DIY Fluorescent Lighting

[Cool Lights]

So, in another thread someone mentioned that they might like to see what others have done in building their own lights. My name is Richard Andrewski and I've done quite a bit in this area and you can see an excerpt at

http://www.coollights.biz/My_Homepage_Files/Page11.html?osCsid=212939dc998c5db2437aa4b0d711ade2

But also, here are some photos of fixtures I have built in the last year. Hope others will post their photos and tell us about ideas they have and what they have learned and would do differently. So here goes:

I started here with this 330 watt monster. Really overpowering and don't use it that much except for backlighting of green screen work. A softlite hood attachment was also built as an alternative to a softbox.

 

[Cool Lights]

126w softlite

126w softlite

Then there was this one. Draws 126w. Also has a softlite hood attachment that can be removed and a barndoor attachment that can be used directly on the fixture or the softlite hood. I built 5 of these and 3 of them have dimmers. Dimmable technology in fluorescent is very expensive though and I don't recommend it unless you really need to be able to dim and can't just use the poorman's method of switching on and off ballasts and bulbs. You can see the dimmer on the one on the right -- its a small box on the front of the fixture. Allows dimming from 10% to 100%. That's abt as good as it gets in fluorescent using the better of the two available dimming technologies.

 

[Cool Lights]

110watt fixture.

110watt fixture.

I use this one quite a bit more than the 330w. Just a smaller brother really that uses the same parts but less of them. By the way, I mostly use 3500K bulbs which are quite a bit cheaper and don't see a problem with them. If you must have other color temps you will pay double what I pay for these 3500's or 5000's.

 

[Cool Lights]

Halogen Conversion

Halogen Conversion

Then we have this which really started out kind of as a joke but turned out to be a really serious tool. I ended up using this light mostly in the production of my video. I never would have thought that a 30w fixture would be enough lite but I can tell you that it is when you start to relearn how to light a scene with fluorescent. This is obviously the cast aluminum fixture from a halogen work light that was "gutted" and a E26 medium base socket was added along with my idea for barn doors. I have 8 of these -- some in fixed positions and most of them on stands. They are a great utility light and I call it the "Low Key" (excuse the pun).

 

[Cool Lights]

The overcomplicated softbox fixture...

The overcomplicated softbox fixture...

I had several tries at making something that would go in a softbox hood and this was the first generation. Quite a nightmare to work on so I scrapped it eventually. When your on the road to trying to invent things you will have a miss or two...

 

[Cool Lights]

softbox: still not quite what i wanted yet

softbox: still not quite what i wanted yet

This was easier to work on but as you will see in the next version coming up, this one here was still too complicated for various reasons. The fixture is just too big with this kind of bulb and having to have ballasts too. But, it does put out a lot of light. 7 bulbs x 42 w each is a draw of 294 watts (and those are 3500K bulbs also). So our equivalent output is around 1200w. Just try to find a softbox hood that would function with 1200watts! Very hard to find and very expensive. In this case, that hood was rated for 500w so my actual draw of 300 was still way under the rating. Sorry for lack of color balance in the photo showing the back of the unit with switches!

 

[Cool Lights]

softbox: the simplest version

softbox: the simplest version

This one is great. Simple fixture. Self-ballasted CFL bulb at 200w. The simple, inexpensive hood from Ebay. Can't get much easier to put together.

 

[HorseFilms]

Those are some damn nice fixtures. Well done! :beer:

 

[Chris Stearns]

Very nice. I'm inspired by all of these.

 

[Yardsale]

wow incredible!

 

[TeamJoeDawn]

Great work, Miracom.. and nice website.

Can you give more details on that final light, the multi-CFL ? Seems like a workhorse.

J

 

[Cool Lights]

Great work, Miracom.. and nice website.

Can you give more details on that final light, the multi-CFL ? Seems like a workhorse.

J

Workhorse? Depends on what you're doing. When I started I really thought I would need lots of light so I started with the big fixtures and these really big bulbs. What I found though is that I really didn't need that much lite for "how-to" video production. And anyway I like a more subtle light effect. I was amazed at how the 30w unit became my real workhorse. Usually one or two in fixed position on the ceiling and one or two on a stand.

I used them everywhere! With the intelligent use of the iris, several of these can be enough to lite a scene, even more contributing to the lower temperature and working comfort of the shooting area. Of course, with the fall-off they can only be used in scenes (like interviews and they are super for that too) where they can be relatively close to the subject. And the barndoors were really great to have to. You have to have barndoors on fluorescent fixtures or it's really frustrating.

But back to your question. These larger bulbs are becoming more and more commonly available now. You can get them in all sizes from around 85 watts on up to 300 watts and this one is known as an "8U". Why? Because it has 8 "U" shaped tubes on its ballast base. The fixture is non-dimmable as are most of these type of CFLs. Of course, there are the spiral types too which come in many different sizes and wattages. And some variations on the two also.

That particular bulb is made by a company called Maxlite. It is a 200w and only comes in 2700K, 5000K and 6400K. I got the 5000K ones. I am just about to finalize a deal where I will be selling these 200w (perhaps even 300w ones) on my site in 3200K and later in 5500K. Right now the 5000/5500K are more commonly available so I thought I would specially make the 3200's just to differentiate my offerings.

When I discovered the bulbs, I crafted a fixture that I can use with a softbox hood or with a chinese lantern. The one in the picture is the first generation fixture and it used an empty quart paint can. Has a switch on the back. Very simple mounting yoke. Has a mogul base mounted in it which is what these larger 8U bulbs use (as opposed to the "medium e26" base that a lot of the spirals use. I'm generalizing here. You can find all the variations you want in base and size.

The next generation fixture I have coming up is much better and very simple too. Made from sheet metal. I really think this may be a very popular option for people as softbox hoods are readily available as are chinese lanterns--both very inexpensive diffusion and easy to use. And there really isn't much in the way of suitable mounting fixtures for these bulbs right now.

By the way, the larger the lantern the higher its watt rating so it's probably not a good idea to use any of them smaller than 24" ones and I only like the nylon ones myself. They are only moderately higher in price and worth it in my opinion.

So what are other people's experiences with trying to build fluorescent lights?

 

[Cool Lights]

Very nice. I'm inspired by all of these.

Well, I've really discovered that if you are going to make your own tools they better be inspiring or you won't want to use them that often. So put some thought into your stuff before you do them so they'll not only be functional but will add to the overall aesthetics of the work area. This is something that is subliminal and many would say it doesn't matter but I don't agree!

The way a tool looks is more important than many want to admit. What's happening behind the camera and how inspiring the work environment is can be just as important as what is happening in front of the camera. What if your environment is so hot from working with normal lights for instance that you don't feel like working or dread it? Anyone had that experience in the middle of the summer even in a well-airconditioned environment (I did and it's one reason I switched)? Many of us are working in smaller environments and the heat can affect that much more readily I think.

And what if your tools look too homemade? How might that be affecting you and your level of inspiration while you are working?

Besides, if you are working with clients you also want to project a professional image too. Perception is reality--especially in the business of media creation.

I guess my philosophy is that my level of satisfaction with my environment and tools affects my level of inspiration and also my enjoyment of working. The lights here are just one portion of that environment but I found that they were one of the most important to me. Really even more than the camera on many days. I realized it by accident while I was working with them on a day-to-day basis while adjusting them or positioning them how satisfied I was with what I had and how it was performing for me and how much easier it was to get the look I wanted too. I then found myself working more and more, later and later and not feeling quite as tired because I wasn't being fatigued by stuff that didn't work like I wanted it to.

And doesn't whether we enjoy our work pretty much come out one way or another in the finished product?

 

[TeamJoeDawn]

I think the lights sound great.. I think Im going to try my hand at modifying a work light to make one of those 30 watt units, although I may try to ditch the safety yellow for a more professional black.

Good work!

J

 

[Pro Gressive]

Good Stuff, you have inspired me as well to build some of these lights by modifying the work lights as well I dont know that there are many people on this Forum making there own lights. There was a guy awhile ago doing tests and making his own casings welding them out of some shiny checker board or something. There was footage being posted of him standing on them etc. He was eventually going to sell them, what ever happened to him???

 

[vidled]

There was a guy awhile ago doing tests and making his own casings welding them out of some shiny checker board or something. There was footage being posted of him standing on them etc. He was eventually going to sell them, what ever happened to him???

He went to Haiti - loved it - I think he stayed.


Nah, he's still here, look for MattinSTL. You might find him over in the AUDIO forum.

 

[MattinSTL]

I sold about 35 of those lights... but I'm taking a break because of all the flo hoo-hah right now. I just want to see what people come up with before I commit to another batch...

 

[Cool Lights]

I sold about 35 of those lights... but I'm taking a break because of all the flo hoo-hah right now. I just want to see what people come up with before I commit to another batch...

Well, don't be shy! Show us. That's why I started this thread. I want to see what everyone is doing...

 

[Cool Lights]

I think the lights sound great.. I think Im going to try my hand at modifying a work light to make one of those 30 watt units, although I may try to ditch the safety yellow for a more professional black.

Good work!

J

You're absolutely right! I only kept on using those stands because I didn't want to waste them. But powder coating might be an option to get a good tough finish. Don't just paint them. Paint scratches off way too easily...

Also, I will soon be selling these stands on my site in black which I can tell you is very hard to find.

 

[Cool Lights]

New stuff I just got...

New stuff I just got...

As I was saying, I'll have some stands in black soon. Also, I am trying to get some larger cast aluminum boxes like the halogen work light ones but larger. The photos here show these items.

This sample fixture seems to be close to what I'm looking for--a couple of small problems that need to be fixed first. I just ordered a 65w spiral light which should also work in this box, but probably just barely.

If you look hard enough on the closeup photo, you can see that I posed a 12" ruler on the face of the light--to give scale. The box is about 15" long x 8" wide but not all of that is usable because of the way the medium base is mounted in it. A bit of wasted space underneath the reflector.

Also, I think I'll lose the glass faceplate. Not necessary. Only will serve to shorten the life of the bulb I think. I should be able to sell these fixtures pretty reasonably once I get the deal finalized. I'm waiting because I have some more samples coming in soon from another source and want to look at those first. Some even larger ones in that batch that may be good for the 150/200w/250w/300w bulbs. I should also have my 250w and 300w separate ballast lights coming in soon too and will post results on that when I get them. Those will be interesting because the cost of replacement will be less than with the current self-ballasted models. Maybe not an issue for most folks--what do you think?

Before I sell this, got to make barn door kits for these larger boxes too. Won't do to not have barndoors on something this large.