Staggering Lights On/Off with Corresponding Sunrise/Sunset +/- Offset Time

[carml]

I got a hold of a bunch of smart plugs where I can set them to turn on and off according to my local sunrise/sunset times and a plus/minus offset time. For example, I can have my metal halide go on at sunrise + 3 hours and go off at sunset - 3 hours.

How would you stagger these three lights with respect to how many hours/minutes offset from sunrise/sunset for each:
1 - Metal halide (light only bulb, no UV)
2 - UVB fluorescent tube
3 - LED daylight bar

*** My halogens basking lights cannot be on a "smart timer" as they are on a proportional thermostat that has its own ramp up/down feature to simulate gentle heating up in morning and cooling down at night.

Thanks

 

[KarrieRee]

I got a hold of a bunch of smart plugs where I can set them to turn on and off according to my local sunrise/sunset times and a plus/minus offset time. For example, I can have my metal halide go on at sunrise + 3 hours and go off at sunset - 3 hours.

How would you stagger these three lights with respect to how many hours/minutes offset from sunrise/sunset for each:
1 - Metal halide (light only bulb, no UV)
2 - UVB fluorescent tube
3 - LED daylight bar

*** My halogens basking lights cannot be on a "smart timer" as they are on a proportional thermostat that has its own ramp up/down feature to simulate gentle heating up in morning and cooling down at night.

Thanks

Photo period is 12 hrs on 12 hrs off-- both UVB and basking bulb should be on at the same time and off at the same time

 

[Claudiusx]

If you wanted them staggered, I'd start with whichever light has the lowest kelvin rating, then the uvb, then the led.

-Brandon

 

[carml]

Photo period is 12 hrs on 12 hrs off-- both UVB and basking bulb should be on at the same time and off at the same time

Both daylength and average temp changes throughout the year. As well as sunrise and sunset times. The 12-hours-all-year-long definitely works, but does not mimic BD natural environment or what is actually going on outside my window. Unless you live exactly on the equator and there was no tilt to Earth.

 

[Claudiusx]

Both daylength and average temp changes throughout the year. As well as sunrise and sunset times. The 12-hours-all-year-long definitely works, but does not mimic BD natural environment or what is actually going on outside my window. Unless you live exactly on the equator and there was no tilt to Earth.

To be fair, neither does just turning on a light suddenly, and then another

It would be best if each light could be hooked up to it's own dimmer, so that it could slowly ramp up in intensity over the day, which would mimic natural sunlight better (Lower kelvin ratings in the morning and near sunset, and brighter white (higher kelvin) in the mid afternoon.)

It's been discussed many times over the years here, and many of us have tried to find some solution to be able to mimic that process as near as possible. So far, nothing too feasible has come to market.

I've always thought there could be some benefit to lowering the kelvin rating in the enclosure significantly, right before bed. EG only a warm white/red light source to start preparing the body for sleep (mimicking sunset). But, for the past 20+ years I've had a lot of success just leaving things be, and I've never really experimented with it.

-Brandon

 

[carml]

To be fair, neither does just turning on a light suddenly, and then another

It would be best if each light could be hooked up to it's own dimmer, so that it could slowly ramp up in intensity over the day, which would mimic natural sunlight better (Lower kelvin ratings in the morning and near sunset, and brighter white (higher kelvin) in the mid afternoon.)

It's been discussed many times over the years here, and many of us have tried to find some solution to be able to mimic that process as near as possible. So far, nothing too feasible has come to market.

I've always thought there could be some benefit to lowering the kelvin rating in the enclosure significantly, right before bed. EG only a warm white/red light source to start preparing the body for sleep (mimicking sunset). But, for the past 20+ years I've had a lot of success just leaving things be, and I've never really experimented with it.

-Brandon

Very true! I have my halogens on such a setup. I do also have a very expensive top of the line dimming fluorescent ballast but even with that, the fluorescents will start to flicker during ramp up/down once the tubes are a few months old so I've stopped trying to ramp those. Can't really dim metal halides and MVBs. LEDs are a hit and miss I've found. Most are a miss with respect to dimming because different LED ballasts use different dimming technologies that don't alway match the ones used in the dimming device. No all-in-one bulb yet

 

[Claudiusx]

Yeah, If you look you can find a lot of LED controllers specifically made for ramping up and down LED's to simulate sunrise/sunset, but the problem is we'd need that control for a type of UVB bulb. UVB is the only thing holding the whole idea back.

You could use a LED array for your lighting, and a DHP for your heat bulb. The DHP can be ramped up and down, and since it doesn't emit light, you can easily hook it up to ramp up and down with the LED which is what is producing the light. But... that UVB bulb kills the whole idea as it can't be ramped up or down.

-Brandon

 

[carml]

Yeah, If you look you can find a lot of LED controllers specifically made for ramping up and down LED's to simulate sunrise/sunset, but the problem is we'd need that control for a type of UVB bulb. UVB is the only thing holding the whole idea back.

You could use a LED array for your lighting, and a DHP for your heat bulb. The DHP can be ramped up and down, and since it doesn't emit light, you can easily hook it up to ramp up and down with the LED which is what is producing the light. But... that UVB bulb kills the whole idea as it can't be ramped up or down.

-Brandon

Yup. There are also now a few LED + UVB bulbs on the market, but the initial testing I've seen by Sarina Wunderlich and Frances Baines on them tells me they are not ready for primetime. Some are downright dangerous. With regards to DHP, I stopped using them alone for daytime basking heat since reading this very informative article. They really need to be supplemented with a good visible and near-IR (IR-A) from a Halogen/incandescent bulb. The ceramic heaters are the worst, producing virtually only IR-C (farthest right on IR spectrum) which can raise ambient temps, but does nothing for a basking animal.

 

[carml]

To complicate things more, lol, there are some in the field that are dead set against any LED sources for daylight at all because LEDs don't emit any UV-A but bearded dragons have a fourth eye receptor specifically for UV-A in addition to the three colored ones.

From that article:
"If the LED also had UVA it would be white for reptiles. But it ONLY lacks UVA, so it has the complementary colour to UVA. Complementary colours to primary colours usually produce a very strong colour impression. Example for human vision: Light is white when the red, green and blue cone get almost the same amount of light. If the green cone does not see light, the colour is the complementary colour to green: pink. This is the case for plant-LEDs that only emit red and blue but not green. These lamps have strong pink colour. These plant-LEDs are probably the best guess of what white LEDs look to reptiles. LEDs will not seem something like “slightly different colour temperature” or “slight colour cast” towards reptile but strongly coloured."

 

[seleghari]

I have my guy setup next to my aerogarden (which is an indoor hydrogarden) It has built in lights that ramp up in the morning and evening and I have it set to start before/after his lights switch so he gets the benefits from it. I think he likes the routine of it. And it grows fresh greens for him.

I also use a sunrise alarm clock for myself. And that could do the same thing. It would easily light up any room an enclosure was in.

Just some alternative suggestions.