Two-stage operation?

[Mike & Lucia]

Clients ask for the funniest things....
This home needs new coach lanterns mounted on the garage wall. I suggested minimal wattage. But he wants brightness when there is motion in the drive/parking area.

Does this animal exist:
An incandecent lamp fitted with a motion detector, that will operate normally at, say, 25w, then kick up to 75w when motion is sensed? Line voltage of course.

Any ideas appreciated.

Mike

[sitelights]

The coach lights should have other than clear glass; these hot spots produced by coach lights, post lights, etc. create glare that interferes with night vision and spoils the effects of low keyed landscape lighting.

Now that you have sold the client on translucent opal, rippled, frosted or other obscure glass you have the opportunity to add a second lamp within each coach light housing. I suggest a 12v wedge base with a 921 xenon lamp which would take up very little space and could be mounted securely to an internal metal part.

The 921 xenon is about as bright as a 25w 120v incandescent lamp and would last much longer. Obviously it would take a bit of doing but the 12v lamp/socket only needs 18 gauge wire so it should be possible to sneak a thin feed wire into the coach lamp wall box or backing plate. The 12v lamps would be connected to the landscape lighting system and the motion sensor lights would operate at full power when ever they were switched on.

Since the 75w 120v lamp would overpower the 12v lamp the visual effect would not be of two lamps but only one lowed keyed lamp suddenly becoming bright when movement is sensed. As you know, a 25-50-75 three way incandescent A-lamp has two filaments but the modifications necessary to turn the 50w filament on by the sensor resulting in 75w output boggle the mind.

As an aside, aircraft instrument lighting before the advent of solid state sources used lamps with two filaments so that if one burned out the other would light up. Imagine losing instrument illumination during a night flight or landing.

[Mike & Lucia]

Interesting and thoughtful work-around, Joe. I just might be able to do that! BTW- I always suggest anything other than clear glass. I use one manufacturer for line-volt fixtures that offers spectrum-seedy. It looks great, hides dirt and goes a long, long way to soften those potential glare bombs! Thanks.

Mike

[SteveP]

An interesting glass type for potential light bombs is 'prismatic'. There's exists a ridged glass that (when mounted vertically in a fixture) refracts the majority of the light in a downward direction. Some wall-mounted recessed fixtures have an option for this type of glass.

[JC Lighting]

Although I can't provide any information about the details I can tell you that this type of fixture does exist.

My neighbor of a couple of years ago had a carriage light at their front door that was line voltage and went to dim after a few minutes of non motion. Whenever someone approached the front walk the brightness went up to full. It might be the fixture or it might be a screw in insert. I would guess that a line voltage lighting store would be able to direct you.

Jim C.

[Lightguy]

There are high voltage motion detectors that dim once the motion activated time setting has passed. There are also motion detector sensors that can be added to existing high voltage lights but containing the device be a problem. I have never seen a device that combines the two features.
I suggest putting the coach lights on a dimmer and adding a motion detector for security.