News from the Lighting Technology Laboratory

New Instruments for Thermal, Operating Current and Voltage Measurements

In 2009 the laboratory obtained another set of modern instruments with support from the Higher Education Development Fund, grant no. 2531. These instruments improved laboratory teaching in lighting technology courses and made it possible to perform measurements that had previously been only approximate or not available at all.

Most of the new instruments are digital. Many of them communicate directly with a computer or allow measured data to be downloaded for further processing. The list of instruments is available in the Equipment section.

New Spectrophotometers, Spectroradiometers and Colorimeters

In 2006 the laboratory was equipped with a new set of modern digital Konica Minolta instruments for spectrophotometric, spectroradiometric and colorimetric measurements. The acquisition, supported by the Higher Education Development Fund and by the Department of Electrical Power Engineering, represented a major upgrade of the teaching laboratory.

Students can now work with instruments capable of precise spectral analysis of light and evaluation of colorimetric quantities such as chromaticity coordinates, correlated color temperature, color rendering index and surface color properties.

Relocation of the Laboratory

The original Lighting Technology Laboratory was located in the basement area of the former Department of Power Engineering at Antoninska 1 in Brno. In 1996 the department moved to the new premises at Purkynova 118. This relocation mainly increased the available laboratory space.

Another relocation took place in 2005, when the laboratory was moved to reconstructed rooms at Technicka 8, room A3-609. The new space brought improved wall finishes with low reflectance black matte paint, new furniture for safe storage of measuring equipment, air conditioning, digitally controlled DALI lighting, reconstructed work benches and other improvements.

Reconstruction of Photometric Benches

During the move to the new premises, the original photometric benches and their supporting tables were replaced by robust welded constructions with adjustable supports. The main bench provides a stable guiding track for photometric measurements. The smaller bench was rebuilt as a mobile unit to make the laboratory layout more flexible.

Reconstruction of the Integrating Sphere

The integrating sphere had been dismantled and assembled several times and required a major reconstruction, especially of the inner surfaces and the supporting structure. The renewed construction provides more stable and accurate movement of the movable part. The inner surface was repaired, smoothed and coated with a new diffuse paint, improving measurements of luminous flux of sources and luminaires.