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| FULL SPECTRUM vs. LOADED SPECTRUM |
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Although there is no absolute definition of what qualifies as a full spectrum light source, the industry follows some guidelines.
Only fluorescent phosphors can generate (not filter) light anywhere within, or across the spectrum.
Full spectrum lamps must [evenly] cover the spectra from reds through blues. They may or may not include some UV light..
They must have a color temperature of 5000 Kelvin or greater.
And a CRI of 90 or greater.
The market is saturated with varieties of Full Spectrum Fluorescent Lamps.
They vary in terms of rated Kelvin, lumen output, and price. When "read" on test equipment, most do a pretty good job of replicating the even spectra of outdoor sun.
HOWEVER, test equipment and our actual perception can be quite different. Full spectrum designs do not take into account the great difference in total light levels between outside and inside.
Indoor light levels are much lower, and, the eye responds quite differently. Full Spectrum Bulbs do not compensate for this.
The red and blue receptor cells become less sensitive than the green cells. It's what we call "roll off".
The Skylighter addresses roll off by pre-boosting the portions of the spectrum which will later be reduced between the eye and the brain. The boosted signals and the roll off cancel each other out, and a truly even spectrum is perceived.
The Skylighter is the ONLY lamp to use this technique. |
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Outdoor sunlight provides a complete and fairly even distribution of the spectrum.
The sheer brightness fully saturates all of our color-cone cells, allowing full delivery from each cone cell to the brain.
The flat frequency response pictured is desirable for optimum color rendering.
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By adding a boost, or pre-emphasis to the reds and blues of a lamp, we are compensating for the loss of the matching receptors in the eye.
The extra red and blue gets toned down in the eye, and all three cone levels have a closer match..
The process of equalization, used in The Skylighter, results in the perception of the desired spectrum, a much closer match to outdoor light.
That is the primary difference, and advantage of THE SKYLIGHTER over FULL SPECTRUM lamps.
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Full Spectrum Lamps can come pretty close in approximating the outdoor spectrum - until we remember that beneath a given threshold of lumens, we perceive red, green, and blue at different levels
Because the overall level is much lower with indoor lighting, of cone sensitivity variations begin to affect what we actually perceive.
As light levels drop, the red cone is the first to lessen in sensitivity.
Blue light tends to break up and scatter as it crosses through the eye, attenuating the amount of blue being perceived.
Greens pass unaffected. The perceived light (right) is no longer balanced. |
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