Finally got an LED light for my room (and a couple other rooms in the house) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2016, 11:21:44 pm
content: We finally switched over a few lights to LED, 5000k, 800 lumens.It's like I can finally, actually see things, things that aren't just yellowy shadows.Plus we cut down on power from a couple cfls/incandescents, so that will help considering my quite considerable power usage from my server rack, but mainly it's actually nice to be able to see the corners of my extremely small room.If you haven't made the switch by now, give it a try.

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2016, 03:43:53 am
content: I've switched nearly every light in my house to LED, even my backyard floodlights.About the only place I haven't changed things out are the twin tube fluorescents in the basement and garage. The basement is scheduled to be completely redone, at which time the overhead lighting will be changed to LED, and at some point I may redo the garage. I also have some floodlights on the outside front, but I never use them, and they are burnt out. I don't have a ladder long enough to get up to them. Outside post light was also replaced with LEDs, as well as the front porch light.Haven't noticed any real reduction in electricity use though. Some members of the household have a tendency to leave lights on all night long - those were the first ones I replaced with LEDs though. Summer is coming, and any use by lighting will be overshadowed by the combination of air conditioning and the pool pump. It doesn't help that I have 3 computers, one of them a server, running all the time.

author: Kilrah
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 09, 2016, 07:04:47 am
content: Changed all of mine a year ago but for 2700K ones. Absolutely hate the "daylight" ones.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2016, 08:18:31 am
content: I agree about the daylight color, it's way too harsh and blue to use in the bedroom or living room, and borderline elsewhere in the home. I do have some of the daylight type in my lab area, but also have some warm white there for use at night.I have no idea why the manufacturers have gone with such extreme colors for LED lights. Matching existing technology I guess. I think most of what is made is either too yellow or too blue and for some reason there's not much in between. I did find some 4000K 3200 lumen mini shop lights at Home Depot (online only) and ordered a couple yesterday.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2016, 10:53:01 am
content: Higher colour temperature lamps are going to deliver higher lumens per watt, as the blue emission is higher energy, and less is lost as heat making the red and yellow components of light from them. Been using a few, and they are great for things like inspection lamps, where incandescent lamps will break from vibration and shock, while the led is less likely to do so. Broken a few but they are at least fixable, and the inspection lamp on them is as bright as the 60W lamps I was using, but not as prone to breaking lamps if it falls out of position.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2016, 11:12:53 am
content: Quote from: XOIIO on April 08, 2016, 11:21:44 pm800 lumens?? Get with the cool kids and put a 7000 lumen 100W led in your room. Now that is some serious lighting shit.You know its awesome when you have to warn visitors not to look directly at the room light.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2016, 12:50:10 pm
content: My office light for those "extra bright" occasions is a 150W metal halide light, just to provide a little bright light for real close up work or photography. At home I can use a nice little extra light, 400W mercury vapour lamp uplighter, or an 80W street light indoors. Power failures I was able to light the entire neighbourhood with light, I need 300VA to get the cheap generator to give good regulation.

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2016, 12:59:36 pm
content: Quote from: rrinker on April 09, 2016, 03:43:53 amI know how you feel, my server rack draws 800 watts continuously. Hopefully the new server will cut that back but I'm stuck waiting for caddies, then need to buy a hard drive.Plus my laptop which is reasonably power hungry, though I haven't actually measured it. I know that the ac adapter is 200w though.

author: Zbig
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2016, 07:47:03 pm
content: I recently installed Philips Hue lights in my mancave. Right now I've got four GU10 spotlights shining on different sections of my workspace. There's room for two more bulbs in my lamp so the target is 6 * 6.5W. While my heart still bleeds from the amount of money I had to shell out for that, I have to say the thing is awesome. While the ability to choose the color from the whole RGB palette seems a bit of a novelty, being able to set the white light temperature from "sunset" to the "coroner room" (not the actual Philips' terminology) basically, is just plain awesome.