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Basement Layout Lighting

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  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Pa.
  • 3,361 posts
Posted by DigitalGriffin on Thursday, July 28, 2016 11:55 AM

mlehman

Don,

No CRI listed for these. I don't have any fancy equipment to measure it. But the Mark One Eyeball tells me it's good on these particular lights so long as you stay with "white." They do match well with my older light strips, which also didn't have a CRI listed. The "warm white" has a rather yellowish cast to it. But the white seems to render things on the layout well.

 



That's where in the problem lies.  It may look normal till you hit a pigment or hue that is not represented in the spectrum.  Those colors will appear faded or dark.

Imagine it this way...have you ever stepped into a room with just a yellow or red bulb then tried to look at other colors?  They appear dark or muted.

You might want to look at these and give them a try...

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=CRI+LED+strips&_sacat=0

Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions

Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 10,582 posts
Posted by mlehman on Thursday, July 28, 2016 1:00 PM

DigitalGriffin
That's where in the problem lies. It may look normal till you hit a pigment or hue that is not represented in the spectrum. Those colors will appear faded or dark.

Yeah, that's a possibility and if I had a largely Plywood Pacific, it could be of concern. But things are pretty complete (at least to the level it is right now, although constant improvements are underway). They light up what they're gonna light up and nothing seems odd to my sight. Keep in mind that I also have several older generations of these also in use and that mixing of their light may dilute.

Of course, males are notoriously prone to eyesight color deficiencies, another reason to keep the CRI in mind. My eyes have always checked good for such issues, so am guessing what I see works. Obviously, if something stood out, it might be a  reason to upgrade from the cheap seats here. And that's an issue for most people. But if it's affordable and works in your sight, then it's what people use.

The spectrum approach to the CRI rendered earlier also suggests that just seeing the number may not tell the whole story either. So one way or another, it comes down to buying some, taking them home and comparing how they light up YOUR layout, because who knows what ITS CRI-reaction corresponds to? It's a pass/fail test for most people's eyes from what I can see. or maybe you should explain how to put such knowledge to work, because I don't see where that comes in beyond my suggestion to test drive them to see for yourself.

Mike Lehman

Urbana, IL

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