how long do they take to get to full brightness The few that I've seen so far have come up to full brightness within a second of being switched on. suggestions for replacing my F40T12DX twin tube fixtures I have yet to install a programmed start ballast myself. (Haven't had any recent failures or conversions.) So I have no specific brand recommendation there, sorry. Someone else might. For instant start ballasts, I generally use Advance Centium (now owned by Philips) for cellars, workshops, and garages. They hum slightly, but are fairly inexpensive. In living areas, I prefer GE Ultramax ballasts. They cost a bit more, but are completely silent. Assuming you want normal light output, choose a ballast with a ballast factor in the high 80s. Lower ballast factors reduce energy use, but the light is dimmer, and has a sort of greyish quality. For the T8 lamps, it's usually not worth going to the big box stores. You'll find a better selection at a local lighting vendor, or an electrical shop that serves the pros. In my experience the price is similar and sometimes even cheaper than the big box stores'. The lamp's color temperature is really a personal preference thing. A 3000K lamp is fairly warm, close to incandescent color. At 3500K, the light is whiter. The standard cool white color is 4100K. Above that you get into daylight simulations. You'll find that all of these light colors are much more agreeable with a high CRI (color rendering index). The old cool white and warm white halophosphate-phosphor lamps had CRI in the 50-75 range. Modern T8 tri-phosphor lamps normally have CRIs in the 80s. Somewhere in the lamp's number you will usually find a 3-digit code. This is typically 730, 735, 741, 750, 765, 830, 835, 841, 850, or 865. The first digit represents the CRI (76-78 range or 82-86 range), and the last two are the color temperature (3000, 3500, 4100, 5000, of 6500K). I mostly use 830 and 835 lamps. What does "IIRC" mean/refer to? "If I recall correctly." Good luck, let us know how it comes out.

Philips TL950 fluorescent T8 tubes are amazing - 5000K and 98 CRI (which is lighting parlance for "looks like natural daylight" and "awesome color rendering" respectively). Less than $8/bulb from lighting supply. I usually put 2 of them in recessed 1' x 4' troffers with reflective grid type cover rather than a plastic panel (less glare, more contemporary aesthetic). Other sizes are available if needed, as are surface-mounted fixtures. Get as many as you need to cover your space. I second the Cree CR14 recommendation (same as CR22 except only 1x4' instead of 2x4', looks neater IMO). Pricey but efficient, and certainly won't be mistaken for anything from the 1970s - think more 2020s. Not quite as daylight-y though, more neutral color (3500K version) or cool-white (4000K version). CR6 round LED recessed lights are good if you like a traditional incandescent-bulb look but they use much less electricity (10 watts each). $40 each and they include built-in trim kit that would cost $12 if you used halogen floodlamp bulbs.

tried blue tinted glasses. light and dark blue. she prefers the 80 percent yellow tint. but i htink she is ordering an orange that blocks the 480 to 500 nm light waves which are blue light waves. Also, major progress. Today i installed rgb leds. took the blue led bulbs out. cut on the blue rgb leds and wow. its major difference. I took it even further. the monitor was in the mid 250 range. i took it apart to see what types of leds are used as a back light and sure enough they are blue. I inserted some yellow tint material when i put it back together and she is pretty happy with it all. now i think we can get her so that she can "loose herself in her monitor." before she could focus but couldn't find what she calls "escape velocity," which i think i am learning to understand what she means. any input further from anyone is always welcome. thanks so much. will take what i have learned and apply it to those that are light senstive and need office space.

I looked up a few articles on type of fixtures for overall lighting and found this advice: "The goal is even lighting throughout rather than have some areas brighter and others darker. Go with reflector bulbs with a flood beam spread for broad light distribution." My problem is I don't understand the language used in the lighting industry. So I searched on "reflector bulbs flood beam" and got this summary: "Incandescent reflector bulbs differ from halogen PAR (parabolic reflectors) by the fact that the beam is a diffuse flood without the optical control available in PAR bulbs. BR bulbs are used primarily in recessed downlights found in residences, hotels, offices and food service applications." I still don't know what to buy. None of this helps when I'm standing in a store looking at the displays. My strategy is to buy the fixtures over a few months while saving money for an electrician to install them. I don't know how else to do it on my SS income.