Here comes OSRAM Nightlux

After using the Ikea DIODER light for a while, I am starting to feel that sensor activated lights can be pretty useful, especially if it is battery powered as it can be extremely convenient to set-up and there is no need for any unsightly cabling.

And so, I was searching for a motion-sensor activated light to shed some light to commonly used places such as the toilet. I think it is quite wasteful to power up florescent tubes only for 1-2 mins at a time at night especially when the lifespan of florescent tubes depend partially on the number of on-off cycles. Current LED technology is good enough to offer relatively usable light output while using little electricity and this makes it practical to use batteries to power them.

So, here comes the OSRAM Nightlux. Its not a new product. A date stamp on mine has the year 2007 on it. Got it for $19.90 from AMK hub's fairprice. It is by no means cheap for a product with only 3 ultra-low power LEDs but it is worth the price. As I shall explain below:

 

Yeah, I was so excited that I ripped it out without taking a picture first. As mentioned in the packaging, it uses 3x AAA batteries, operates by sensor and knows to turn on only when there is low light. I have to say that the light sensor is pretty good. My toilet is rather dark even in the day but it doesn't waste energy by turning on in the day. The motion sensor has quite a good range too. It switches on the moment I walk into the toilet. I didn't have to find some strategic spot to place it so that it can detect me.

 Of course, its a far cry from my main toilet lighting it is good enough for me to do anything I need to do in a toilet.

 Yep, its on! The lights are rather directional and can be swiveled up and down. The LEDs are not bright enough if designed to be a "floody" light. Hence, the reflectors make the beam slightly focused so that the light only goes to where you need it to. Its a slight trade off but its a well thought out design.

 Here's the back of the light where there is a switch for OFF, 10sec, 60sec and constant ON. I would prefer if there is a 30sec option, but I'm fine with it being on for 60sec. A word of caution, after it switches off, it takes about 3sec to turn on again.

 The back plate contains a strong magnet for sticking on to metallic objects. It comes included with a metallic plate with sticky tape on it. Unfortunately, the sticky tape isn't sticky enough. Mine dropped from a height of about 1 metre. Sob Sob.

The magnetic back plating.

Yep, it doesn't switch on in the day. The finish and build is very sturdy and it is a nice addition to a clean tiled wall. The 3 LEDs take a total of 0.3W(rated) which means the batteries should last about 13 hours of continuous usage. Again, if I were to activate it 10 times a day, I mean night, then it should last about 2 and a half months, which is pretty good.

I will be fixing this to the ceiling once I get my hands on stronger sticky tape. If it works well then maybe I'll get more of these for other parts of my house


UPDATE:

After 7 months of using this, I decided that it was time to get another one to light up my room. It is particularly useful for me because at times I needed to enter my room simply to take something out of there. Previously, I would have to switch on my fluorescent lamps for less than a minute before switching them off. Fluorescent lamps don't like on-off cycles as it reduces their lifespan.

Using this to provide just enough light for me to get around my room reduces the need to switch my main lights on.

There are also several things that I have noted along the way:

Changing 3x AAA is a chore
Devices that use odd numbers of batteries make it difficult for battery changes as there will always be 1 lone battery sitting out from the rest. This is annoying because that lone battery will have to be used separately from the batch it came with so you can't "pair" up capacities together.

It works even under very low voltage
Since I didn't always use 3 similar batteries in the Nightlux, I turned to mixing and matching batteries. When it became dimmer again, I checked the batteries with my voltmeter to see which one was the culprit. At times, I found the dead battery to be less than 0.5v. Surprising that the Nightlux could operate even with such a significant voltage drop. It is difficult to notice the drop in brightness since I use it only for very basic purposes. I consider this its strength and also its weakness because on one hand, the circuitry is very versatile, but on the other, it will damage rechargeable batteries if they was allowed to run this low before charging. Hence, I strongly recommend against using rechargables in this product. If only there was a low-voltage warning light...

The light sensor is very smart
Most motion sensor lights would simply turn on when they sense motion, regardless of the brightness of the location. You know the designer of this product have thought long and hard when coming up with this little thing.

If it was using AA batteries instead...
The Nightlux would last about 6 months per battery change. This is more economical considering that AAs have more than 2x the capacity as AAAs but comes at a similar price.

Ikea DIODER drawer light!

All those who knows me would know that I really like lights and batteries. While I was browsing IKEA's furniture online, I chanced upon a little LED strip light called the "DIODER LED battery-operated lamp f/drawer". The reason for quoting the full name is because there are many other LED strips in the DIODER range of lights.

There is very little information about the product on the website

1) Designed for a drawer
2) Has a motion sensor (sleek sia!)
3) Turns on for 15sec when there is ambient light (open drawer) and 5sec when totally dark (closed drawer)
4) Takes 6 AAA batteries (Wah lao eh, so many!)




 




*picture belongs to IKEA

When I came home with the product, it struck me that I never really need to light up my drawer. I couldn't remember when was the last time I had to grab something from my drawer when my room is completely dark.Other than that, I have to say that the design is really well thought out for a drawer light; the placement and the range of the sensor is perfect for a drawer. The light is directed at an angle so it lights up most parts of the drawer.

 

6 LEDs spread along the entire strip. Very clean and neat layout. No switches, just motion sensor.

Tada! And behold, there is light!

The whole package is very light. It comes with screws for a permanent fixture but a simple double-sided tape should suffice. The sensor is on the "negative" side of the battery compartment and is facing in the opposite direction of the LEDs, which is perfect for using it in a drawer. The light has a warm colour temperature which resembles the lovely incandescent lamp but without the low efficiency. I found that it uses a negligible  0.2mA on stand-by (to power the motion sensor) and 87mA when lighted. The current draw is quite acceptable for AAA sized batteries. A typical AAA alkaline has a 900mAh, which means it should last 10hours of constant usage. Now, assuming that I activate it 10 times a day, one set of batteries should last me 8months. The designer probably thought of this so that you don't have to change batteries too often and waste money on batteries. Battery powered LED lighting is always centred around efficiency and this is no exception.

The backside of the strip. Again, a clean flat surface that is suitable for double-sided taping. I chose to stick 3M's velcro tape for easy removal so that it is a lot easier to change the batteries next time.

 Here's an option for those who like to put their face near to the printer to see a nice printout being born.

Coolest printer ever!

 Here's with the battery tube removed. I'll recommend that you buy the 10pack IKEA AAA batteries since it sells for SG$2.50

A close up on the cheery yellow batteries that IKEA sells. 

 Instead of using this in a drawer, which is pretty useless for me, I chose to put it in my wardrobe.

 Really sleek lighting without the need for wires. Excellent stand-alone light.

 Here's from another view. An LED strip works very well for lighting up wardrobes with lots of obstructions as it does not form harsh shadows that a single LED light source would.

It works nicely for times when I just need to get a piece of clothing from my room without switching on my main room lights. Even in a rather dark room, it still lights up for 15sec. It would be nicer if it lights up for a longer period though. Maybe 30sec or 1min will be great.

It is not much but it does light up well enough for me. Being a warm coloured light, the colour rendition is pretty good. Great for picking out clothing. The DIODER is activated from sliding the wardrobe door past it. The sensor range has a maximum of 10cm. However, if placed too close to the sliding door, the light reactivates after lighting up. Check before securing it permanently!

Another view with the wardrobe door closed. It makes for a good night light. However, 15sec is only good enough for me to put down my glasses and head straight to bed. It would perfect if it could be adjusted to light up a for 30sec instead of the short 15sec.

UPDATE:

Problem regarding continuous re-activation:
1)My first set of batteries died after just 1.5months of use! But that is because there were a few times when I took it out to play and stuck it back in my wardrobe without noticing that it was continuously re-activating itself. Always check if distance of the door from the sensor is causing the light to re-activate. Check during daytime and nighttime as it seems that having ambient light may affect the distances where it re-activates continuously.

Signs of battery weakening:
2) One thing I noticed when the batteries were nearing the end of its life was the increasing likelihood of missed activation. I.e. the sensor misses detection when I open the wardrobe door too fast. After changing the batteries, it activates no matter how fast I open the door. You can take that as a cue to re-charge your batteries if you are using rechargables!

Termination voltage is suitable for recharables:
3) The 3rd thing and probably most important thing I noticed was that the dead 6x alkaline batteries was at 6.50V. This translate to 1.08V per cell. That means that you are unlikely to over drain and damage your expensive NiMh cells in the event of continuous re-activation. Not sure if it is purposely designed this way, but this is very thoughtful!

LEDs seem regulated:
4) Unlike cheap lighting products that will dim as the batteries go weaker, I did not notice a change in brightness even during the last days of my batteries.

In all, I am quite impressed by how much thought has been put into this product(whether knowingly or unknowingly). Now I dare to use rechargables for this product. It is not only elegant not only in looks but also its electronics. It is rather high in price, $29.90 for a 6 LED strip light, compared to the DIY option. However, it looks a lot sleeker and a lot smarter.