DIY Pool Table Light

[Goody04]

Over the past few months, I’ve been on a mission to upgrade my pool table setup. I went from an oversized 8ft Gold Crown IV to a 9ft Diamond, and once that was in place, I knew the next step had to be lighting. For years, I was relying on a basic LED shop light from a big-box store. It worked, but after playing in countless rooms with professional-grade lighting, everything from perimeter lights to Littman fixtures, I realized it was time to take things up a notch. After a lot of research (and more than a little indecision), I decided to build my own light modeled after the Littman 8x2 design. The project took some real effort, and honestly, it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of a family member who’s a skilled carpenter. Big thanks as well to @Beacon 's post ( https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/led-flat-panel-table-light-made-my-own.567023/ ) which was a guide for the build. The materials list provided was enough to make 2 lights and still stayed under the price for 1 Littman light.
Materials used:

• 56 linear feet of poplar, from a local lumber yard
• Four 2x4 LED panels (9,000 lumens each, color selectable) from Sunco Lighting
• Four 2x4 parabolic lumen panels (3/4x3/4x3/8 louver cells) from KastLite
• Kilz primer + Rustoleum black semi-gloss for finishing
• Aircraft cable for suspension

I also took Lux readings before and after the upgrade, and I’ve included comparison diagrams along with before-and-after photos so you can see the difference.

Please let me know what you think.

If anyone wants a more detailed breakdown of the build process, feel free to shoot me a PM.

 

[Cartune]

Very nice write up, I really like how you measured the lumens before and after!

 

[j13smiley]

That old light looks so harsh without any covering or diffusers. New light is much better. Congrats for doing it yourself.

 

[ShootingArts]

All in all very nice. One thing I am shy of about LED's that I encountered using them as shop lighting, they seem to weaken very rapidly. No measurements but just at a WAG I would think brightness decreased 20-30 percent in early usage. Split the difference at 25% after the first three months the brightness decreased much more slowly. Maybe just the accumulation of dust after the first few months more than anything else.

I would find out if the lights were rheostat friendly and if so overbuild about twenty percent or so. If rheostats and LED don't work and play well together I would design with plans to add additional lighting in the future. Light temperature matters too but is somewhat a matter of personal taste. If you have additional light from windows or room lighting I would match it or the light can affect aiming. Of course that can be a good thing when gambling with the unknowing!(grin)

Hu

 

[Goody04]

All in all very nice. One thing I am shy of about LED's that I encountered using them as shop lighting, they seem to weaken very rapidly. No measurements but just at a WAG I would think brightness decreased 20-30 percent in early usage. Split the difference at 25% after the first three months the brightness decreased much more slowly. Maybe just the accumulation of dust after the first few months more than anything else.

I would find out if the lights were rheostat friendly and if so overbuild about twenty percent or so. If rheostats and LED don't work and play well together I would design with plans to add additional lighting in the future. Light temperature matters too but is somewhat a matter of personal taste. If you have additional light from windows or room lighting I would match it or the light can affect aiming. Of course that can be a good thing when gambling with the unknowing!(grin)

Hu

I did some research into what Rheostat is and from what I gather it is a variable resistor that controls the flow of current. I am by no means an expert with electricity, but I have this particular light connected to a regular flip switch. These lights are dimmable through 0-10v connection, but I opted against that option to keep things simple. I am able to adjust the lumens and light temperature through switches directly on the driver of the panel.

 

[ShootingArts]

I did some research into what Rheostat is and from what I gather it is a variable resistor that controls the flow of current. I am by no means an expert with electricity, but I have this particular light connected to a regular flip switch. These lights are dimmable through 0-10v connection, but I opted against that option to keep things simple. I am able to adjust the lumens and light temperature through switches directly on the driver of the panel.

Nice! I do like to be able to control brightness and temperature. I was at the nuke when they moved the drafting department out of our old ratty triple wide into a nice new three story building. The building supervisor was going nuts! The lights wouldn't stay on in the drafting department. The whole group preferred working in low light so as fast as they tightened bulbs we loosened them right back up. Our area was commonly referred to as the lounge area.

Hu

 

[DeeDeeCues]

All in all very nice. One thing I am shy of about LED's that I encountered using them as shop lighting, they seem to weaken very rapidly. No measurements but just at a WAG I would think brightness decreased 20-30 percent in early usage. Split the difference at 25% after the first three months the brightness decreased much more slowly. Maybe just the accumulation of dust after the first few months more than anything else.

I would find out if the lights were rheostat friendly and if so overbuild about twenty percent or so. If rheostats and LED don't work and play well together I would design with plans to add additional lighting in the future. Light temperature matters too but is somewhat a matter of personal taste. If you have additional light from windows or room lighting I would match it or the light can affect aiming. Of course that can be a good thing when gambling with the unknowing!(grin)

Hu

If your leds are coming that quickly, there are probably other factors at play, likely lack of heat dissipation or poor voltage regulation.

Dimming LEDs properly is a bit more complicated than a normal rheostat and you need dimmable LEDs.