Light Bulbs in Goose Necks

[Steve Swartz]

Off The Wall Question:

At a typical target bank served by the individual "goose neck lamp" mounted on the target frame (such as at the OTC, Ft Benning, etc) what size/type of light bulb do they use?

60 watt frosted?

Not interested in lumens etc. just want to know about the light bulbs used . . .

aTdHvAaNnKcSe

Steve Swartz

[Spencer C]

Off The Wall Question:

At a typical target bank served by the individual "goose neck lamp" mounted on the target frame (such as at the OTC, Ft Benning, etc) what size/type of light bulb do they use?

60 watt frosted?

Not interested in lumens etc. just want to know about the light bulbs used . . .

aTdHvAaNnKcSe

Steve Swartz

don't forget the light level has gone from 1000 lux, to 1500 lux.

IMHO the gooseneck system is the single most inappropriate way to illuminate a 10m target (yes I know that's the illustration in the ISSF rules - pity they don't get a new disgram...).
While the light level may be OK at the middle, often the level is noticably different between the top of the target (about 200mm from the bulb) and the bottom of the target (about 300mm from the bulb) - something to do with inverse squares perhaps.

S

[Jay V]

Off The Wall Question:

At a typical target bank served by the individual "goose neck lamp" mounted on the target frame (such as at the OTC, Ft Benning, etc) what size/type of light bulb do they use?

60 watt frosted?

Not interested in lumens etc. just want to know about the light bulbs used . . .

aTdHvAaNnKcSe

Steve Swartz

I bet a 60W frosted would be pretty close to the correct new spec at about 16 to 18".

We are currently using 40W clear bulbs at that distance to get 1000 LUX. I hesitate to go too much more, because the fixtures have shown some amount of discolorization from heat already. The clear bulbs don't give a super even light, but it's not too bad. The frosted 60W may be more even and closer to the new 1500 LUX ISSF spec.

Different brand bulbs also give different amounts of light. We use Sylvania, I believe they were brighter (at the same Wattage) than the GEs, but you could check to be sure.

Take a look at our set-up at http://www.aiac-airguns.org in the Adult Airgun section. Our fixtures were not expensive, and have held up well, but do show some wear - mostly from hits from wild flyers!

Jay V
IL

[F. Paul in Denver]

In the past couple of years, I have noticed a tremendous increase in the popularity of flourescent lighting in the form of screw in bulbs.

A couple of months ago, I got rid of five of the six halogen flood lights over my reloading\workbench and replaced them with these high output flourescents and have been very pleased with the results. As I understand it, the ratio between the amount of light out put and energy consumed is far better with fluorescents and they last much much longer.

Another advantage of this increased lighting efficiency is the drastic reduction in the amount of heat (wasted energy) generated by the fluorescents over halogens and incandescents.

With that said, wouldnt these new types of bulbs be a good choice for close up lighting work on AP targets??

(One caveat worth mentioning is that flourescent lighting may have an undesirable effect on some electronic powder scales. That's why I only replaced five of six).

F. Paul

[R.E. Smalley]

I wonder if the dreaded 60 hz flutter is perceptible after these lamps age a bit. I is quite noticable from the periphery in straight lamps. Some are more sensitive to it than others.

Ed

[R.M.]

I was at the OTC today, and they're using small diameter 50 watt frosted flood light bulbs, about 18" from the target. I think these are relitively new, because I found them to be better than in the past.

R.M.

[Richard Newman]

The usual problem with the incandescent bulb in a gooseneck type lighting fixture is uneven light over the surface of the target. Usually there is a bright spot in the center and much drop off towards the edges. I am not sure if the screw in fluorescents are better, but they may be. I expect that small flood lights are a better choice since they have a built in diffuser. The small floods will fit into a regular socket, and the gooseneck reflector is irrelevant.

If you or a friend are a photographer with a light meter (not built into the camera) it isn't hard to check the light distribution. You can use incident, reflected or spot meters. A drop off of more than one stop from center to edge is beginning to be significant. One warning. If using a reflected light meter, don't measure with a target in place. The black center will distort your readings. Use a white sheet of paper instead. And be careful not to cast a shadow on the paper when measuring.
RN

[DrAmazon]

I was at the OTC today, and they're using small diameter 50 watt frosted flood light bulbs, about 18" from the target. I think these are relitively new, because I found them to be better than in the past.

R.M.

The "new" lights at the OTC were acquired in early January of 2004. I'm glad you looked at the bulbs, I forgot to when I was there Wednesday.