atch
Well-known member
If I put three 3,000 lumen LED lights inside my blast cabinet does that total 9,000 lumens or something less?
school me on lumens
- Thread starter atch
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Don1357
Well-known member
It means put one and see if you can read the small print on a can of spray paint. If you can't, add another one. If you still can't, add the third one.
Neither.
It doesn't really work that way. Adding them together doesn't mean anything or offer you any more information that's useful.
All you would have is 3 x 3000 lumen lights.
Stated in layman's terms, lumens is simply the measure of how much light a source is producing. It's nothing more.
Knowing how many lumens you have isn't really very useful information except for comparing light bulb A to light bulb B. Back when we referred to light bulbs by how many watts they used, you knew that a 100w light bulb was brighter than a 40w light bulb. Today, you know that a 1500 lumen bulb is brighter than a 400 lumen light bulb. Adding all your light bulb's lumens together doesn't really tell you anything.
CD
Ok; thanx.
I'm only going to jump through these hoops once. I'm not going to muck with this thing twice or three times. I'll just put three in and see what happens.
All I've got to lose is some ca$h but it won't take much more time to put 3 in that it would to put in 1.
Note: there's room for 3 24" LED lights but I don't think I could get a 4th one in there. One between the glass and the gloves and 2 at the top of the cabinet.
I'm doubtful that the one between the gloves and glass will help much in that the gloves will probably block most of that light from hitting the project piece. However, that light might bounce around (reflect) inside the cabinet and still be useful.
Don1357
Well-known member
The thing about light is this: nobody knows how much light you in particular need. All the lumens and luxes and wattses and any other calculation won't help much because the calculators have no idea how strong your eyes are.
So the basic answer is more is better. Why? because light propagates based on the inverse square law (which also happens to be how we know we live in a three dimensional space but don't worry about that). What that really means is that in order to double the amount of light, you have to quadruple the source: for example to double the amount of light a 100 watt bulbs puts out, you need 400 watts. It is actually hard to overdo it.
When you double the amount of light power, it doesn't even come close to doubling the amount of light. Tripping? Still not close. So go ahead and start with 3. It should be enough. And to test it, reach for the can of spray paint and start reading. I will tell you more than any light calculator ever will.
alfazer
Well-known member
Try a lumen to lux calculator like this.https://www.airfal.com/en/technical-lighting-news/lumen-to-lux-to-candela-15826/
It lets you enter your lumens and also how far away the light is from the surface and the area you need to light. So say for general workshop lux levels you want 600. For fine work, reading small print you might want 700 or more. Depends on your eyes, but I do find that as I get older, 50+, I need better light for reading.
Using the calculator you will see that x3 the lumens doesn't give you x3 the lux.
It lets you enter your lumens and also how far away the light is from the surface and the area you need to light. So say for general workshop lux levels you want 600. For fine work, reading small print you might want 700 or more. Depends on your eyes, but I do find that as I get older, 50+, I need better light for reading.
Using the calculator you will see that x3 the lumens doesn't give you x3 the lux.
nadogail
Well-known member
Lumens are a measure of the light produced and taken at the source.
Foot Candles are a measure of the light taken where it falls.
That is as I understand it, I maybe mistaken.
Foot Candles are a measure of the light taken where it falls.
That is as I understand it, I maybe mistaken.
TRWham
Well-known member
In my experience, I’m not sure it matters much in a blast cabinet. You can’t see anyway with all the dust.
Dagny
Well-known member
and the scratched window.
mark-NJ
Well-known member
That's exactly right. The light source is measured in lumens. The fixture in which it's located aims & broadcasts that light towards the work surface. Light level at the work surface (Foot candles) is the far more important data. The brightest light doesn't help you at all if it's not aimed where you want it.
Don1357
Well-known member
People don't get that with our eyes being better or worse, a calculator doesn't really tell you how much light will work best for you. Is like asking for a salt calculator for a steak and then looking at you perplexed when you suggest that they need to taste to see how much is right for them.