Let There be More Light!
May. 22nd, 2021 01:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kevin_standleeOur living room has always been difficult to light. This is odd because the walls and ceiling (except the fireplace area) are white, but we've always had trouble lighting the room. Throughout the time we've been here, Lisa has installed different light fixtures to work on the issue. As I wrote a few weeks ago, Lisa extended an outlet under the computer desk using surface conduit, but that was only the start of the project, and yesterday we tackled the bigger part of the project.
First we had to once again shut down the four different computers that live on and around my work desk and remove them, their accessories, and the table itself in order to give Lisa room to work. The last time we did this, it was challenging to restore the original setup, which includes a number of interconnected parts so that the computers can share one of the monitors. I learned my lesson and was much more methodical this time, taking care to keep computers and their associated parts together and arranged logically, and labeling things for where they needed to return.
(I ended up using the last of the post-it notes from Suffolk University that were part of the attendee package from the last Boston SMOFCon. Thanks again, Deb Geisler!)
In this photo, most things have been removed. (The pile at the right is the cable modem and router, and it didn't need to be removed because it wasn't in the way.)
Lisa plugged a circuit-testing light into the outlet. She went outside and shut off the circuit breaker to the living room. I opened some of the curtains to let as much natural light in as possible. Lisa ran an extension cord into the living room to let her rig a shop light.
As we finished the site preparation, Lisa determined that she didn't have enough wire. We probably have an extra spool of wire somewhere, but we couldn't find it. So we had to go to Lowe's, where we bought another 250 feet of wire. (We obviously didn't need that much today, but it seems likely that we'll need it eventually, and the unit price is cheaper in the larger rolls.)
This, by the way, is why Lisa planned this project for a Friday. The outlet project earlier this month we started on a Sunday night, and rather than finish off the whole project with the light, we had to stop and put everything back together because I had to have my computers back online for Monday morning. In this case, had we got to a point where we needed to stop for the night, we could just continue on Saturday.
The next step was to run conduit up to where Lisa would mount a switch to control the new lights, then run the wires through the conduit and connect them to the outlet below.
Then there was another conduit to run and wires to push up to where the new light fixture would be.
Each switch will control one of the two new lights on the new fixture.
With the wires in place, Lisa could wire in the fixture. Taking these pictures was a bit challenging because of the low light conditions, and in one case I didn't hold still enough for the camera to compensate.
After completing the wiring, Lisa turned the circuit breaker on and put bulbs in the fixture.
Success! As you can see, initially she has pointed these lights up so they'll bounce off the ceiling and provide indirect lighting, but they can be adjusted to point at things as needed, such as if we do video recording or video conferencing.
We carefully reassembled the computer equipment. It was easier this time, but easier doesn't mean easy. Before putting the table and equipment back, we vacuumed and dusted. Even after only three weeks, there's still accumulated dust and such in this area, and it's really not easy to clean. Lisa delved under the desk and reconnected power supplies and Ethernet connectors as I fed the cables down to her. With only a couple of exceptions, everything worked the first time, which was a relief.
My job during this was to ocassionally hold tools and stand by to run errands as needed. When I wasn't needed for that, I could read from one of our railroad magazines to keep Lisa entertained while she wrestled with conduit, wiring, and fixtures.
Lisa still thinks we might need one more light fixture. Our living room is larger than the entire studio apartment in which I lived for a year in San Jose after moving out of Fremont and before starting to cut the ties to the Bay Area, and with its high ceiling, it seems to have lots of shadows. Fortunately, the way she installed the florescent light on the ceiling a few months ago left her some room for expansion, so when she feels up to it, we'll probably go purchase another identical fixture and install it next to the existing light to double the illumination.
First we had to once again shut down the four different computers that live on and around my work desk and remove them, their accessories, and the table itself in order to give Lisa room to work. The last time we did this, it was challenging to restore the original setup, which includes a number of interconnected parts so that the computers can share one of the monitors. I learned my lesson and was much more methodical this time, taking care to keep computers and their associated parts together and arranged logically, and labeling things for where they needed to return.
(I ended up using the last of the post-it notes from Suffolk University that were part of the attendee package from the last Boston SMOFCon. Thanks again, Deb Geisler!)
In this photo, most things have been removed. (The pile at the right is the cable modem and router, and it didn't need to be removed because it wasn't in the way.)
Lisa plugged a circuit-testing light into the outlet. She went outside and shut off the circuit breaker to the living room. I opened some of the curtains to let as much natural light in as possible. Lisa ran an extension cord into the living room to let her rig a shop light.
As we finished the site preparation, Lisa determined that she didn't have enough wire. We probably have an extra spool of wire somewhere, but we couldn't find it. So we had to go to Lowe's, where we bought another 250 feet of wire. (We obviously didn't need that much today, but it seems likely that we'll need it eventually, and the unit price is cheaper in the larger rolls.)
This, by the way, is why Lisa planned this project for a Friday. The outlet project earlier this month we started on a Sunday night, and rather than finish off the whole project with the light, we had to stop and put everything back together because I had to have my computers back online for Monday morning. In this case, had we got to a point where we needed to stop for the night, we could just continue on Saturday.
The next step was to run conduit up to where Lisa would mount a switch to control the new lights, then run the wires through the conduit and connect them to the outlet below.
Then there was another conduit to run and wires to push up to where the new light fixture would be.
Each switch will control one of the two new lights on the new fixture.
With the wires in place, Lisa could wire in the fixture. Taking these pictures was a bit challenging because of the low light conditions, and in one case I didn't hold still enough for the camera to compensate.
After completing the wiring, Lisa turned the circuit breaker on and put bulbs in the fixture.
Success! As you can see, initially she has pointed these lights up so they'll bounce off the ceiling and provide indirect lighting, but they can be adjusted to point at things as needed, such as if we do video recording or video conferencing.
We carefully reassembled the computer equipment. It was easier this time, but easier doesn't mean easy. Before putting the table and equipment back, we vacuumed and dusted. Even after only three weeks, there's still accumulated dust and such in this area, and it's really not easy to clean. Lisa delved under the desk and reconnected power supplies and Ethernet connectors as I fed the cables down to her. With only a couple of exceptions, everything worked the first time, which was a relief.
My job during this was to ocassionally hold tools and stand by to run errands as needed. When I wasn't needed for that, I could read from one of our railroad magazines to keep Lisa entertained while she wrestled with conduit, wiring, and fixtures.
Lisa still thinks we might need one more light fixture. Our living room is larger than the entire studio apartment in which I lived for a year in San Jose after moving out of Fremont and before starting to cut the ties to the Bay Area, and with its high ceiling, it seems to have lots of shadows. Fortunately, the way she installed the florescent light on the ceiling a few months ago left her some room for expansion, so when she feels up to it, we'll probably go purchase another identical fixture and install it next to the existing light to double the illumination.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-22 10:08 pm (UTC)That little indicator lamp may be one of the most useful things I have put together, especially considering its cost. I'm glad to see it continues to give good service.
Today I helped take down a tree branch which was draped over the roof of the shed in the back yard. My primary contribution was to use a pole-saw to haul on the far end of the limb, so that it didn't fall into the power line when Dad used his (electric) chainsaw to cut it off at the base.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 01:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 02:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 08:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 10:11 pm (UTC)More seriously, Lisa's father was an amateur radio operator (as was Lisa), and she learned to read packages. In summary, she's self-taught.