Lumenique – Inside Solid-State Lighting

Flicker is a persistent and frustrating issue, and has been since the first fluorescent and HID lamps were put in service. Complaints of headache, migraine, feelings of ill health, and eye strain are the most common complaints. For some, flicker at 100Hz (Europe/Asia) or 120Hz (North America) is debilitating. Studies have shown that flicker creates reading errors from rapid eye movement changes under sources flickering at under 200Hz – NCBI The effects of flicker on eye movement control, Energy Focus Presentation ‘Lighting Flicker: Effects of Flicker in the Classroom’, including roadway effects – Lux ‘Street light flicker is a new hazard, says watchdog’, CBC – ‘Calgary seizure sufferer worries flickering LED street light will break down again‘.

I will not go into a great deal of detail here on the effects of flicker on human health or the environment. There are hundreds of articles on this topic, by experts in human (more…)

I’ve posted this sort of content before and will do so again. This is the sort of thing I cobble together from found objects, spare parts, experiments in fabrication, and other brain re-setting exercises.

My center all touch-stone and tribute to the mechanical arts that compete at the Bonneville Salt Flats every year.

(more…)

I have several fresh and brewing ideas about office lighting, putting new technology to work to make sitting in our little prisons more enjoyable and healthful. To put these ideas in context, and to consider real-world application nuance and detail, I’m collecting images of actual office spaces from anyone will to share.  I don’t need great pictures, just a quick snap with a phone that shows as much of the space as possible, perhaps with the lighting visible.

My office also houses the 3D printers. They need the clean/warm space to work best, and I like having them close.

If you have a moment, include any comment you might have about what you hate about the space, and the lighting, and perhaps what you like most? The spaces don’t have to be all cleaned up and tidy, in fact, the mess tells me as much as the arrangement.

I promise the images will go no further than a folder on my hard drive for reference in creating illustrations of model spaces within which I will be laying out alternative approaches and lighting products that might be applied.

You can do this all in less than a minute with a smart phone by sending me a an image to 414-241-5124, or kwillmorth@lumeniuque.com. I’ll send you a look in the future to what came from the effort, giving anyone who participates an inside peak of what I came up with and why.

Thanks in advance to all that participate!

We’ve been working for several months on an LED Color Viewer that is easy to use, affordable and portable for use in the office and for taking it to client offices. Well, we’ve finished it at last.

The viewer contains 5 Cree CXB COB LEDs in 2700K, 3000K, 3500K, 4000K, and 5000K, each rated at 90CRI, that are selected with a simple selector switch. The viewer also includes a dimmer, so you can see the effect of light level on color. A rocker switch allows the light to be turned on and off without disturbing selector/dim settings. The viewer is easily folded up for storage and transport in an included carry case, which is padded, and includes room for the cord, as well as a pocket for taking along various color cards. It’s a perfect companion for the samples room, as well as viewing print media by graphic designers, and study by lighting designers when making presentations to customers.

(more…)