Loop

 

Background

This project was a 2.5 year long project. This is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever created. While at first it may seem like a simple light, it truly is not. I will explain below what makes this light truly special, and certainly my magnum opus.

 

The Challenge:

To create an 8 foot max, 4 foot min luminaire that can be stacked at any angle with other luminaires without any power cords.

My Role:

I invented a new type of power-over-cable system which allows for 5 amps of power to be passed through each luminaire. I created and designed each luminaire. I created, designed, and invented each connector which allows for infinite adjustability. I created and designed a new special type of canopy which can mechanically hold this monster. I interfaced with the factories directly to invent quick connectors to allow for assembly in 5 minutes.

Process

When I started at Sonneman, I was given a white goose chase of a project. Essentially, I was told to make an 8 foot ring with no power cables, and with rotating connectors that allowed the luminaires to be hung seamlessly at any angle. I completed this task in 2 weeks using Solidworks. No one thought the design would work, and so we went to the first prototype phase. After proving some mechanical concepts through 3D printing, we sent the design off to China. After many months, we received our first pass. We actually ended up re-making the whole thing because the designers did not like how it looked. Didn’t matter. We re-designed the body and chassis of the luminaire to ensure it fit the aesthetic requirements. After the re-design we started to find so many problems with the construction that required very creative solutions. They are as follows:

  • The system was too high wattage to actually fall under normal UL2108 rules.

    • To get around this, I invented a new type of canopy which allows for power to be passed through, and to hold the luminaire mechanically.

  • The cables would bend to a point where they would crimp.

    • The connectors rotate so the cables do not have to crimp, and the luminaires can be hung at any angle.

  • The amperage of the circuit was too high.

    • I re-designed the power connectors to have a brass core which allows for power-pass through.

  • The assembly process was difficult.

    • I created a novel brass pogo-pin power connector which can easily be installed by any customer.

After 2.5 years, it was complete.

Final Outcomes

Sonneman was sold to HVLG after being owned by a private equity firm. The project was scrapped by the CEO of HVLG because he didn’t like how it looked.