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Lighting Styles has sold illuminated shaving and vanity mirrors for a number of years and one common question is the availability of battery operated mirrors. So why would a battery operated shaving mirror be required? Ease of installation means a battery illuminated mirror can just be screwed to the wall and switched on. No electrician is required and any existing decoration and wall tiles are not disturbed by the need to channel out the wall to provide and electrical supply.
However the high energy usage of halogen and fluorescent lamps made them impractical to operate on batteries – the batteries simply would not operate the lamps for a long enough period of time or would give insufficient light to make them worthwhile. Once high output LED lamps became available their energy efficient use of electricity and their requirement for a low voltage DC supply made them ideal for use on batteries.
So with new technology providing a low energy light source Lighting Styles went through a design exercise to make the most practical and stylish design for a mirror that would use the LED light source. The first requirement was to have a mirror that gave a magnified image. Popular levels of magnification for use in vanity and shaving mirrors are 3x and 5 x magnification. This level of magnification makes it easier to apply make-up with accuracy and enable a close shave that doesn’t miss hairs in more awkward places.
Also in the design process was the requirement for the mirror to be flexible enough for use by all member of the family. So the design was based around a vertical rail that allows the height of the mirror to be raised or lowered to suit users of different height. Other practical design requirements include the ability to bring the mirror closer to the user and make it easy to fold away so an arm is used that brings the mirror 150mm forward for close-up work. Next to suit all bathroom layouts the design incorporated a ball joint that allowed the mirror to tilt and rotate so that the user can see a clear image when using the battery operated mirror.
With the design aesthetics of the battery shaving mirror in place the practicalities of providing the best light source was considered. Behind the magnified glass is a printed circuit board with 36 “T” type LED chips that emit light to the side where a opaque plastic ring surrounding the mirror catches the light an illuminates the face. Another practical requirement for a battery operated shaving mirror is ensuring long battery life and consideration was given to how this would be achieved. After careful trials Lighting styles discovered that incorporating an automatic timer into the on switch would be a good and reliable way of ensuring the mirror was not left on after use. Many of us are in a rush in the morning so it would be a mistake to make a battery operated mirror that does not automatically switch itself off! This function saves the batteries and ensures long time between battery replacements. Lastly a few other improvements were made including a soft push button that switches the lights on and allows for three levels of brightness.
Now you can have a stylish battery operated mirror in your bathroom that is made from sturdy steel with a polished chrome finish with a glass mirror illuminated by LED lights.
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LED Designer Lighting
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Battery Operated Magnified Mirrors – a quick and easy solution.
David Styles - 28 October 2011 - Energy Saving, LED Designer Lighting
Lighting Styles has sold illuminated shaving and vanity mirrors for a number of years and one common question is the availability of battery operated mirrors. So why would a battery operated shaving mirror be required? Ease of installation means a battery illuminated mirror can just be screwed to the wall and switched on. No electrician is required and any existing decoration and wall tiles are not disturbed by the need to channel out the wall to provide and electrical supply.
However the high energy usage of halogen and fluorescent lamps made them impractical to operate on batteries – the batteries simply would not operate the lamps for a long enough period of time or would give insufficient light to make them worthwhile. Once high output LED lamps became available their energy efficient use of electricity and their requirement for a low voltage DC supply made them ideal for use on batteries.
So with new technology providing a low energy light source Lighting Styles went through a design exercise to make the most practical and stylish design for a mirror that would use the LED light source. The first requirement was to have a mirror that gave a magnified image. Popular levels of magnification for use in vanity and shaving mirrors are 3x and 5 x magnification. This level of magnification makes it easier to apply make-up with accuracy and enable a close shave that doesn’t miss hairs in more awkward places.
Also in the design process was the requirement for the mirror to be flexible enough for use by all member of the family. So the design was based around a vertical rail that allows the height of the mirror to be raised or lowered to suit users of different height. Other practical design requirements include the ability to bring the mirror closer to the user and make it easy to fold away so an arm is used that brings the mirror 150mm forward for close-up work. Next to suit all bathroom layouts the design incorporated a ball joint that allowed the mirror to tilt and rotate so that the user can see a clear image when using the battery operated mirror.
With the design aesthetics of the battery shaving mirror in place the practicalities of providing the best light source was considered. Behind the magnified glass is a printed circuit board with 36 “T” type LED chips that emit light to the side where a opaque plastic ring surrounding the mirror catches the light an illuminates the face. Another practical requirement for a battery operated shaving mirror is ensuring long battery life and consideration was given to how this would be achieved. After careful trials Lighting styles discovered that incorporating an automatic timer into the on switch would be a good and reliable way of ensuring the mirror was not left on after use. Many of us are in a rush in the morning so it would be a mistake to make a battery operated mirror that does not automatically switch itself off! This function saves the batteries and ensures long time between battery replacements. Lastly a few other improvements were made including a soft push button that switches the lights on and allows for three levels of brightness.
Now you can have a stylish battery operated mirror in your bathroom that is made from sturdy steel with a polished chrome finish with a glass mirror illuminated by LED lights.
Tags: Illuminated mirror,
Part L is changing - what does this mean
David Styles - 28 July 2010 - Energy Saving, LED Designer Lighting
Yes Part L of the Building Regulations Approved Document that deals with conservation of fuel and power in new dwellings and new non-domestic buildings is being updated in October 2010 and has tightened up the requirements for lighting.
With each update the requirement to use energy efficient fittings increases and the level at which a lamp is considered to efficient increases to match the more efficient lamps that come onto the market.
In the end there will be a requirement for all general domestic lighting to be energy efficient with only display and accent lighting being excluded.
But for now here are the changes...
NEW Domestic Dwellings
Internal - 3 out of 4 internal lights are to be low energy fittings1.
Fittings that use 5 circuit watts or fewer are excluded.
External – 100w per fitting is the maximum permissible and these must be automatically controlled i.e. with a dusk to dawn sensor or used with a proximity or PIR detector.
If low energy fittings1 are used they may be of higher wattage but still require automated switching to consider daylight or manually switched.
1 Defined as fittings with a luminous efficiency greater than 45 lamp lumens per circuit watt and a total output greater than 400 lumens.
NEW Non-Domestic Buildings
Office, Industrial and Storage Areas – Average efficacy to be not less than 55 luminaire lumens2 per watt.
Other Interior Areas – Average efficacy to be not less than 55 lamp lumens per circuit watt.
Display Lighting – Average efficacy to be not less than 22 lamp lumens per circuit watt.
2 Luminaire lumens per watt should consider the efficiency of the luminaire (its LOR – Light output Ratio, lamp lumens and losses at control gear. In practice a 26w PL-C lamp in an inefficient compact fluorescent downlight will fall below the 55 luminaire lumens per watt. So their use should be combined with more efficient lights to meet the average required.
The LOR is the light output ratio, and is a proportion/percentage of the light output which is usable, i.e. downwards, and reflected downwards. Factors like the louvre, reflectors, diffusers and the lamp positioning itself effect how much light gets out of the luminaire.
With each update the requirement to use energy efficient fittings increases and the level at which a lamp is considered to efficient increases to match the more efficient lamps that come onto the market.
In the end there will be a requirement for all general domestic lighting to be energy efficient with only display and accent lighting being excluded.
But for now here are the changes...
NEW Domestic Dwellings
Internal - 3 out of 4 internal lights are to be low energy fittings1.
Fittings that use 5 circuit watts or fewer are excluded.
External – 100w per fitting is the maximum permissible and these must be automatically controlled i.e. with a dusk to dawn sensor or used with a proximity or PIR detector.
If low energy fittings1 are used they may be of higher wattage but still require automated switching to consider daylight or manually switched.
1 Defined as fittings with a luminous efficiency greater than 45 lamp lumens per circuit watt and a total output greater than 400 lumens.
NEW Non-Domestic Buildings
Office, Industrial and Storage Areas – Average efficacy to be not less than 55 luminaire lumens2 per watt.
Other Interior Areas – Average efficacy to be not less than 55 lamp lumens per circuit watt.
Display Lighting – Average efficacy to be not less than 22 lamp lumens per circuit watt.
2 Luminaire lumens per watt should consider the efficiency of the luminaire (its LOR – Light output Ratio, lamp lumens and losses at control gear. In practice a 26w PL-C lamp in an inefficient compact fluorescent downlight will fall below the 55 luminaire lumens per watt. So their use should be combined with more efficient lights to meet the average required.
The LOR is the light output ratio, and is a proportion/percentage of the light output which is usable, i.e. downwards, and reflected downwards. Factors like the louvre, reflectors, diffusers and the lamp positioning itself effect how much light gets out of the luminaire.
Tags: Part L, Energy Efficient, Approved Documents
Glow in the Dark - Cool
David Styles - 16 June 2010 - Energy Saving, LED Designer Lighting
Heh this is an awesome (a term our web editor likes to use often!) product ideal for a present especially as it comes in a gift like box. A bit funky and a bit cool... Another phrase we could use for this light!
This Glow brick gathers solar power during the day and then, as the night falls, it gradually begins to light up. Made with a real light bulb and phosphor luminescent material, encased in acrylici this has a polished surface to give a jewel like effect.
No limits as to where it could be used or taken as it requires no batteries or main powers - just the sun and it is summer... Right?!
This Glow brick gathers solar power during the day and then, as the night falls, it gradually begins to light up. Made with a real light bulb and phosphor luminescent material, encased in acrylici this has a polished surface to give a jewel like effect.
No limits as to where it could be used or taken as it requires no batteries or main powers - just the sun and it is summer... Right?!
Tags: solar light bulb, glow in the dark, present for teenager, cool and funky, no batteries required
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