Diamond Table Light Restoration Project - Input Greatly Appreciated

[DeadStick]

If you're looking to get something new altogether, there's a guy here who sells LED perimeter lights in a few threads. I bought one a couple of years ago and it's been great. It was exactly what I wanted and was reasonably priced. Great color, no glare, and it really looks great in my room.

songj2096

forums.azbilliards.com

If I could find a perimeter light with parabolic louvers, I’d buy it. Would make mounting an overhead camera much easier. Just don’t like the side glare and having the walls lit up.

Maybe I’ll make my own at some point.

 

[Sheldon]

I have experienced the noticeable shadows on the bed cloth when switching to LED bulbs. We have found if you add more of the LED bulbs into the light you get rid of those shadows, increase your light output, and get the best part of using the parabolic grids (No glare in your eye when down on a shot). I have 6 or 7 of the LED 4' long bulbs in my Diamond light above my 7' table. If memory serves correct, you also want to use the frosted LED 4' long bulbs. The clear ones left even worse shadows.

Some friends of mine put a BUNCH of bare LED strip lights in their Diamond lights and it created crazy shadows. I put some diffuser fabric on top of the parabolic diffusers and it solved that problem. It mutes the light a little bit, but they're still plenty bright. I would at least convert to LED tubes, it's pretty simple to do, and you can eliminate the ballasts. The diffused tubes wont cast the shadows. I'd consider adding more tubes (extra fixture) as well and putting the light higher as Q suggested above.

 

[Sheldon]

Just don’t like the side glare and having the walls lit up.

I feel the same. I like the way it lights things, but the glare is bothersome to me.

 

[DeadStick]

I feel the same. I like the way it lights things, but the glare is bothersome to me.

Six of these 1x4 panels with louvers should be perfect for a killer perimeter light. They would output around 5X the light of my 8x2, not that it’s too dim lol:

LED Ceiling Panel Light, 50W/40W/30W, 1x4, Selectable CCT, 5700 Lumens

This durable 1x4 LED Ceiling Panel includes 3 selectable brightness options (3750LM, 5000LM, 5700LM) and 3 selectable color temperature options (3500K, 4000K, 5000K) to better suit the lighting needs for your space. Ideal applications include kitchens, living rooms, showrooms, offices, schools...

www.sunco.com

I don’t like mounting a camera under the light because using an ultra wide lens distorts balls and pockets near the edges:

Getting the camera up to or close to the 10’ ceiling would be a distortion-free distance like you see on coverage at major tournaments. Would just be a pain to have to use a ladder to get the memory card out of the GoPro, so then would be shopping for a 4K camera I could hardwire in with an HDMI cable and control remotely.

First world problems fer sure

 

[EL'nino]

Nice setup!

I know you’re happy with the egg crate diffusers, but parabolic louvers are a different animal and would eliminate the side glare you can see in your pic. They’re more expensive, but worth it to folks who are sensitive to glare or who want to keep the perimeter of the room as dark as possible.

The best part about the Parabolic louvers is it dramatically reduces the light directly shining in your eyes. the light "falls" out of it, straight down. From a standing position you can't see the light source. With the "egg crates" you can & it puts a lot on your eyes with hours of play.

 

[Renegade_56]

I have experienced the noticeable shadows on the bed cloth when switching to LED bulbs. We have found if you add more of the LED bulbs into the light you get rid of those shadows, increase your light output, and get the best part of using the parabolic grids (No glare in your eye when down on a shot). I have 6 or 7 of the LED 4' long bulbs in my Diamond light above my 7' table. If memory serves correct, you also want to use the frosted LED 4' long bulbs. The clear ones left even worse shadows.

My LED bulbs are 8', and there are 6 of them in the fixture. They have the LED strip full length in clear tube that is frosted full length on opposite side. Just rotate them in the fixture to adjust output. There is no glare with the frosted panels.

 

[iusedtoberich]

I just realized you have a drop ceiling. Why not forget the "pool table light" completely. Just put the LED panels in the ceiling, which are explicitly made for drop ceilings, over your pool table. Either 2x4 or multiple 2x2, whatever is easier for you. It will work better than the Diamond light. It will look cleaner. Zero chance of ever banging your head on the light. NO work for you to rebuild the Diamond light. It's a win-win. The 2x4 panels are dirt cheap now, about $50 each on Amazon/ebay.

That is what I have on my pool table, but I used flush mount brackets to mount the panels, as I have a drywall ceiling.

I personally hate the look of a "pool table light" over a pool table in a home environment.

Here is my setup. It is PLENTY bright on the 9' ceiling. I actually wish it had a dimmer sometimes. Yours would look way better since there would be no frame. The $300 you spent is a sunk cost. Throw it in the trash, resell it, or give it away. IMO

 

[iusedtoberich]

....snip...

Getting the camera up to or close to the 10’ ceiling would be a distortion-free distance like you see on coverage at major tournaments. Would just be a pain to have to use a ladder to get the memory card out of the GoPro, so then would be shopping for a 4K camera I could hardwire in with an HDMI cable and control remotely.

First world problems fer sure

10' is not enough in my experience. I'm at 9' and have distortion with my DSLR camera and 10-18mm zoom lens set to 12mm. It's not bad, but not perfect either. I think 16' would be about the minimum, maybe more. I don't think its possible in a home unless its put in a Great Room.

 

[Callaghan]

If you're looking to get something new altogether, there's a guy here who sells LED perimeter lights in a few threads. I bought one a couple of years ago and it's been great. It was exactly what I wanted and was reasonably priced. Great color, no glare, and it really looks great in my room.

songj2096

forums.azbilliards.com

I actually located that old thread when I started going down this rabbit hole. Those look a lot like the Predator Arena lights; I believe they provide superb light coverage, but I'm going for something a bit older looking to go with the GC 1. Now, if I only spent this much time trying to improve my playing ability....

 

[Callaghan]

I just realized you have a drop ceiling. Why not forget the "pool table light" completely. Just put the LED panels in the ceiling, which are explicitly made for drop ceilings, over your pool table. Either 2x4 or multiple 2x2, whatever is easier for you. It will work better than the Diamond light. It will look cleaner. Zero chance of ever banging your head on the light. NO work for you to rebuild the Diamond light. It's a win-win. The 2x4 panels are dirt cheap now, about $50 each on Amazon/ebay.

That is what I have on my pool table, but I used flush mount brackets to mount the panels, as I have a drywall ceiling.

I personally hate the look of a "pool table light" over a pool table in a home environment.

Here is my setup. It is PLENTY bright on the 9' ceiling. I actually wish it had a dimmer sometimes. Yours would look way better since there would be no frame. The $300 you spent is a sunk cost. Throw it in the trash, resell it, or give it away. IMO

View attachment 738453

View attachment 738454

I admit that this is also a pretty sweet setup....I am looking for something a but more old and clunky looking, but I completely respect the clean look here. Not to mention the camera, which could come in great handy for training etc. Heck, if I can start playing a bit better maybe I'll get in on the annual 9 ball threads here.

 

[DeadStick]

10' is not enough in my experience. I'm at 9' and have distortion with my DSLR camera and 10-18mm zoom lens set to 12mm. It's not bad, but not perfect either. I think 16' would be about the minimum, maybe more. I don't think its possible in a home unless its put in a Great Room.

That's strange that you're using 12mm from 9' - are you sure it's a 12mm equivalent for full-frame DSLR? Smaller sensor cameras sometimes have different mm specs than "35mm equivalent".

The ultrawide on my iPhone is 13mm equivalent, and I get the whole table plus almost all of the rails from only 49" above the table (79" from the floor). If I backed off to 9' from the floor, I would probably get 1-2 ft extra around the table. I'm expecting much less distortion when I go 41" further up to the 10' ceiling, but haven't tested it yet. Guess that would be good to do before I go to the trouble of a perimeter light.

edit: Just went and got the ladder out so I could test. You're right, there's still some ball distortion at the edges from 10' (90" above the table), but it's considerably less than from 49" above the table. I used 23mm equivalent from here to fit the table:

 

[rexus31]

Nice setup!

I know you’re happy with the egg crate diffusers, but parabolic louvers are a different animal and would eliminate the side glare you can see in your pic. They’re more expensive, but worth it to folks who are sensitive to glare or who want to keep the perimeter of the room as dark as possible.

Thanks for the compliment and the recommendation. I'm all about improvements. Are all parabolic louvers created equal? Will these work?

Amazon.com

 

[DeadStick]

Thanks for the compliment and the recommendation. I'm all about improvements. Are all parabolic louvers created equal? Will these work?

Amazon.com

I'm not sure if all parabolic louvers are created equal, but those look like good ones, at a good price. When you get them, just make sure the inside walls of the cells are mirror-like in finish as the description says.

Those cells might be a little too big, though, at 3/4". The smaller you go, the more side-glare will be cut. The same company has these 1/2" cells for only $5 more each, so these are the ones I would recommend:

Amazon.com

(make sure to get the Grid style, not the Flange style)

This is the spread on 3/4" cells:

and this is the spread on 1/2" cells:

Besides cutting glare, another benefit is that the light hitting your table will be brighter, since all that light hitting your walls now will be focused downwards on the table.

The only thing I'd warn you about is that you're going to lose most of the direct illumination from your pool light on all the cool posters and signs on your walls, so you may want to think about spotlights on those or dim ambient lighting besides your table light. You will still get light reflected off the table and floor that hits the walls some, which may be enough for you.

 

[Jedco]

We sure have come a long way from the Miller High Life lamps with the flickering, mismatched florescent bulbs!

 

[DeadStick]

We sure have come a long way from the Miller High Life lamps with the flickering, mismatched florescent bulbs!

I'll take a pic of my local dive bar's table lighting next time I'm there. It's truly pathetic, with random tiny track lamps on the ceiling not even close to centered above the two tables.

 

[rexus31]

I'm not sure if all parabolic louvers are created equal, but those look like good ones, at a good price. When you get them, just make sure the inside walls of the cells are mirror-like in finish as the description says.

Those cells might be a little too big, though, at 3/4". The smaller you go, the more side-glare will be cut. The same company has these 1/2" cells for only $5 more each, so these are the ones I would recommend:

Amazon.com

(make sure to get the Grid style, not the Flange style)

This is the spread on 3/4" cells:
View attachment 738558
and this is the spread on 1/2" cells:
View attachment 738560

Besides cutting glare, another benefit is that the light hitting your table will be brighter, since all that light hitting your walls now will be focused downwards on the table.

The only thing I'd warn you about is that you're going to lose most of the direct illumination from your pool light on all the cool posters and signs on your walls, so you may want to think about spotlights on those or dim ambient lighting besides your table light. You will still get light reflected off the table and floor that hits the walls some, which may be enough for you.

Thanks for the info, good stuff! What would be the spread on my egg crate diffusers?

 

[DeadStick]

Thanks for the info, good stuff! What would be the spread on my egg crate diffusers?

Well, in your pic the light goes up your wall nearly to the level of the light, so I would guess around 85º.

 

[rexus31]

I went ahead and ordered them. I'll do a panel by panel comparison. If I don't like them, I can return them.

 

[EL'nino]

I went ahead and ordered them. I'll do a panel by panel comparison. If I don't like them, I can return them.

You're gonna love them, whatever you do, don't touch the inside with your fingers. Once you put a finger print on them it's there for life. I promise you won't return them

 

[rexus31]

You're gonna love them, whatever you do, don't touch the inside with your fingers. Once you put a finger print on them it's there for life. I promise you won't return them

Thanks for the pro tip. I'm assuming these cut easily. I'll have to cut them to length to properly fit my fixture once I determine if I'm keeping them. I trimmed my egg crates easily with wire cutters.