Sunday, December 11, 2011

Battery Powered Magnified Mirrors - An Instant And Easy Solution

By David Stakes


Lighting Styles who has sold illuminated shaving and vanity mirrors for many years and one common question is the option of driven mirrors. So why would a battery powered shaving mirror be necessary? Easy installation means a battery illuminated mirror can just be attached to the wall and switched on. No electrician is needed and any active decor and wall tiles are not disturbed by the need to channel out your wall to provide and electrical power.

However the high power utilization of halogen and fluorescent lamps built them into impractical to operate on batteries - the batteries merely would not operate the lights for some time enough time frame or will give inadequate light to ensure they are worthwhile. Once high outcome LED lighting fixtures became accessible their energy-efficient use of electricity and their necessity for a low current DC supply built them into suitable for use on batteries.

So with new technology providing a low energy light source Lighting Styles went through a design exercise to make the most practical and stylish design for a mirror that would use the LED light source. The first requirement was to have a mirror that gave a magnified image. Popular levels of magnification for use in vanity and shaving mirrors are 3x and 5 x magnification. This level of magnification makes it easier to apply make-up with accuracy and enable a close shave that doesn't miss hairs in more awkward places.

Also in the design process was the requirement for the mirror to be flexible enough for use by all member of the family. So the design was based around a vertical rail that allows the height of the mirror to be raised or lowered to suit users of different height. Other practical design requirements include the ability to bring the mirror closer to the user and make it easy to fold away so an arm is used that brings the mirror 150mm forward for close-up work. Next to suit all bathroom layouts the design incorporated a ball joint that allowed the mirror to tilt and rotate so that the user can see a clear image when using the battery operated mirror.

With the style appearances of the battery shaving mirror set up the practicalities of supplying the best light source was thought of. Driving the magnified glass is a printed circuit board with 36 "T" type LED chips that release light sideways where a opaque plastic band surrounding the mirror catches the light and illuminates the face. Another practical requirement for an electric battery operated shaving mirror is ensuring long life of the battery and thought was handed to how this would be achieved. After careful trials Lighting styles found that incorporating an automatic timer into the on switch would be a good and reliable strategy for guaranteeing the mirror wasn't left on after use. Many of us are in a rush in the morning so it will be a mistake to create a battery driven mirror that doesn't immediately switch itself off! This purpose will save you the batteries and ensures long time between battery substitutions. Lastly additional developments were designed including a soft push option that switches the lights on and allows for three levels of brightness.

You can now have a classy battery operated mirror in your bathroom that is made from sturdy steel using a polished chrome finish off with a glass mirror lighted by LED lamps.




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