Archive for the ‘Light Meters’ Category

Links and Handouts for the LED Specifier Summit Meter Presentation

Posted: November 14, 2016 in General Commentary, Light Meters, Uncategorized
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thumb-meterFor those who attend my presentation on Metering and Meter use at the LED Specifier Summit this Tuesday (9:00AM) here is the related reference information and a copy of handouts for the presentation. Let me know what you think and post your comments or questions here. If you have any questions or wish to discuss this presentation or have a metering issue you’d like some help with, let me know.

Here is a copy of the presentation handout here: LED Spec Summit KLW Meter Presentation

The following are a summary of the links to the meter files content referred to in the presentation:

Meter Review

Flicker Wheel

Flicker Meter Review

LQC Classification Article

LQC Workbook

Color Viewer

 

Zero Flicker Task Light

Posted: January 21, 2016 in Light Meters, Tasca
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The Tasca task lighting head. My pet project for more than 6 years now.

The Tasca task lighting head. My pet project for over 6 years.

 

When I created Tasca, I had several goals in mind:

  • Strong light output  – Check – 800 lumens is top of its class
  • Smooth wide light pattern – Check – 78 degree beam pattern with no hot spots, no streaks, no rings, >200Fc at 18″
  • High color performance – Check >80CRIe standard @4000K, moving to >90CRIe @4000 or 5000K in latest models
  • No sparkly LED arrays – Check – single high quality COB array source
  • High efficiency – Check – >70lm/W total fixture efficacy
  • Tough and Ready – Check –  examples have been in operation 24/7/365 in shop environments with zero failures
  • ZERO FLICKER – Check – see below

(more…)

Light Meter Reviews – Comparison Summary

Posted: August 13, 2014 in Light Meters, Uncategorized
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After reviewing a range of different metering choices in actual use, I compiled a summary of findings, as well as my own personal subjective ratings of features and overall utility as a lighting professional. This chart is the collection of all findings in a simple comparison table for those who find this useful (like me): (more…)

Light Meter Reviews – Lighting Passport

Posted: August 13, 2014 in Light Meters, Uncategorized
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This is the Lighting Passport Flagship set. Includes case and accessories in a neat package.

This is the Lighting Passport Flagship set. Includes case and accessories in a neat package.

I first saw this device at Light+Build Frankfurt last fall. I was impressed enough to find one added to my collection of tools. The Asensetek Lighting Passport is a unique product in several ways. First, it is essentially a meter head (where the cost is), coupled to an iOS or Android device that does all the computational and display work. The lighting head has a nifty slide action receptor cover, so there is nothing to come off or get lost in a bag or pocket. The measurement range is as broad as any of the other spectrometers tested here, plus some. Not only does it produce the expected spectral power distribution, CRI, CCT, CIE 1931 and 1976 coordinates and illumunance in lux and Fc, it also delivers CQS values. (more…)

Light Meter Reviews – UPRtek MK350S

Posted: August 4, 2014 in Light Meters
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We have now entered the modern era, where meters are available with a dazzling array of features, at a fraction of the cost once commanded. In this case, the UPRtek MK350S, available also in a lesser featured, and lower cost MK350N version, produces amazingly beautiful results with little pain in the wallet or the head from learning to use it. You may find this also sold under other brand names, such as AIBC, or sold through outlets such as Allied and Ikan. I first saw the MK350S at Light+Build in Frankfurt. A customer of mine also saw them, and was so impressed, he purchased one and has allowed me some time to play with it and in preparation of building up a test lab for his company. (more…)

Light Meter Reviews – Mightex Systems HRS-VIS-025 CCD Spectrometer

Posted: August 4, 2014 in Light Meters, Reviewed - Good Performers
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To compliment a standard light meter, which does a fine job collecting illuminance information, I sought a low cost solution to evaluation of color data, specifically CCT, spectral power distribution and CRI. My goal was to find a product under $2,000, that could be calibrated, that would deliver me color information simply and without a large amount of special technical effort. I found that in the Mightex CCD Spectrometer. At a base price under $1,700, it fit the budget nicely. Of course I added a few accessories to it, and paid them to calibrate the meter with a fiber optic mounted cosine sensor, which increased the total invoice to a touch beyond the $2,000 target… However, in the end, I found the results to be exactly what I was looking for – almost. (more…)

Light Meter Reviews – Orb Optronix SP-100

Posted: August 4, 2014 in Light Meters, Reviewed - Exemplary
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When it came to setting up a lab with a proper precision meter for collecting and evaluating color (CCT) and color quality (CRI), as well as measuring transmission, luminance, radiance, irradiance, and illuminance of light sources and fixtures, I chose the Orb Optronix SP-100. This was done in partnership with a customer, for whom we set up a complete lab with goniometer we built for the customer, for testing their ongoing products as part of a design services agreement. In time as the customer grew in their own capacity, the entire rig, along with the data processing protocol we developed over several years, was transferred to the customers own facility, where staff was trained to complete their own tests in-house, where this is still in use today. (more…)

Light Meter Reviews – Simple Old School Single Purpose Light Metering

Posted: August 4, 2014 in Light Meters, Reviewed - Good Performers
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This is going to be a quick one. First of all, no matter what other meters one might own, the basic illuminance meter, with its readout in Lux or Fc remains an essential. You pull it out, press a button, get a number. The issue is with the latest generation of LED fixtures and retrofit lamps. They present a somewhat skewed spectral balance that can cause issues with older meters. For example, my trusty old (very very old) Minolta Color Meter II shows all LED sources as being roughly 200 CCT cooler than they actually are, sometimes, sometimes not. My other old trusty bag filler is a Minolta T-1H, which is great under daylight and tungsten sources, but not so good under LEDs, where  readings are off about 12% most of the time, and when exposed to LEDs with any flicker in them – the meter has a hard time finding a reading to settle on. I also have a Testo 540 digital ligth meter, which is an excellent in-the-pocket device, as it is very slim and includes a cover for the light sensor. At a cost of under $140, they are hard to beat for a simple tag-along meter for general illuminance measurement. (more…)

Light Meter Reviews – An Introduction

Posted: August 4, 2014 in Light Meters, Reviewed - Good Performers
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Introduction

Light meters are an essential tool for anyone involved in the lighting profession. The human eye lies to us with its unique capacity to invisibly correct for brightness variations, while the brain fills in missing pieces and compensates for color variations. For professionals, it is important to see through this biological variability to understand what we are actually looking at. One might ask why, if observers are compensating so readily, is it necessary to have objective understanding? These are the five reasons I feel having sufficient light metering is a critical tool for lighting professionals: (more…)