I'm looking at light boxes for someone who suffers from SAD. How can
they be so expensive -- for example, 4 fluorescent strips in a box for
£230? Goodness me!

I'm going to make a box myself. Any tips?

--
Ian

In article ,
Ian wrote:
I'm looking at light boxes for someone who suffers from SAD. How can
they be so expensive -- for example, 4 fluorescent strips in a box for
£230? Goodness me!

I'm going to make a box myself. Any tips?

Choose tubes with the correct spectrum. You might have to go to a
specialist rather than a shed. Use high frequency ballasts too - flicker
from 50 Hz ones annoys some.

--
*Few women admit their age; fewer men act it.

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

On 25 Sep, 08:19, Ian wrote:

I'm going to make a box myself. Any tips?

Search on SAD tubes. Although the boxes are one mighty price, the
same fluorescent tubes (small, high power CORRECT SPECTRUM) are
reasonably priced.

From: Andy Dingley
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 Time: 01:29:39

On 25 Sep, 08:19, Ian wrote:

I'm going to make a box myself. Any tips?

Search on SAD tubes. Although the boxes are one mighty price, the
same fluorescent tubes (small, high power CORRECT SPECTRUM) are
reasonably priced.

Any special precautions needed when mounting them vertically, I wonder?
Heat dissipation?

--
Ian

In article ,
Ian writes:
I'm looking at light boxes for someone who suffers from SAD. How can
they be so expensive -- for example, 4 fluorescent strips in a box for
£230? Goodness me!

Because people will pay that much.
Part of the scam is convincing people they need some
special expensive tubes, which is complete bull****.

I'm going to make a box myself. Any tips?

Buy a 4-tube modular ceiling fitting (as used in offices),
the type with an enclosed box rather than just a flimsy
reflector. Last time I bought one, it was £20 complete
with tubes and gear, and about £2 for a polycarbonate
diffuser. You can often find them in skip dives outside
an office refurb for nothing. They come in 600x600mm and
600x1200mm, with 2' or 4' tubes respectively (and there
are 3 or 4 tube versions, but you want the brighter 4
tube ones).

Hang the thing vertically on the wall like you would a
picture (they aren't heavy), and fit the polycarbonate
diffuser (you might have to improvise to hold it in place,
as they're normally just held by gravity in the frame).

When switched on, it will subconciously feel like a window
with bright sun outside. To be effective, it should be
positioned close to where the person sits or works - it
doesn't work at distance.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

"Ian" wrote
I'm looking at light boxes for someone who suffers from SAD. How can they
be so expensive -- for example, 4 fluorescent strips in a box for £230?
Goodness me!

I'm going to make a box myself. Any tips?

I saw one recently that appeared to be based on an LED cluster rather than
fluorescents!

Phil

Any benefits to human Vitamin D production - notoriously miserable in
northern climates during winter?

Vitamin D supplements are not particularly effective; Vitamin D is
particularly beneficial for disease etc resistance, it is suggested
that low vitamin D production during winter may be one factor
promoting viral transmission.

Ian wrote:
I'm looking at light boxes for someone who suffers from SAD. How can
they be so expensive -- for example, 4 fluorescent strips in a box for
�230? Goodness me!

I'm going to make a box myself. Any tips?

--
Ian

This is one I built earlier and it sits about 4' above the workbench.
http://i38.tinypic.com/2ai54rt.jpg
Uses 6 off, 4' Osram Lumilux 'Daylight' tubes. Also fitted with 10
single batten type fittings, for various coloured bulbs. Wired through
to a switch bank that'll mix-n-match on colours and levels.
At the time thought it a good idea. Just cost chipboard etc, a sheet
of acrylic diffuser and the light fittings.
Never use it, found I didn't like the light quality. Prefer just an
anglepoise with 100W bulb.

"Ian" wrote in message
...
I'm looking at light boxes for someone who suffers from SAD. How can they
be so expensive -- for example, 4 fluorescent strips in a box for £230?
Goodness me!

I'm going to make a box myself. Any tips?

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/65182

Don't look at it directly stick it on top of a kitchen unit and just work in
the kitchen for a bit each day.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Ian saying
something like:

I'm looking at light boxes for someone who suffers from SAD. How can
they be so expensive -- for example, 4 fluorescent strips in a box for
£230? Goodness me!

I'm going to make a box myself. Any tips?

I made one up a few years back.
Take one of those 4' long ceiling boxes that contain four fluorescent
strips and fit another four into it (I had a few from skip raiding
outside some office refurbishment).
Sorted.
There's also a 2' square version kicking around here.