Running Bear's September 2025 Coffee Shop

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troyphoto said:
Need help from the brain trust.

I want to add some more lights to my drop ceiling to light up the upper deck better. What is in the ceiling now is easily moved, I just need to get some replacement ceiling panels. I couldn't find the originals when I installed the puck lights during the pandemic. So getting rid of the older panels is on my "someday" honeydo list.

View attachment 239202

That one that is at the end of a panel and not centered was positioned above my hobby desk before I moved the layout into that corner. (It can move, and I don't mind trashing a panel if I need to.

QUESTION: I may not put up valance to hide the lights. I'm debating on centering in each panel as one normally would. Or positioning centered over the layout itself. As you can see, that would put the rightmost row of pucks near the long-brace for the drop ceiling.

I've already got the pucks, just need to pick up a roll of romex to add to the existing run.

Thoughts or suggestions on positioning?? Am I going to end up adding a Valance to hide the off-centerness if I go that way?
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My vote is go where you need them over the layout. I don't think those little pucks put out that much light and you will need them. And, if they follow a pattern, such as following the layout, I think the aesthetic will be understood. I have 3 lights over my work bench and I still need to use my flashlight at times.

or go with led tubes.
 
Kusojiji said:
My vote is go where you need them over the layout. I don't think those little pucks put out that much light and you will need them. And, if they follow a pattern, such as following the layout, I think the aesthetic will be understood. I have 3 lights over my work bench and I still need to use my flashlight at times.

or go with led tubes.
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I don't know what pucks he has but the ones we used in our new house are all either 750 or 800 lumen and they light up the rooms well. Most of the bedrooms and office have 4 of the 7xx lumen ones and they are well lit. Our great room that peaks at 24' height has a bunch more than that of the 800 lumen sorts and it is very well lit even with the ceiling heights. I'll go count how many.
 
This is what the four over the layout right now are: HOWEVER, the color temp isn't what's shown. The ones above the layout are 5000K. I put the warmer pucks in the crew lounge because I prefer that for general lighting.

Screenshot 2025-09-17 at 6.32.44 PM.png


The second box is the adjustable color temp, up to 5000K. They're at 690 lumens at that temp. So I'll have to place the brighter lumens where they'll do the most good, like back corners, or group them, and have them grouped to one side, and the lower lumen to the other side.

Remember the inverse square law for light brightness falling off based on distance. I'll try to use the brighter ones where they'll have to travel farthest to the viewer.

And, with the 3ft Barrina shop lights under the upper deck, it's definitely brighter than what I've got above the upper deck. So I need to add more above the upper deck.
 
Texas Hobo said:
Good morning, all! A warm sunny day, prediction is 94. Not a lot happening at the hobo camp. The Conductress and I will be going out for dinner to celebrate our 59th anniversary. My mom said it wouldn't last.
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Congrats, Terry and I r 10 years behind you. 49 years on the 18th, tomorrow

Dad told me the day of the wedding, don’t F this up she’s the best thing that has ever happened to you. He wasn’t wrong
 


I have a 1350 lumen led puck hovering 16 inches over my work bench and it isn't bright enough. I've been lowering it a bit at a time. When I need more, I turn on my 2000 lumen twin tube light bar(?) that is 29 inches above my work bench.

Could be me...
 
Kusojiji said:
I have a 1350 lumen led puck hovering 16 inches over my work bench and it isn't bright enough. I've been lowering it a bit at a time. When I need more, I turn on my 2000 lumen twin tube light bar(?) that is 29 inches above my work bench.

Could be me...
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Work bench is different than room lighting on a layout.

My workbench is much brighter than the room and in addition to bright fixed lights has an adjustable light. Needing to clearly see small detailed parts with my old tired eyes is different than looking at a layout or in a living room.
 
I mentioned our "great room". We have 19 of the pucks in the normal room. There are others on the stairs or over the bonus space, or under the overhang in the kitchen. Those ones are not normally on (except the overhang ones). The 19 are nominally 800 lumen rated. I don't normally know what their actual output in normal use is.

The ceiling at the high point is 24ft high so even at the lowest point its like 17 ft or something so higher than they're normally used at but the 19 light the room well.

We also have 7 higher lumen color changing ones that we don't normally have one but can use instead of or in addition to.

IMG_9884.jpeg
 
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