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The workplace must be properly organized. This section is even in the standards, but not all of these standards fit perfectly. We all have our own characteristics and it is better to take them into account, in any case, where possible. For example, a well-chosen desk lamp for your desk will reduce fatigue and increase productivity. Properly selected lighting will help protect your eyes from excessive strain.
Mounting method
To select a lamp for your desktop, you must first determine how and where you prefer to install it. There are many options. A table lamp for a desktop can be:
- On a stand that sits on a tabletop. This is the most common type known since people started using electricity. For better stability, the stand should be heavy. There are no restrictions on the choice of color – you can choose to match the walls or desktop, any other interior details. The only wish is that lacquered, polished, mirror coating is not recommended. It glares, reflecting light, which makes the eyes tired.
A table lamp for a desktop can be very unusual - With clamp. The clamping screw allows you to mount the lamp to the edge of the table, to the shelf. This method of installing a table lamp is convenient and reliable. The disadvantage is that not all clamps look attractive. They will perfectly harmonize with modern styles and do not really fit into the classics, the atmosphere, decorated in a romantic or ethnic style.
The best way to attach a lamp to a table is to use a model with a bracket - Pin. This method of attaching a table lamp is also not bad. A table lamp on a clothespin can be fixed to the edge of a desktop or shelf. The disadvantage is that the elasticity of the clothespin depends on the spring, and high-quality metal is not always used for its manufacture. Over time, the fastening weakens, the lamp may fall and be damaged.
Clothespin – easy to install and remove - Wall mount. The smallest group, but not the worst. If the table is usually busy, it is better to attach the lamp to the wall – it will definitely be safe. This is not the most popular option, perhaps because moving a table lamp with this type of mount is a problem.
If the table is constantly littered with papers or there is no certainty that the lamp will not fly
As you can see, there are not many options. But this is just the beginning, there are many other factors that need to be taken into account. If we talk about “folk” preferences in choosing a fixture for a table lamp, then two methods are most popular – on a stand and a clamp. They are more comfortable. Fixtures “clothespin” are usually inexpensive, but they quickly lose their “grip”, they hold on worse over time. If you need an inexpensive lamp for about a year and a half, this is your option.
Design
In addition to the stand, you should decide which leg of the lamp suits you best – the lampshade holder. It’s not just about materials or shapes, it’s about construction too. Table lamps can be:
- With fixed leg. A classic option that is suitable if you always work in the same position, in the same space. The material can be any – metal, wood, plastic. Combinations of them or some exotic materials such as bamboo, wire weaving, forging, etc. can be used. The height is usually fixed, but you can find options that allow you to make it higher or lower.
Interesting models – the flight of imagination of designers is unlimited - With flexible leg. A more convenient model if you need to change the position, height or direction of the light. The flexible leg of a table lamp is usually made of metal corrugation, which holds a given position well. Less often, there is a flexible rod inside, covered with a plastic corrugated hose on top. This is a very inexpensive option.
Flexible leg in a cheaper version – plastic corrugation, in more expensive ones – from stainless or blackened steel - With telescopic base. Several movably connected sections of metal tubes allow you to adjust the height and position of the lamp relative to the table. Inexpensive models use springs that hold the lamp in the selected position. After a while, they stretch, the lamp begins to lower, move. Another option is clamp bolts. Such lamps are more durable – the bolt can be tightened, but also not to infinity.
The more joints, the more precisely you can position the light source
According to this parameter, choosing a table lamp for your desktop is not too difficult. If you need to constantly illuminate the same area, a stationary leg is your option. If you need to change the position or size of the light spot, it is more convenient to do this using movable models. Usually they are attached to the table (bracket or clothespin), but you can also find desktop or wall options. But the telescopic or flexible base is your choice. To whom that seems more convenient and reliable.
Type of light bulb, illumination, light temperature
According to generally accepted standards, the illumination on the desktop or on the keyboard of a computer / laptop should be 400-500 Lux (Lux is a unit of illumination in the International System of Units). Illumination depends on the power of the light source and on the height of its location. Comfortable brightness is an individual parameter. Someone needs a very bright light, comparable to the midday light of the sun, someone warmer, slightly yellowish or pinkish. So it is necessary to select lamps in a table lamp individually.
If the illumination is needed differently – for different people or for different work, there are several options. The first is a variable height lamp. This allows you to change the brightness of the light within a small range. If more drastic changes are needed, look for a model with a dimmer switch. It can be stepped or smooth. If the lamp has a light dimmer, it can be either an incandescent lamp or a dimmable LED. Other bulbs do not support this feature. That’s just a table lamp for a desktop with a dimmer is not so common. It is necessary to search purposefully, but it is convenient to use.
Types of bases and bulbs for table lamps
In a table lamp, there can be two types of cartridge – with a conventional threaded base and with a pin. Lamps with pin base: fluorescent, halogen or LED.
The threaded base can be of different sizes – both for a standard incandescent lamp, and smaller – for mini-copies. In such desktop dumps for the desktop, you can use not only Ilyich light bulbs (incandescent lamps), there are LED and fluorescent ones, you can also find halogen ones.
Whatever type the lamp is, it must be completely covered with a ceiling. That is, the entire light bulb must be closed. This is very important to reduce eye strain.
Glow temperature and no pulsation
To keep energy bills from being intimidating, one usually tries to buy a desk lamp with an LED or energy-saving lamp. It is understandable and not bad, but you need to know what to look for when choosing. For fluorescent and LED lamps, it is imperative to monitor the “color” of the light and the absence of “blinking”. Color affects perception, indicated on the package with a llama. The color scale is in the picture, but you will have to select individually. In fact, they usually prefer a bright (white) glow, they also buy a soft (yellowish).
If there are several different lamps in the house, try working with one lamp for several days, then put in another one. Compare sensations, performance. With one lamp, the eyes can get tired faster, with the other it can be “better seen”. According to the results, and stop at a light source of a certain type and “color” (correctly this parameter is called color temperature). With the right light bulb, a desk lamp can even increase your productivity and help your child complete tasks more successfully and quickly.
The effect of the pulsating light can be tracked using the camera on your phone. If you look at a glowing lamp through the camera on your phone, you can see changes in light intensity. It is not tracked by our eyes, but because of it they get tired very quickly. Therefore, it is better to look for lamps that do not flicker. Unfortunately, they are not cheap, so you can navigate by price. The packaging usually says “no ripple” and these statements can usually be trusted. But, if possible, check with the camera on your phone – you never know …
Ceiling lamp
The plafond is very often selected “under the interior”, but at the same time, one should not forget that an incorrectly selected table lamp can quickly “plant” vision. If the table lamp for the desktop plays mainly a decorative role, you can, of course, not pay much attention to it. But if you need to work at least half an hour with its illumination, it is better to choose the ceiling correctly.
There are several requirements, compliance with which will help you choose the right lamp for your desktop:
- Dark or neutral color. Too bright color attracts attention and increases fatigue.
- Material without bright glossy sheen. Light is reflected from shiny surfaces, glare contributes to the fact that the eyes get tired faster.
Not all of these lamps of the same design are suitable for the desktop. - So that the ceiling does not heat up, it must be quite large – the distance to the light bulb is at least 4-5 cm.
- The walls must be thick enough. In general, it is not recommended to use light bulbs that exceed the allowable power. It is indicated in the instructions for the table lamp. If there is no instruction, you can choose a light bulb empirically: screw it in, let it work for at least half an hour, then evaluate the temperature of the ceiling. The second way out is to use lamps that heat up a little – housekeepers and LEDs with good radiators.
A desk lamp with a plastic shade is a potential source of danger when using light bulbs that get very hot when used. If you leave it on for a long time, the plastic may melt. Therefore, with the selection of a light bulb for such a lamp, one must be very careful.
With metal shades, by the way, you also need to be careful. If they get hot from the lamp, they can cause burns. It is also very unpleasant and painful.
Table lamps for computer desk
In addition to all the options described above, for a computer or laptop, you can use lamps that are connected not to a 220 V network, but to a USB port. If you have a USB extender/extension cable, the USB desk lamp can be connected to it. It can also be connected to the corresponding output on a laptop. There is the same output on the system unit, but it usually stands under the table, and there is nothing to illuminate there, which is why a USB extension cable is needed.
Usually these are small LED lamps on a miniature flexible leg. The height of the legs is about 10-18 cm, the ceiling is also long and narrow. In length, it is comparable to a leg. But small sizes do not mean a bad choice. When working at a computer, it is usually necessary to illuminate the keyboard, and for these purposes, these lamps are more than enough. A desktop USB lamp for a desktop is convenient, as it highlights exactly the area that is needed.
USB lamps also do a good job of lighting the work area on the table. But this zone is small – a book, a notebook of the usual “school” format – they are able to provide such a large spot of light. Since the luminous element is long, the illuminated section of the table has an elongated shape. It is very well suited just for an expanded book or notebook. In general, a convenient option for schoolchildren and students.
In addition to small USB lamps for keyboard illumination, there are quite large table lamps. They connect to the same port on a computer or laptop. They usually have a cord several meters long. It provides sufficient mobility. Mounting methods – all described above, that’s just the light source – exclusively LEDs. After all, only LED technology with low current consumption and low supply voltage produces a bright glow. Such a table lamp for the desktop gives enough light, does not take up much space. But it can only be powered by low voltage.