Desk/Lab lighting tips?

[Dave Turner]

I'd suggest also having a small powerful highly directional light, even if just a torch available.  This helps to pick out details obscured by lighting that is too flat.

[Dawn]

If you read the text, that was the reason for the halogen MR-11 spots on gooseneck fixtures clamped to the bottom of the first riser. Agreed on the necessity for a spot light source, but 40+ years of benchwork/board rework has been primarly under a magnified ringlight.

[Dave Turner]

Dawn I did read the text. I was supporting the point.

[zapta]

Ben Krasnow did a video on relighting his shop.  He talks a bit about T5 vs. T8, specifically why T8 & T5 appear to be so much brighter than T12s.  T12s are just silly; I'm pretty sure the bulbs or fixtures aren't made anymore.

edit:

Very interesting cost analysis. If it is correct, it contradicts the LED hype.

Any hole in this analysis?

[Rigby]

Not sure what hype you're talking about.  I've never heard of any LED hype, but I don't get out much, so... 

LEDs haven't ever claimed to be cheaper or more efficient that I know of, just better light quality.

They're a lot more expensive to purchase (Ben's video was done in 2010 or 2011 I believe, so this has changed, somewhat, probably) and I'm fairly sure LEDs are not as efficient as fluorescent lighting.

There's also an Amp Hour episode where they interview the CEO of Cree.  He answers a few questions about LEDs and efficiencies, etc.

[zapta]

Not sure what hype you're talking about.  I've never heard of any LED hype, but I don't get out much, so... 

E.g. this one "Over 80% more efficient than traditional fluorescents tubes"

http://www.earthtechproducts.com/led-fluorescent-tube.html

[Rigby]

Not on the same amount of light output, they're not.

The key measurement here is lumens per watt.  no one seems to publish this info, though, or if they're being especially shady, they'll leave out the lumen rating, the watt rating, or both entirely, so you can't figure it out yourself.  also, it's difficult to know how the light output is measured.

if something sounds too good to be true, it is either not true or not that good.

[Rigby]

oh, by the way: if I am wrong then I am wrong.  I am not an authority on these things.

[M. András]

http://www.luxeonstar.com/Neutral-White-Lambertian-Rebel-145-lm-p/lxml-pwn1-0080.htm got 50 of these for 20bucks 12 will go into a 5x10cm pcb for desk area lighting. the guy claimed this type of these leds however it wasnt in their carrier tape stucked into somekind of nasty foam material. atleast these have 8kv esd protection so should be fine. sharp probe marks on the terminals but no solder marks whatsoever will see their light quality once assembled. i would have loved better the LXML-PWN2 type from these but hell for the price. the best would be some of those decor arrays from bridgelux or another high cri led from cree but both of them goddam expensive

[STCLSC]

Hi
I use 3xIKEA desk lamps fitted with 20W CFL at 2700k. For me is the perfect combination, the light is warm and strong.
Also the CFL have the advantage of using very low power and disipating  very low heat(summer is very hot in my place).

[calin]

I have one of these

http://www.harborfreight.com/swing-arm-magnifying-lamp-69515.html and replaced the incandescent with a CFL.

But here is the crazy part ... I was working on a power supply and I noticed that I had a weird 60hz frequency ripple in everything I was measuring to see the voltage ripple on the regulators - I was using my analog scope. At one stage I got really pissed because no matter what I was doing the damn ripple was in my output. I was suspecting some kind of mains hum but I have an power conditioner etc .. pretty nice and all so common mode was kind of out the window. After an hour or so ... I decide do stand and get a beer and I push the lamp neck away from above the desk and magically my "60hz ripple" gets smaller .. i push away more the lamp gets even smaller ... turn lamp off .. even more. Then I have one of those WTF ?!! moments  .  Since ... i am thinking to switch to LED lighting. Hell in what I am doing I noticed that even the ceiling tubes are radiating that "gorgeous" 60Hz noise .. Meh lesson learned.

Did you guys noticed that ? especially on the analog scopes just get a light close enough by the CRT ... 

[Dawn]

Funny you should mention this. I was doing a cal job on the lower end of a B&K 290 FET TVM and kept getting what looked like the meter needle bobbling slowly. Just for the heck of it, pulled out my old RCA Senior Volt Ohmyst and plugged it into the strip and on the lowest range it was doing the same. Turned off the lamp and it stopped. This is the older HF ringlight with the transformer at the base that looks like a knockoff of the old Luxo's and not the newer one that has the works in the plastic ring head. Never noticed a problem before with anything else.

[TheBorg]

Hehe, funny lab phenomenon. I have a fan I use to blow fumes that goes faster and faster the closer you hold a hot soldering iron to it 
I goes form about 500 RPM to somewhere about 3000 I think

Thanks for all the help in this thread though. Working my way through it but I think I'm set for a while now.

[Six_Shooter]

I have one of these

http://www.harborfreight.com/swing-arm-magnifying-lamp-69515.html and replaced the incandescent with a CFL.

But here is the crazy part ... I was working on a power supply and I noticed that I had a weird 60hz frequency ripple in everything I was measuring to see the voltage ripple on the regulators - I was using my analog scope. At one stage I got really pissed because no matter what I was doing the damn ripple was in my output. I was suspecting some kind of mains hum but I have an power conditioner etc .. pretty nice and all so common mode was kind of out the window. After an hour or so ... I decide do stand and get a beer and I push the lamp neck away from above the desk and magically my "60hz ripple" gets smaller .. i push away more the lamp gets even smaller ... turn lamp off .. even more. Then I have one of those WTF ?!! moments  .  Since ... i am thinking to switch to LED lighting. Hell in what I am doing I noticed that even the ceiling tubes are radiating that "gorgeous" 60Hz noise .. Meh lesson learned.

Did you guys noticed that ? especially on the analog scopes just get a light close enough by the CRT ... 

I noticed something similar in the output of an Elenco function generator kit I built recently. It turned out the ground wire between PCB and output terminal had broke (solid core wire). Fixed that, and the 60 HZ carrier went away.

[Mitchell Andrews]

I replaced the incandescent bulb in my (armature) bench light with a fluorescent ecosmart screw in 23 watt daylight natural. It puts out 1600 Lumens and has a similar brightness of a 100 watt bulb (seems like more). It stays fairly cool and it's focused only on the project at hand.. When I need some extra visibility for a particular area, I use a battery powered, 9 LED head lamp. I have found that the head lamp reduces some of the glare from the bench lamp, but can pose a challenge depending on the magnification type and angle being used. Overall though, the head lamp has been a nice hands free movable addition for certain situations.

[echen1024]

I use 2 Philips 6500k T8 bulbs. Very bright. Just installed them today, and man, I'm impressed. Kills the yellowish color I've been getting out of my youtube videos.

[codeboy2k]

I use 2 Philips 6500k T8 bulbs. Very bright. Just installed them today, and man, I'm impressed. Kills the yellowish color I've been getting out of my youtube videos.

what do you think of the 6500K color? I would be afraid it's too "blue" tinted. Do you find that?
Without anything to go on, I don't really have a good feel for the right color temperature, and I've been researching lighting for a while too.
If I was going to buy something, I'd probably buy between 5500 and 6000.

[Rigby]

I have 6500k bulbs, and.. yeah they're a bit "blue" compared to my 4500k bulbs, of course.

The color doesn't matter to me a great deal, as long as they all match.  It's the quantity of light that matters most to me.  I need to be able to see.  I don't want to be squinting or moving things in order to put the light on whatever I'm working on.  My wife says I work inside the Sun, but I find that I have just the right amount of light.

[GreyWoolfe]

I use the Phillips Daylight Deluxe T-8 bulbs in a 4 bulb fixture.  I like the 6500K light output.  I swapped the same bulbs into my other 2 bulb fixtures in the office because of the quality of light.  I don't do videos of any kind, but I need good light.  At least my wife hasn't joked with me about working in the sun, yet.  Codeboy2K, I had 5500K bulbs when I put up the 2 dual bulb fixtures when I remodeled my office.  I thought they were fine until I "accidently" bought the daylight deluxe 6500K bulbs.  To me, the light is very 'clean' and as Rigby's wife says, it is like having the sun overhead.  Give them a try, I think you will like them.

[SeanB]

If I really need light I turn on a 70W metal halide uplighter. SWtarted off as a regular 500W halogen uplighter with failed dimmer, so I added a set of MH control gear in an external box and it currently has a 70W Osram daylight lamp in it. Bought a lifetime supply of spare lamps at auction for $2 as well, so no worries about it now.

[echen1024]

I use 2 Philips 6500k T8 bulbs. Very bright. Just installed them today, and man, I'm impressed. Kills the yellowish color I've been getting out of my youtube videos.

what do you think of the 6500K color? I would be afraid it's too "blue" tinted. Do you find that?
Without anything to go on, I don't really have a good feel for the right color temperature, and I've been researching lighting for a while too.
If I was going to buy something, I'd probably buy between 5500 and 6000.

The 6500K is not too blue, persay, as it sharpens up the details when soldering and also is much brighter.

[jahonen]

Higher color temperatures generally require more light to look good, see Kruithof curve. That said, I have 8000K Osram skywhites in my lab . They look bluish compared to lower color temperatures but are quite comfortable to work with as long you have enough light.

Regards,
Janne

[Dave Turner]

In my experience if in an enclosed environment (in particular for a laboratory) with colour temperature anywhere say from about 4500 to 7000 kelvin and lux between say 3000 and 10000 given a muted matt background, there isn't too much of a problem as one's eyes are generally happy in a constant environment.

Think, when one first wakes up in the morning or switches on the bedside light at night it takes time for ones eyes to accept the change in illumination, and vision is difficult, even painful, until one has adjusted.

With one or more windows in a lab providing natural light the key problem is the balance required between the varying contrast of both the lux and colour temperature of artificial lighting and natural lighting. In certain respects a home lab is harder to deal with than a commercial building due to considerations of scale.

Fundamentally it all comes down to what one is most comfortable with.

 

[echen1024]

Higher color temperatures generally require more light to look good, see Kruithof curve. That said, I have 8000K Osram skywhites in my lab . They look bluish compared to lower color temperatures but are quite comfortable to work with as long you have enough light.

Regards,
Janne

Oh dear. How much were those?

[GreyWoolfe]

echen1024, found 1 place here in the US.  hhttp://www.superiorlighting.com/32_Watt_48_Mol_T8_Octron_Skywhite_Bulb_8000K_Col_p/22594-syl.htm  They are expensive and you must order 30 bulbs!