Music Stand Lighting

[artelagro]

I lost the use of one eye a few years ago and need good local lighting to help read my music, especially the pencil annotations such as fingering.
My music stand has a mains powered light built-in which used a 25 Watt incandescent bulb (now an 8W compact fluorescent bulb) and my wish just now is to have this converted to battery power using LEDs, thus freeing me from the mains cord. Ideally this would be light and portable, capable of clipping onto other music stands.
I have tried various alternatives to date such as head mounted lights, neck/scarf lights etc.
Clip-on lectern lights having two 8” long flexible arms with 2xLEDs per head are the best I have found so far but I really need two sets of these to give the spread of light needed to cover two pages.
Each time I look on Ebay, I find new designs which look attractive but none of them look as if they would span wide enough.
Can anyone help this fussy cratur.
Garth

 

[JerryPH]

There are solutions out there, not sure how close to you:

http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title...+lights&mkwid=sAcZnSi2X%7Cpcrid%7C85220240348

https://www.amazon.ca/Mighty-Bright...dp/B000L7MNUM?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

https://arialights.com/

http://www.mightybright.com/Music-Lights/LED-Orchestra-Light/

Hope this helps.

 

[artelagro]

Jerry - Thanks for your interest and speedy reply.
My present 'solution' is very similar to the Mighty-Bright model but with 2 x bulbs per head. It took me about two years and lots of Ebay purchases to reach this point.
The rechargeable Aria looks to give a near perfect spread of light, but the cost - ouch. I am loath to buy an expensive one because, until I try it, I won't be able to tell if it will do the job.
The main problem I have been finding is the 'spotlight' action of the LEDs. Has anyone tried the strip of LEDs that the boy racers use. I believe they can be cut to length. I reckon about 6 to 8 bulbs will be needed if I can find a way to angle them.
Told you I was fussy.
Garth

 

[Nuuksu]

I havent purchased from aliexpress, but there is something like this

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/9-LE..._3&btsid=338b71e5-4d43-4ba2-820b-375c5ef0e359

 

[artelagro]

Nuuksu - Ordered thanks. I have also left a bid on a twin head one with four bulbs per head.
When they arrive I will report on pros and cons of each.
Garth

 

[JerryPH]

Over the years, I have bought many times from Aliexpress.

First I will say is, general quality is lower than normal and time to arrive is normally 3-5 weeks to Canada from China. Anything made from plastic, it is really cheap and thin plastic. For example, I bought an Otterbox clone for my phone for $9. It lasted all of 2 weeks before breaking. I have original Otterbox protectors that are going on 9 years and dozens of drops with nothing more than cosmetic damage... so I bought the real thing for my cell (they also offer free lifetime replacements for all their products, so, yes, paying $75 for me is worth it).

Electrical plugs, connectors and similar, excellent idea to get from Aliexpress. TRRS plugs that are $14 each here are $1.50 for TWO from Aliexpress.

In general, don't have high expectations about quality from them, and you will be satisfied. The moment you want something better or of higher than "cheap" quality, if you expect a $75 level of performance from a $20 part, prepare to be disappointed.

Just wanted to share an opinion.

 

[artelagro]

The one I ordered was Ebay item No 141745936501. I didn't pay any attention to the seller's name but the item looks identical.
re the quality, the weight of the light and battery holder is only 235 grams so I am not expecting much. In fact its light weight may even be an advantage for my proposed use - only time will tell.
If it turns out to be a real dud, I will report back to warn others - this won't be the first pup I have bought from Ebay
Garth

 

[JerryPH]

Often, I am the kind of guy that when presented with his kind of need enjoy pulling it out as a DIY (Do It Yourself) project. My solution to getting good light on my setup was much easier because it is a single static location, so a change to a 45 watt halogen (equivalent to a 105 watt bulb but whiter light), was all it took for me, however, let me ask a few of my more enthusiastic members in the car club for a few hints and I will report back once I hear anything.

My guess is that a longer holder, battery pack and strong LED set up should be easily made for less than what it costs to purchase, plus it's always fun to do it yourself, if you are of that mind.

 

[artelagro]

The first of my LED lights arrived this morning. It was an Ebay purchase from an English seller and described as a ‘Dual head music stand light with 8xLED – Very Bright’
I fitted the supplied 1.5v AAA batteries, pressed the switch and 4xLEDs on one head lit – Looks good and gave a spread of light, not spotlight beams like my previous one. Pressed the switch again and the head went into ‘Super Bright’ mode.
Switched on the other head then attached the spring clip to my music stand. It gave a good cover over both A4 pages and I could read the pencil annotations. The only fault I could find so far was the brightness – far too much for my eyes. I now switched to 1.2 volt rechargeable batteries and this has dimmed it down to a comfortable level.
The final test on this one was to transfer it to my little plastic, foldaway music stand and here, the light weight of the battery pack proved to be no problem. I now have what looks to be the perfect answer for me.
p.s. I have just done an Ebay search for ‘8LED music stand light’ and very similar spec lights from China are available for under £3. How can you lose?
Garth

 

[JerryPH]

The first of my LED lights arrived this morning. It was an Ebay purchase from an English seller and described as a ‘Dual head music stand light with 8xLED – Very Bright’

p.s. I have just done an Ebay search for ‘8LED music stand light’ and very similar spec lights from China are available for under £3. How can you lose?

Garth, thanks so much for sharing your experiences. If I could add anything, using rechargeable batteries will not only give you the lower lighting power but pay for themselves by not needing you to continually buy and toss regular batteries away, which at the same time is a lot friendlier to our environment.

As far as prices under £3, that cannot be beat, even by DIYers.

 

[artelagro]

The second LED light arrived from China this morning and, for only £6, I am very impressed with the quality. This one has one flexible gooseneck arm and 9 x LED’s which are each angled to give a spread of light over the two pages. The clip which attaches to the music stand is again, also the battery holder and on this model it takes 3 x AA sized cells. I am using 1.2V, NiMH rechargeables which should give about 30 hours life. The switch gives a bright or dim option and I haven’t yet decided which I prefer.
I have taken three photographs showing:-
1) Today’s light with 9 x LEDs
2) The twin gooseneck model with 4 x LEDs per head.
3) The original mains unit with an 8W compact fluorescent bulb.

At this stage, I am going to keep the 9 x LED fitting in place as my working light and relegate the mains lamp to the cupboard. If I cannot adjust to the LED type of illumination, then I can always switch back. Right now I am free of the mains cord.

Garth

 

[Nuuksu]

If you find someone who can do electronics work then you can make these led light brightness PWM controllable. There are very much simple controller schematics available on web.

 

[Soulsaver]

The one I ordered was Ebay item No 141745936501. I didnt pay any attention to the sellers name but the item looks identical.
re the quality, the weight of the light and battery holder is only 235 grams so I am not expecting much. In fact its light weight may even be an advantage for my proposed use - only time will tell.
If it turns out to be a real dud, I will report back to warn others - this wont be the first pup I have bought from Ebay
Garth

I bought this one based on your summary Garth. Thanks, excellent, ... and came with a usb cable which can be used instead of the batteries, albeit (only) 1m long. You can get them cheaper from China, wait longer, and longer wait again if there is a quality problem. But the UK seller supplies it with 3 off AA batteries, the USB cable & postage for...£4!

Edit: corrected UK seller.

 

[Soulsaver]

Ive just realised that it was an auction ending a couple of hours after I looked... so there was an element of luck involved... it was this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-T...685307?hash=item210c80c0bb:g:0MEAAOSwwpdW-pIN

.. but the one I got started at £4, I was the sole bidder.

 

[JerryPH]

If you dont mind the wait from the orient, you can pick one up for well under under 2 pounds delivered to your door, and not even need to bother with auction sites.

Delivery times are usually in the 2-3 week range, which for items that you are not in a rush for, is worth the wait for the lower price... but this is penny pinching at its best... lol

 

[Soulsaver]

If you dont mind the wait from the orient, you can pick one up for well under under 2 pounds delivered to your door, and not even need to bother with auction sites.

Delivery times are usually in the 2-3 week range, which for items that you are not in a rush for, is worth the wait for the lower price... but this is penny pinching at its best... lol

Yep - you can. Does include the batteries or the USB cable ..?

 

[JerryPH]

Unfortunately, I do not know, but the brand name, make and model are the same. For my needs because I don't gig anymore I use a stationary overhead lamp for my needs.