Hey Pier and R,
Thank you for your comments. The suction base was added as a way of explaining how the lamp could become very moveable when the cam is released without dragging the lamp from its position. I couldn’t show the movement and flexibility in the video without fixing the lamp base to the table (it was made in plywood and isn’t heavy enough) and it was simple for the purpose of story telling to put in a suction base (it was a last minute descision). My prototype designs are always a balance between what I ideally want aesthetics wise and what I can make in my shed and demonstrate. Production wise there would be a difference. To get away without suction, I have to have a heavy base and very lite arms and head, which is difficult with wood arms because the material weight means if the lamp is extended too far away from centre it may fall over (always dependent on how heavy the base is). I thought hollow aluminium extrusions might automatically make things easier. Even if they are not as beautiful as wood, they are lighter? But I will have to do some calcs. I’ve also been considering a form of concrete/stone/slate base.
Now that I have a basic working model established, I will take all your comments and suggestions on board, look at weight reduction, heat/safety etc and (hopefully) make lots of improvements. PT