REVIEW – Last year, one of the Christmas gifts we gave our daughter was a 3D-printed moon lamp.  It was supposed to show the Moon’s surface features so that you could feel the textures of the mountains and the craters, but that lamp was disappointingly smooth.  When the Gadgeteer was offered the chance to review the LOFTEK version of a 3D-printed moon, I asked to be selected.  I had reviewed a cute little LOFTEK Outdoor/Indoor Rechargeable LED Light cube a few years back, and I was very pleased with it.  I knew the LOFTEK 3D Printing Moon Lamp with Touch Control would be far superior to the disappointing Christmas gift, and I was right!

Hardware specs

• Material: PVC/PLA
• Body color: White
• Lighting Color: white and reddish yellow
• Bulb: LED
• Wattage: 1W
• Voltage: DC 3.7V
• Battey capacity: 300mAh
• Charging time: 2-3 hours
• Working Time: 10 hours or more (depends on brightness)
• Power supply: USB DC 5V

What’s in the box?

• Moon light
• USB charging cable (an optional AC adapter is available as a separate purchase)
• Wooden base
• Instruction guide

Above, you see the wood stand as it arrives.  To assemble, you simply insert the pegs into the holes and push.

When assembled, the stand sort of looks like an Escher drawing, or maybe the chair conformation of a cyclohexane molecule.

LOFTEK offers the 3D moon lamp in both 6″ and 7″ diameters.  I received the 7″ model.

The lamp has a 300mAh lithium battery inside that can provide up to 10 hours of light, depending on the brightness you’re using.  In the top image for the review, you’ll see the moon lamp sitting on the stand, tilted so that a circular metal connector is seen on the bottom left.  This serves two purposes:  1) This is where you’ll plug in the USB charging cable when the lamp needs charging.  2) This metal piece also serves as the on/off switch, the color-selection switch, and the dimming switch.  Just touch the metal to adjust the lamp.

As you can see in both the top image and the image here, the surface of the LOFTEK lamp has bumps and depressions that you can both see and feel.  These bumps and depressions “perfectly reproduce the lunar surface with data from NASA” – at least as well as they can in a 7″ size.  It certainly looks like the images of the moon I compared the lamp to.

LOFTEK says the lamp is printed of safe, clean acrylic, with no toxic chemicals used.  It has an LED bulb, so it’s energy efficient.

The image just above shows the reddish mode.  This picture reminds me of the blood moon we recently experienced.  While you can see the red light in this image, it’s more dramatic in a dark room.

This image shows the white light mode.  I took it with no flash in a dark room.  You can see that the light produced by the LOFTEK moon isn’t enough to read by, but it is great as a nightlight or as an accent light.

This image also best shows the incredible detail on the surface of the 3D moon.  You can not only feel the surface features when you run your hands over the lamp, you can see it easily with your eyes.  LOFTEK did an incredible job printing this lamp.

The LOFTEK lamp is incredible, but I find myself wishing there was some way that you could hang this lamp from the ceiling and control it with a remote control.

I have included two very short videos to demonstrate the operation of the LOFTEK lamp and to try to show the surface textures, though I think the image above does a perfect job of that.

This video shows how to turn on, select color, and dim the light.  The first touch turns on the lamp with the reddish color.  Another turn selects the whiter color.  To dim, just touch and hold until the desired brightness level has been reached.  Another touch turns the lamp off.

In this video, I’m just showing you some of the surface features.

What I like

• The LOFTEK 3D-printed moon has incredible surface details that are obvious to your eyes as well as to your touch
• Color choices can give the lamp a normal white appearance or give it a “blood moon” appearance
• Ability to dim the light makes it useful as a nightlight

What needs to be improved

• Nothing needs improvement, but I would love the ability to hang this from the ceiling – which would necessitate using a remote for the adjustments

Final thoughts

The LOFTEK 3D Printing Moon Lamp with Touch Control is a wonderful accent light or night light.  The surface details are incredible.  If only you could hang it from the ceiling, it would feel like you had the Moon in your room!

Price: $34.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by LOFTEK

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: LED lamp

LOFTEK 3D Printing Moon Lamp with Touch Control review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 9, 2018 at 3:43 pm.

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REVIEW – At home, I do most of my “work” at my computer desk paying bills, sorting papers, and staying up late. Lighting up my workspace has always been a little tricky since the computer screens themselves give of light and can get in the way. The BenQ ScreenBar Plus is a lamp that sits atop your monitor in a way that gives off even illumination without getting in your way.

What is it?

The ScreenBar Plus is an LED lamp that doesn’t add glare to your monitors, yet provides an even pool of light in your work area. It’s dimmable and color temperature adjustable.

Hardware specs

• USB powered
• Color temperature adjustable between 2700K and 6500K
• Auto-dimming
• Fits on any monitor thickness from 0.4″ to 1.2″

What’s in the box?

You’ll find the LED tube, the monitor clip, and a round controller with USB cables.

There’s a warning sticker in the box too. I guess they really don’t want you to use a USB extension.

Design and features

The LED tube itself has tiny, individual LED lights all along the length of the assembly.

Note that there are actually two “colors” of LED lights. The lamp is able to adjust between the two.

The controller has a cord permanently attached to it. There’s a standard USB-A for power, and a micro USB for the lamp itself.

The bottom of the controller has a large, non-skid pad. It feels rubbery.

Here’s the monitor clip. The cylinder actually has a bit of weight to it to serve as a counterbalance to the LED bar.

There’s a cutout on the back for the micro USB cable. The cutout is larger than the port itself, which allows the entire LED tube to rotate up to 20 degrees.

Setup

All controls are on the round “puck”. The dial is like an encoder that rotates infinitely in either direction and has detents like a mouse wheel. Depending on what mode you’re in (Brightness or Hue adjust), twisting the dial will raise brightness or change the color temperature.

Pressing the center knob turns the lamp on or off. You can also plug the lamp into a USB port on your computer so it turns on or off with the computer. Either way, the lamp remembers the previous setting.

The Auto Dimmer button illuminates with a green ring. When pressed, the light sensor (top position) determines a suitable brightness level, and the color temperature goes right in the middle. I like to choose my own brightness and color temperature, so I don’t use this. Twisting the knob returns control back to manual.

Performance

I attached the light to the top of my mess of monitors. Here are some shots of the warmest (L) vs. coolest (R) color temperature settings.

I placed some random objects on my desk and tried again. Warmest (top) and coolest (bottom).

What I like

Fits out of the way on top of your monitor, yet minimal glare on your screens. Adjustable brightness and color temperature is easy with the remote knob.

What needs to be improved

I haven’t seen much use for the auto dimmer.

Final thoughts

I’ve been trying to figure out what kind of lamp works best for my desk. I can stop looking. The BenQ ScreenBar Plus is a bright idea!

Price: $129.00
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by BenQ.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: LED lamp

BenQ ScreenBar Plus LED Lamp Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 16, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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REVIEW – I must admit that I am a fan of Alexa controlled smart devices, not only because of the smart integration but also because my kids simply love the “play around” with Alexa.

What is it?

The TaoTronics Smart LED Floor Lamp is a floor standing LED lamp that works independently or with Alexa as a smart device.

What’s in the box

In the box, there is the base of the lamp, the top of the lamp that includes the LEDs and the diffusion shade, the lamp pole that comes pre-wired, and in 4 sections that have to be screwed to together, the AC adapter and the assembly/instruction manual.

Design and features

The TaoTronics Smart LED Floor Lamp works with Alexa as a smart device. It is a 65 inch Dimmable Lamp with 3000 Kelvin Warm Light that is covered by a diffusion shade. You can control this wifi-connected light with your voice via Alexa, or it can be manually controlled.
There are apps available for both IOS and Android. The app allows you to stay connected and control your lamp even when you’re not at home. You can also use the timer function to pre-set the time to turn the lamp on or off from anywhere in the world.
Additional functions include wireless dimming and the ability to control the percentage brightness of the lamp either by tapping the power sensor on the lamp or by voice command. (For example: “Alexa set floor lamp to 60 percent). “Floor lamp” is just an example of a name that can be assigned to the lamp when you set it up in the Alexa app. The lamp also memorizes your most recent brightness settings.

Once the lamp is assembled, the power cable extends out of the bottom and connects to the AC adapter. The 4 rubber plugs seen in the picture below are shipping plugs that protect the threads on the sections of the lamp pole.

The only control on the pole of the lamp is a power/sensor button that controls powering on and off and dimming. Also, with a press for a few seconds in the off mode, it activates the wifi function so that it connects to your network. (Same network as Alexa of course)

The head of the lamp that includes the LEDs and the diffusion shade connects to the lamp pole with a swiveling ball joint. It swivels approximately 20 degrees in any direction.

The lamp gives off an even and widely spread diffused light that is easy on the eyes and yet provides adequate coverage for a 20′ x 10′ room.

App

Taotronics offers the SunHome app for IOS and Android, that allows you to control the lamp including power functions and setting scenes. Here are the screenshots from the app:

What I like

I like everything about the physical lamp. It looks great and functions well.

What can be improved

When I signed up to gain access to their app, I was initially successful, but then I got an “invalid login” message and it took over a dozen attempts over a 2 week period to finally get continuously successful access. This included submitting requests to reset my password and entering new passwords and codes over a dozen times. Access to their app needs to be simplified and improved.

Final thoughts

This TaoTronics Smart LED Floor Lamp that works with Alexa is simply a nice looking and great functioning lamp, that easily integrates into the smart environment in my home. Prior to receiving this lamp, I already had a floor lamp that works with an Alexa enabled WEMO outlet. Since I received this lamp, the pre-existing lamp is rarely used. The cost to value dynamic is usually individually subjective, so I will not quantify it. However, I am very happy to have this lamp, and if I did not, I would consider it at its current price.

Price: $89.99
Where can I buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Taotronics.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: LED lamp

TaoTronics Smart LED Floor Lamp, Works with Alexa review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 22, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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