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Old 09-26-12, 12:22 PM   #1
AC_Hacker
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Default Adventures in Chinese Lighting...

I have been trying to find some proper lighting for my Mini-Loo, and have looked through several candidates. Since the Mini-Loo is very mini, standard lighting choices don't seem to work very well in a tiny space that is, at the same time, a toilet, lavatory and shower...

My first candidate was a quartz light can that I got a Lowes. It mounts flush in the ceiling, and has a 50 watt quartz bulb. The color was great but the intensity was way too powerful. Also, it's not really water-proof and the 120 volts made me queezy, as the Mini-Loo also functions as a shower.

Next, I turned my attention to water-proof lighting, and haunted the boating accessories stores, but the selection was pretty limited and the prices were decidedly un-EcoRenovatorial.

So I started thinking along the lines of LED lighting... water-proof would be best, but at 12 volts, a wet light fixture would not be life threatening.

I did find a down-light at Lowes that was flush mount, LED, too big, and over $60... again, decidedly un-EcoRenovatorial.

So I started looking through the wild jungle of Chinese LED Lighting where I found 549,921 active listings... Surely there would be something to choose from here!

(* to be continued... *)

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Old 09-26-12, 10:00 PM   #2
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get a string of LED christmas tree lights, in door or out door lights and cut them to 1/10 as long for 12v, $5 later you have lights.
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Old 09-27-12, 04:30 AM   #3
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High Power Waterproof 10W White LED Flood Light Lamp 800 - 900LM 12V | eBay

This is my purchase - 10w spot light for exterior, and can be operated safely using 9m of .75mm twin and earth.
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Old 09-27-12, 04:35 AM   #4
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I did this to it and have been running it indoors for months - excellent light.
- gets as hot as a cup of coffee - no danger
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Old 09-27-12, 04:36 AM   #5
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not pic1 - kitchen light is a 12w flood - picture 3 is the light
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Old 09-27-12, 10:48 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by classradiance View Post
I did this to it and have been running it indoors for months - excellent light - gets as hot as a cup of coffee - no danger
This is a pretty nice light... I may get one to try out.

Just in case it wasn't stated very well, the lighting will go inside a shower (the whole tiny bathroom is a shower) and will have to survive high humidity and probably direct water spray.

Also, the space is tiled and very small (32" X 49").

One problem I'm having is shadows... In a larger space, shadows are relatively small, but in this tiny Mini-Loo, shadows loom very large. I have a tiled niche which will have a hinged mirror for shaving, etc. and somehow I'll need to light that area suitably, too... and there needs to be some kind of water proof switch which will not jeopardize my remaining life. I'm considering maybe IR sensors and also maybe capacitive switching built into the mirror or water faucet itself... touch the mirror or maybe the sink faucet handle and the lights will go on & off.

If I had it to do all over again, I'd probably have gone for a translucent ceiling with a ka-jillion LEDs above it. But alas, I'm pretty much committed to putting the lights inside the shower space.

There's just so much to consider here...
  • color temperature
  • wattage
  • voltage
  • wet-proof
  • contrast
  • switching

Interesting problems, for sure.

Best,

-AC
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Old 09-27-12, 11:19 AM   #7
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Default 3-Watt Down Light...

One of the first lights I tried out was this 3-watt down light. It comes with a 120 VAC in, 12 volt DC regulated current out power supply. There is a finned aluminum heat sink on the back side that barely gets warm to the touch.


It has some kind of plastic lens structure in front of the LEDs and it has a spot / flood dispersal characteristic.

It is "warm white" which means that they put tiny yellow filters in front of the LEDs. The light is of a slightly yellowish cast, but not enough by itself to sabotage the light as a candidate. The directed 3-watts is actually a lot of light, plenty for reading, etc. In the tiny space I have to work with, I can't figure any way to work with this light to make it useful for shaving, etc.

It would require a hole of about 3 inches to be drilled in the ceiling, the blue spring-loaded "ears" shown in the photo are folded back and the light is inserted through the hole, and the "ears" hold the light firmly in place.

The light will swivel along one axis, so it can be pointed, but to a limited degree.

The swivel feature is nice, but it opens up the possibility of allowing intrusion of water spray.

I temporarily affixed the light to the ceiling and tried it out for awhile... it's a pretty nice light, but it would need additional lighting as it's beam does not fill the entire mini-loo area.

Still a contender...

Best,

-AC
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Old 09-27-12, 12:26 PM   #8
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I agree . . Looks nice.
I would use anyway if me as Low Power LED's are top of the list at the moment.

The auto trade is pushing it hard, as the lights are kewl looking for the Lads to add to any motor, without problem. WKD
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Old 09-27-12, 05:11 PM   #9
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You could use any light you like behind a sauna light fixture And put the switch outside the door. I believe that (here in MA at least) bathrooms under a certain size have to have the switch outside the door.
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Old 09-28-12, 03:20 AM   #10
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Default not just any lights !!

Quote:
Originally Posted by S-F View Post
You could use any light you like behind a sauna light fixture And put the switch outside the door. I believe that (here in MA at least) bathrooms under a certain size have to have the switch outside the door.
Hi S-f, I looked at your link and was very impressed.
Do you have Normal Lighting inside your Property, or are you planning to make the lights an off grid project also. I know nothing about the heating side of it.


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