Dawn Simulators

Prodeje79

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Oct 7, 2002
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Columbus, OH
I have been searching and reading about Dawn Simulators.

I was debating on just posting in an existing thread.......
Many are pretty old......
Hank had a great post on this one:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=14753
This was interesting http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=80942

Anyway I decided to start a new one.

I am not really interested in treatment for a disorder. I am looking for a cheap solution to gradually create a sunrise to help me wake up easier during the week. Keep in mind the wakeup time tends to differ daily.

Hank posted of http://www.humboldt1.com/~zerdo which is now half as much at ~$25. I just do not like the fixed 8 hours thing. Plus I like to sleep in on the weekends. I guess I could just unplug it when i need to...

This one has more control and has a couple users on here, but it is just not worth it to get the http://www.pi-square.com/ Sunup from http://www.getlux.com/siteindex.htm for ~$135

The Sunrise System SRS100US also allows one to use their own lamp and it is too much too: http://www.morningsunrise.com/products.php?content=detail&code=SRS100US

It has been awhile since I have seen this discussion on these forums, sorry if I missed a good thread. I want to have up to date feedback and information.

Anyone have some insight here for a good and cheap solution?

I am leaning to get that $25 one and hook up my "GE reveal" lamp.
EDIT: And get an electronic timer to set it up easier..........


OK away from timers and onto lamp alternatives....
That Golite with LEDs is a rip off even at the CostCO price of $112.
http://www.apollohealth.com/golite.html

Fluorescent sounds interesting as long as "flickering" is not an issue. Plus it cannot look too hideous in my bedroom or the wife may not approve.


OK sorry for the long post! Please respond with your thoughts and ideas. It would be great to hear of personal experiences.
 
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drizzle

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Oct 23, 2003
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Seattle, WA
I have had the SunRizr for years and have used it off and on. Usually I wait too long to start using it and then don't get too much benefit. This year I started using it in the summer when I didn't need it and have kept it going through the fall and now into the shortest days. It has been a great way to keep myself on an early morning schedule; something I have always had difficulty doing.

Here is one place that carries it and the more expensive and more versatile SunUp, which wasn't available when I bought mine. I don't know if this is where I bought mine or not it was just the first place to come up on google. I'm not necessarily recommending it as a place to buy it.

The user interface is so-so but the unit itself is industrial strength and has worked flawlessly. One other thing that you will find with this and probably most others is that because it is essentially a switching amplifier it can make some light filaments "sing" at certain dimness levels. You may have to swap out a bulb occasionally until you find one that makes no noise or an acceptably low level.

You also are limited in the type of light you can plug into it but that is also probably true of all of the reasonably priced models and is a function of the electronic technique used to do the dimming.

The interface isn't bad really but the most common thing you want to do with this, assuming you use the lights for more than just your sunrise simulation, is to turn the lights full on or full off. You have to "double-click" the up button for full on and "double-click" the down button for full off. It's a minor annoyance.

Added: D'oh! I didn't see the part of your post where you mentioned the SunUp. In the immortal words of Gilda Radner, "Never mind!" :)

Added yet again: Do be careful about cheaper units. I haven't shopped around but ~$25 sounds pretty cheap for something that will control a light with enough wattage to be effective as a dawn simulator.
 
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rgbphil

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Feb 3, 2005
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Sydney, Australia
I've used a Biobrite Natural Alarm Clock for about 8 years now.....wouldn't use any other alarm clock if I could help it.

It has a simple mechanical clock face, when the lamp is on it will take half an hour to turn off...don't use that function much. When you set the alarm, it starts to glow about half an hour before the alarm is due, very nice way to wake up. To set the alarm time, simple rotate the alarm pointer to the time you want.

The user interface is pretty simple as well, just two buttons. One to fade up, the other to fade down. Pressing both buttons will activate the alarm (and fade the light down gradually if the lamp happens to be on at the same time). If you want to snooze, just press both buttons again when the alarm goes off in the morning and you have another half an hour sleep in.

They have a selection here:
http://www.biobrite.com/products.php?category=SunRise Clocks
.....though the model I'm using is way out of date compared to these I prefer the mechanical dials to a digital readout for the time.


Phil
 

Pumaman

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i have http://www.soleilsunalarm.com/
it works great, just seems cheaply made. the volume knob is crap. but on the whole its fine and the concept itself is awesome. i have no doubt there is something to the light sensitivity thing.
 

hank

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night.hoodie

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Lost City of Atlanta
Recent news story with mention of a wide variety of dawn simulators currently available:
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42809255

Thx for posting link, interesting article.
However,
Padraig Belton said:
No-one is claiming lighting alone can cure something as serious as clinical depression

I do not believe is accurate. Many claim it can, and there is a body of scientific evidence to support the claim, and it has been widely known for some time (see Matthew 6:22, for example). Sunlight into the eye regulates mood, and too much sun can cause mania, too little can cause crippling depression.
 
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StarHalo

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The Philips HUE system means you can set up any kind of lighting-change-over-time you please, anywhere you can put a lightbulb. I set my living room to a warm ~40% brightness around 8 in the evening and find it very relaxing, like sitting next to the fire.
 

hank

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Berkeley CA
Well, it's that time of year again -- the days start to get much shorter in August, so time to fire up the dawn simulator for mornings, and the bright lights for evenings, to mark out a day length comparable to late July or early August.

As 'drizzle' remarks above it's easy to forget about this until too late in the year.

Yeah, it's an old thread, but it's timely.
 

raggie33

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Aug 11, 2003
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Well, it's that time of year again -- the days start to get much shorter in August, so time to fire up the dawn simulator for mornings, and the bright lights for evenings, to mark out a day length comparable to late July or early August.

As 'drizzle' remarks above it's easy to forget about this until too late in the year.

Yeah, it's an old thread, but it's timely.
i have cheap blutooth led bulbs that can mimic sunrise and sunset it also doee holiday modes
 

hank

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Berkeley CA
And it's time again. The 'Lighen Up' $20 dawn simulator looks to me like the best available option. Fairly complicated setp, you need to set the dawn time for each day (presumably in case you opt to sleep in on weekends).
 

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