LED replacement for a Fluorescent Tube
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Hey folks, I have a problem. Designer for the next show has a T-grid ceiling with six 2x4 fluorescent fixtures in it. Director wants to be able to do artistic fades and as we all know, Fluoros simply won't wont do that. Then I got to thinking, " Hey Somebody has to make an LED replacement..." Sure enough I found this website T8 LED Fluorescent Tube, LED Tube, Fluorescent Replacement, LED Replacement Tube, EarthLED DirectLED FL Series, LED Fluorescent Tubes, F32T8 LED, U-Bent LED, U Tube LED
I decided I should come back here and see if anyone has used these and I find this thread. Here's the deal though. Has anyone used an LED replacement tube like this in a theatrical setting ? Can they dim ? if so, at what level do they cut out? I'd love any input y'all have. At present the Director want to cut the fluoros and substitute recessed cans but there are no tiles in any of the grid. I'm sort of counting on the 2x4 light boxes to give the ceiling some rigidity, if they cut them I'm afraid there will be no way to hold the ceiling square. Thoughts ?
Hey folks, I have a problem. Designer for the next show has a T-grid ceiling with six 2x4 fluorescent fixtures in it. Director wants to be able to do artistic fades and as we all know, Fluoros simply won't wont do that. Then I got to thinking, " Hey Somebody has to make an LED replacement..." Sure enough I found this website T8 LED Fluorescent Tube, LED Tube, Fluorescent Replacement, LED Replacement Tube, EarthLED DirectLED FL Series, LED Fluorescent Tubes, F32T8 LED, U-Bent LED, U Tube LED
I decided I should come back here and see if anyone has used these and I find this thread. Here's the deal though. Has anyone used an LED replacement tube like this in a theatrical setting ? Can they dim ? if so, at what level do they cut out? I'd love any input y'all have. At present the Director want to cut the fluoros and substitute recessed cans but there are no tiles in any of the grid. I'm sort of counting on the 2x4 light boxes to give the ceiling some rigidity, if they cut them I'm afraid there will be no way to hold the ceiling square. Thoughts ?
Les
Well-Known Member
If all else fails, would it be possible to remove the troffer, add a 2'x4' aluminum angle stock frame, lay the prismatic fluoro lens inside and toplight it with a color corrected ellipsoidal?
Edit: I just saw that you stated that there are no tiles in the grid. This leads me to believe that any toplight would be clearly seen by the audience, thus not preferred. I don't know if there are any LED retrofits that can dim, but I'm still thinking along the lines of some type of incandescent light box that looks fluorescent.
Edit: I just saw that you stated that there are no tiles in the grid. This leads me to believe that any toplight would be clearly seen by the audience, thus not preferred. I don't know if there are any LED retrofits that can dim, but I'm still thinking along the lines of some type of incandescent light box that looks fluorescent.
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Floros dim see Encapsulite as a company. More familar with their older T-12 lamps with magnetic ballasts but they switched to T-8 and probably electronic ballast by now I think in still dimmable. They are not using other than standard ballasts or lamps. See also Leviton and Lutron I think on a line of flourescent dimmers and or fixtures designed for dimming. Most flourescent fixtures can be dimmed - got to start them up of course such as with a neon tube also dimmable though back in those days it was analogue Cypress Creek dimers doing so.
Electronic ballasts might not dim as well with a Sensor rack but for a show that's a R&D thing amongst brands. Could become an electronic ballast with electronic dimmer thing getting in the way in how much one can dim.
Last McCartney tour I did some R&D as to which brand of T-8 dual tube 48" fixture would best work with a sensor rack in both dimming and if one watches the video's - turning on and off constantly. Cleared out every Menards store in the Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconson area for all of their fixtures and had to ship in more. Forget exact number but - like around 480 dual tube fixtures or more required = obviously within a week as normal. Menards stopped selling that brand since which causes problems in replacement ballasts for that brand for further legs of the tour. But again, it's the R&D in finding the one that works best within a sampling. Yea... the tour killed off a lot of lamps and ballasts in doing so but it was spectacular and imagine for people in my department going to the four winds in pre-plotting out every Menards and Home Depot location in our area within a day's travel so as to start the last minute project. (The Home Depot version was second best and only got decided on not good after most of us left.) I got five, I got 12.... became a constant cell phone call to home base competition in some of us crossing over our literally thumb tack location zones on the map as drawn out in getting there before the next person. Literally have a map with zones drawn on it for the four winds with thumb tack holes as to each Menards location.
Dimmable - yes but have to R&D it.
Electronic ballasts might not dim as well with a Sensor rack but for a show that's a R&D thing amongst brands. Could become an electronic ballast with electronic dimmer thing getting in the way in how much one can dim.
Last McCartney tour I did some R&D as to which brand of T-8 dual tube 48" fixture would best work with a sensor rack in both dimming and if one watches the video's - turning on and off constantly. Cleared out every Menards store in the Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconson area for all of their fixtures and had to ship in more. Forget exact number but - like around 480 dual tube fixtures or more required = obviously within a week as normal. Menards stopped selling that brand since which causes problems in replacement ballasts for that brand for further legs of the tour. But again, it's the R&D in finding the one that works best within a sampling. Yea... the tour killed off a lot of lamps and ballasts in doing so but it was spectacular and imagine for people in my department going to the four winds in pre-plotting out every Menards and Home Depot location in our area within a day's travel so as to start the last minute project. (The Home Depot version was second best and only got decided on not good after most of us left.) I got five, I got 12.... became a constant cell phone call to home base competition in some of us crossing over our literally thumb tack location zones on the map as drawn out in getting there before the next person. Literally have a map with zones drawn on it for the four winds with thumb tack holes as to each Menards location.
Dimmable - yes but have to R&D it.
On the LED tubes.
Front office had at one point play tested one, I also am using one from another source. Cost per lamp I have serious problems with as advertised. The one I bought was like $48.00 and I don't think dimmable as comperable to the ones the front office guys evaluated. Color temperature was and remains good almost a year later as with luminous output. One thing I question is CRI (Color Rendering Index). Don't know it for any tested or in use - not bad light for shop table work light, but in a huge building this will become a large factor.
For those of us that grew up in the 60's thru 80's, remember how sickly we all looked in school, would hate to see a cheaper LED light bring us back to that CRI. (LED's have taken on a more scientific scale that I forget the name to but often they still list their own reference on the CRI scale.) If at this point for a flourescent lamp, I wouldn't accept anything under say a 90 for CRI, why would I regress?
LED Flouro lamps also have a limited beam angle - it's a line of them not the entire globe making light. Say 120 degree. Often fine if high bay for lighting or if properly spaced, but if expecting 360 degrees of light and such lamps were spaced properly for that say even 180 degrees of useful light out of them... hope it works as otherwise it won't work unless you add more fixtures.
Color temperature is easy to trick - I use 50K lamps in my own shop and even garage. Like it more than 65K. Higher in color temperature isn't more light - it's just brighter. If comparing a higher color temperature LED source to one of a lower color temperature flourescent source - especially if old... not really a good way to compare.
LED flourescents can work and in the long run are more cost effective but for the above... I would question a bit about their use and usefulness.
Front office had at one point play tested one, I also am using one from another source. Cost per lamp I have serious problems with as advertised. The one I bought was like $48.00 and I don't think dimmable as comperable to the ones the front office guys evaluated. Color temperature was and remains good almost a year later as with luminous output. One thing I question is CRI (Color Rendering Index). Don't know it for any tested or in use - not bad light for shop table work light, but in a huge building this will become a large factor.
For those of us that grew up in the 60's thru 80's, remember how sickly we all looked in school, would hate to see a cheaper LED light bring us back to that CRI. (LED's have taken on a more scientific scale that I forget the name to but often they still list their own reference on the CRI scale.) If at this point for a flourescent lamp, I wouldn't accept anything under say a 90 for CRI, why would I regress?
LED Flouro lamps also have a limited beam angle - it's a line of them not the entire globe making light. Say 120 degree. Often fine if high bay for lighting or if properly spaced, but if expecting 360 degrees of light and such lamps were spaced properly for that say even 180 degrees of useful light out of them... hope it works as otherwise it won't work unless you add more fixtures.
Color temperature is easy to trick - I use 50K lamps in my own shop and even garage. Like it more than 65K. Higher in color temperature isn't more light - it's just brighter. If comparing a higher color temperature LED source to one of a lower color temperature flourescent source - especially if old... not really a good way to compare.
LED flourescents can work and in the long run are more cost effective but for the above... I would question a bit about their use and usefulness.
