Low voltage wire/cable suspended lighting
 

Hello.
I'm wanting to illuminate a large dark gloomy old room. 17th century, low
ceiling with exposed beams. Very little natural light.
I am thinking that something like this
http://www.lighting-direct.co.uk/l-v...c-70-rn-0.html
could be suspended between the beams and be almost invisible when in use.

I know little of the subject and would much appreciate any pointers or
comments.
The items in the above link seem somewhat expensive for the area I would
like to illuminate.
Would require probably 4 runs with 3 or 4 lamps on each run when combined
with wall lights and other free standing lighting.
Also, could the transformers be hidden tween ceiling/upstairs floor
(6"/150mm gap) and would this present any fire hazard?

I presume I could use 6mm stranded steel cable with proprietory lamps and
fixings.
How do I calculate the size and type of transformer required. Line lengths
can easily be calculated. The number of lamps & wattage etc. is not so
simple
Sorry, this is very vague and I am literally stabbing in the dark.
Any pertinent comments would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Nick.

Low voltage wire/cable suspended lighting
 

"Nick" wrote in message
...
Hello.
I'm wanting to illuminate a large dark gloomy old room. 17th century, low
ceiling with exposed beams. Very little natural light.
I am thinking that something like this
http://www.lighting-direct.co.uk/l-v...c-70-rn-0.html
could be suspended between the beams and be almost invisible when in use.

I know little of the subject and would much appreciate any pointers or
comments.
The items in the above link seem somewhat expensive for the area I would
like to illuminate.
Would require probably 4 runs with 3 or 4 lamps on each run when combined
with wall lights and other free standing lighting.
Also, could the transformers be hidden tween ceiling/upstairs floor
(6"/150mm gap) and would this present any fire hazard?

I presume I could use 6mm stranded steel cable with proprietory lamps and
fixings.
How do I calculate the size and type of transformer required. Line lengths
can easily be calculated. The number of lamps & wattage etc. is not so
simple
Sorry, this is very vague and I am literally stabbing in the dark.
Any pertinent comments would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Nick.


For cheaper prices, try here
http://www.mr-resistor.co.uk/products.aspx?g=9&t=148

They are nice in situations as you have described, but remember the head
room on low ceilings. These lamps get hot.

There are decorative transformers that fix to the sides of the beams and
don't spoil the look of the room. If you wish to hide the power supplies in
the voids, there should be no problem, but a word of warning again is, these
do get hot and are not suited to very tight spaces or places filled with
insulating materials. They do need some ventilation to prevent overheating.

It is best to go with the largest power supply you can get. This gives the
option to add or subtract lamps as and when needed. The calculation is
simply Power Supply Wattage divided by the Wattage of the lamps you want to
use. Example: 3 x 50W lamps needs a 150W transformer. Simple as that.

The link I have supplied to Mr Resistor will take you to the section on this
type lighting product. They supply everything needed to complete the
project, Transformers, lamp holders, tension wiring and spacers etc. I
think they can even supply the fixing screws, but don't hold me to that.
:-)

Have a look through the site and I'm sure you'll find it helpful. Have fun
with it all.

Low voltage wire/cable suspended lighting
 

For cheaper prices, try here http://www.mr-resistor.co.uk

Have you had dealings with Mr Resistor and can you recommend them?

I was looking at their DimSlim dimmable fluorescent range the other
day - expensive, but exactly meets my needs.

Low voltage wire/cable suspended lighting
 

Nick wrote:
Hello.
I'm wanting to illuminate a large dark gloomy old room. 17th century, low
ceiling with exposed beams. Very little natural light.
I am thinking that something like this
http://www.lighting-direct.co.uk/l-v...c-70-rn-0.html
could be suspended between the beams and be almost invisible when in use.

It would be highly visible and very out of character. Traditional twin
wall fittings are more in keeping with such houses. They can take
filament lamps or CFL, as you wish.


I know little of the subject and would much appreciate any pointers or
comments.
The items in the above link seem somewhat expensive for the area I would
like to illuminate.

yes

Would require probably 4 runs with 3 or 4 lamps on each run when combined
with wall lights and other free standing lighting.
Also, could the transformers be hidden tween ceiling/upstairs floor
(6"/150mm gap) and would this present any fire hazard?

yes - in which case get standard low cost transformers rather than
their prettified expensive ones. Fire hazard, yes inevitably.


I presume I could use 6mm stranded steel cable with proprietory lamps and
fixings.

How do I calculate the size and type of transformer required.

Just add up the wattages of the lights you'll run off it. As said,
when you dont know what power lighting you want, pick higher power to
give you room to play.


Line lengths
can easily be calculated. The number of lamps & wattage etc. is not so
simple

Probably easiest way to get a ballpark idea is to use a couple of
portable lamps, fit whatever bulb wattage is required to get enough
light, then you've gota figure to start form if using halogen or
filament. Divide by 4 for CFL, or 5 for linear fl.


Sorry, this is very vague and I am literally stabbing in the dark.
Any pertinent comments would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Nick.


NT

Low voltage wire/cable suspended lighting
 

In article , Nick
wrote:
Hello. I'm wanting to illuminate a large dark gloomy old room. 17th
century, low ceiling with exposed beams. Very little natural light. I
am thinking that something like this
http://www.lighting-direct.co.uk/l-v...c-70-rn-0.html could be
suspended between the beams and be almost invisible when in use.

I know little of the subject and would much appreciate any pointers or
comments. The items in the above link seem somewhat expensive for the
area I would like to illuminate. Would require probably 4 runs with 3
or 4 lamps on each run when combined with wall lights and other free
standing lighting. Also, could the transformers be hidden tween
ceiling/upstairs floor (6"/150mm gap) and would this present any fire
hazard?

All the transformers I've seen are as fireproof as any such thing.

I presume I could use 6mm stranded steel cable with proprietory lamps
and fixings.

I've got something similar in my conservatory which came as a kit from one
of the sheds. The cable is copper - not steel - as it doubles as the
conductors. The fittings are specials as their supports need to pierce the
insulation.

How do I calculate the size and type of transformer
required. Line lengths can easily be calculated. The number of lamps &
wattage etc. is not so simple Sorry, this is very vague and I am
literally stabbing in the dark. Any pertinent comments would be much
appreciated.

Transformers are usually specified in VA. For a resistive load like a lamp
this is the same as watts - so just add the wattage of the lamps together.
But with low voltage lamps you also have to worry about the cable losses.

Here is a calculator:-

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technica...ltageDrop.html

--
*Why are they called apartments, when they're all stuck together? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Low voltage wire/cable suspended lighting
 

wrote in message
...
For cheaper prices, try here http://www.mr-resistor.co.uk

Have you had dealings with Mr Resistor and can you recommend them?

I was looking at their DimSlim dimmable fluorescent range the other
day - expensive, but exactly meets my needs.


They supply all the lighting materials, and advice, for all those types of
jobs we do. Yes. I would recommend them without hesitation.

Their prices are actually very reasonable, because the quality of their
stock is not rubbish, and they will advise on things you are not sure about.

Low voltage wire/cable suspended lighting
 

Nick wrote:

Hello.
I'm wanting to illuminate a large dark gloomy old room. 17th century, low
ceiling with exposed beams. Very little natural light.
I am thinking that something like this
http://www.lighting-direct.co.uk/l-v...c-70-rn-0.html
could be suspended between the beams and be almost invisible when in use.

I know little of the subject and would much appreciate any pointers or
comments.
The items in the above link seem somewhat expensive for the area I would
like to illuminate.
Would require probably 4 runs with 3 or 4 lamps on each run when combined
with wall lights and other free standing lighting.
Also, could the transformers be hidden tween ceiling/upstairs floor
(6"/150mm gap) and would this present any fire hazard?

I presume I could use 6mm stranded steel cable with proprietory lamps and
fixings.
How do I calculate the size and type of transformer required. Line lengths
can easily be calculated. The number of lamps & wattage etc. is not so
simple
Sorry, this is very vague and I am literally stabbing in the dark.
Any pertinent comments would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Nick.

Ouch, those are expensive. QVS (www.qvsdirect.com) do wire lighting
(they call it "wire rope" lighting) from £35 plus VAT for the very
basic set. I have a 5-lamp set in a bedroom with a vaulted ceiling
and they're really great. For some reason that I don't really
understand most wire light kits come with a proper magnetic
transformer. Personally I'd prefer to use a much smaller switched
mode supply and hide it away, which is exactly what I'll be doing when
I fit the same thing in my hallway early next year.

Four runs with 3 or 4 lamps on each is a minimum of 4 * 3 * 20W = 240W
of lighting which is quite a lot. I've not seen your room but I
suspect you might find that a little overpowering. Maybe you could
consider fitting less lamps to each run. Remember that you can cross-
link the runs so that two or more physical runs are one electrical
circuit IYSWIM. Depending on your particular situaltion you might be
able to buy less than 4 kits and a couple of odd bits like coupling
clips and so end up with say two power supplies driving two runs each
and say half a dozen lights spread between them.

Good luck with whatever you end up doing.

Low voltage wire/cable suspended lighting
 

Calvin wrote:

re halogen lights suspended on cables

and they're really great. For some reason that I don't really
understand most wire light kits come with a proper magnetic
transformer. Personally I'd prefer to use a much smaller switched

That raises another point: suspended lights may be on long wire runs,
and that is a problem for some electronic transformers, the heavy iron
ones will always work on long runs.


NT

Low voltage wire/cable suspended lighting
 

wrote:

Calvin wrote:

re halogen lights suspended on cables

and they're really great. For some reason that I don't really
understand most wire light kits come with a proper magnetic
transformer. Personally I'd prefer to use a much smaller switched

That raises another point: suspended lights may be on long wire runs,
and that is a problem for some electronic transformers, the heavy iron
ones will always work on long runs.


NT

Really, why's that then? It can't be capacitance as the wires,
although parallel, are not close together.
In practice the wire run for wire lights is typically only about 5m or
so which might sound long but isn't really compared to normal cable
runs.