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Building an artificial sun that looks realistic [video]

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Re: Building an artificial sun that looks realistic [video]

#51
post #26
post #14

If you're too lazy to build something like this out but like the idea I highly recommend bright LED lighting for the day (explained here: https://www.benkuhn.net/lux/ ). I bought two ~7000 lumens LED corn bulbs and have noticed a huge shift in energy levels from having a brightly-lit room in dark PNW days. I put together a bunch of resources when I was researching buying some here: https://www.notion.so/vimota/LED-Wo…

I actually purchased the 35,000 lumen corn bulb mentioned in the post you linked to. It's actually really big and awkward to place and has kind of a loud fan. Currently I have it propped in a corner since it's too heavy to be held by anything that I have to support it. But it will light up a bedroom just as much as a window of sun will. It doesn't look entirely like sunlight, but for the price, it does an adequate jo…

So I'm a little bit confused, the linked 250W corn bulb does indeed claim 35,000 lumens: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W5DGBJZ/ref=as_li_ss_tl

But when I look at similar 250W corn bulbs on the Home Depot site they only claim 7,384 lumens: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Halco-Lighting-Technologies-250-...

How is that Amazon bulb producing 5X the lumens?

EDIT: To answer my own question, it's because the Amazon bulb actually uses 250W while the Home Depot product listings are "250W equivalent" and only use ~50W. Hence the 5X difference in light output.

Re: Building an artificial sun that looks realistic [video]

#52
post #31

Leds aren’t a good source of full spectrum light. Metal hallide bulbs are the way to go. 250-400 ways worth has a fantastic warm glow. Bonus points you can grow stuff under them really well

I'm looking for a warm glow for my dining room.

Wdym with "250-400 ways" is that a brand?

Re: Building an artificial sun that looks realistic [video]

#53
post #52
post #31

Leds aren’t a good source of full spectrum light. Metal hallide bulbs are the way to go. 250-400 ways worth has a fantastic warm glow. Bonus points you can grow stuff under them really well

I'm looking for a warm glow for my dining room. Wdym with "250-400 ways" is that a brand?

autocorrect fail: it's "watts"; 250W & 400W are two common size for metal halide lamps.

Unfortunately they are full of mercury and can explode at end of life.

Re: Building an artificial sun that looks realistic [video]

#54

If you have access to a broken LED TV or monitor, or in some cases CFC, you can just buy these. Search for "led panel light", and you can find them in all sorts of sizes. I was looking at building one last winter, but on CraigsList people tend to overestimate the worth of a TV with a broken screen. "Awesome 4K TV, paid $1200 3 months ago, just need to replace broken screen, $250." You gotta talk them out of that with…

He has a video of that project as well. It's not as good as this version but can look very nice.

https://youtu.be/8JrqH2oOTK4

Re: Building an artificial sun that looks realistic [video]

#55
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I looked into it for a client's commercial building. $40k each for parts only.

I had a room in an apartment that had no sunlight, and was lusting after CoeLux after it launched. Almost goes without saying, but the first to manufacture an affordable solution at scale would make a ludicrous amount of money, especially with much of the world in lockdown. Low dose UV light would also be a good addition.

Low dose UV light would also be a good addition.

I'd also like a bit of optional IR so you get a tiny bit of that toasty sun feeling if you want it.

Re: Building an artificial sun that looks realistic [video]

#56
post #2

In a sci-fi future where people are making long journeys on spaceships I can imagine rooms decked out with these to mimic a natural day/night cycle and outdoor spaces. I remember first seeing lights like these a couple years back before from CoeLux ( https://www.coelux.com ), iirc theirs are very expensive though. Awesome that this guy managed to DIY one!

[deleted]

Re: Building an artificial sun that looks realistic [video]

#57
post #2

In a sci-fi future where people are making long journeys on spaceships I can imagine rooms decked out with these to mimic a natural day/night cycle and outdoor spaces. I remember first seeing lights like these a couple years back before from CoeLux ( https://www.coelux.com ), iirc theirs are very expensive though. Awesome that this guy managed to DIY one!

Riding the coattails of your comment to ask the hive mind: any reason I shouldn't try to build the simpler version from the tutorial using a more powerful (100W) LED from Amazon?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T8RDF8F

Might not be as awesome as a $60k CoeLux, but for 1000x less cost, maybe it's worth a shot?

(Edit: come to think of it, with an 8x10 fresnel lens, it might be way too bright for the size.)

Re: Building an artificial sun that looks realistic [video]

#58
This is an important problem that doesn't get the attention it should.

Quality high density, and dense time based living is the way forward for the poor to the rich. Be it sleeping downtown in NY city to working suburbs in Hong Kong. Good for efficiency and this is good for mental health.

This is AR that matters. It's nice work.

Re: Building an artificial sun that looks realistic [video]

#60
post #30
post #2

In a sci-fi future where people are making long journeys on spaceships I can imagine rooms decked out with these to mimic a natural day/night cycle and outdoor spaces. I remember first seeing lights like these a couple years back before from CoeLux ( https://www.coelux.com ), iirc theirs are very expensive though. Awesome that this guy managed to DIY one!

Especially if they emit the UVB light we need for Vit D production

I thought the official advice was to get supplemental vitamin d through oral supplements, rather than through artificial UV lamps?

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/how-to-get-vitamin...

>Using sunbeds isn't a recommended way of making vitamin D.

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