve the bat symbol.The back panel slides up to access inside the lamp so you can adjust the focus, change the bulb, or even change the symbol. The shell is made from dry erase whiteboard (yes you can write on it!), the frame is made from PVC pipe, the lamp is an LED flood light, the lens is a magnifying glass, and the bat symbol was carved from a sheet of acrylic. As you can see in the pics, it's very bright, even in the office during broad daylight. You can make this bat signal lamp entirely from parts you can buy at Lowes, Home Depot, and Walmart.
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