Room box lighting - Aura Lite Accent Strips

[Jim Smith]

There are many ways to light roomboxes. One that is fast and easy is to use a product by Aura Lamp and Lighting, Inc called "Auralite".

These are strips of small incandescent lights enclosed in a U-shaped strip of metal. They come in 10", 20", 30" and 40" lengths and with white, black, chrome and brass finishes. Pricing is $1-$2/foot depending on the length. They don't use much power (10" = 7.5 watts; 20" = 15 watts; 30" = 22.5 watts; 40" = 30 watts.)

Home Depot (http://www.HomeDepot.com) (search for "aura accent")currently carries about 16 versions (length/finish). We buy ours through Norm's Dollhouse (http://www.normsdollhouse.com/) (they are in our Great Links directory. Just call or email them).

They plug into a 110 volt outlet and come with a switch for turning the lights on/off.

I suggest mounting the light strip about 1"-3" from the front of the room box. If you mount it too far back, figures in front of the light strip will be back lit - not front lit.

Determine where you want to mount the light strip and make a couple of placement marks with a pencil. Use a 1/4" drill (or a handyman partner) to drill a hole close to the roombox ceiling and aligned with the placement marks you made. (Be gentle drilling through the side of the room box so that you don't splinter the wood.)

To install the aura lite:
1 - Remove the plug at the end of the cord. (No tools required.) Push the top of the plug back towards the cord. (You sometimes have to push pretty hard.) The top will come off and you can just pull the cord from the plug.

2 - Insert the cord from the inside of the room box through the hole you drilled and pull the excess cord outside of the room box.

3 - Pull the protective paper off one side of the double sided tape and apply it to the ceiling of the room box - taking care to align it with the placement marks you made.

4 - Pull the protective paper off of the other side of the double sided tape. Hold the accent light just below the double sided tape (lights facing down) - align it carefully - and push it against the exposed double sided tape.

5 - Insert the end of the cord back into the plug. Slide the plug top back on the plug. Start it at the cord side of the plug and push it forward. NOTE - the plug top is not symmetrical - one end is different that the other. The end with the small tab pointing down in the middle is the back end - it is pushed on last and winds up on top of the cord.

6 - Plug in the light and you're done!!

7 (Optional) - If you want to install the switch, you'll need a small screwdriver and small wire cutters. Just follow the directions that came with the lamp. It can be a little frustrating (small parts), so be patient with yourself.

[nobleday]

I've been researching LED NovaLytes. At the moment, I'm looking at a 1 light strip that is 1 1/16" x 11/32" x 5/16" in size. I want to try it in my greenhouse and hang it like a real size flouresent light fixture might hang. It uses a transformer because it's 12V.

I wonder if they sell them there?

[Admin]

Nancy - thanks for the post. I've added Novalytes to our Great Links directory - Supplies section. I did a Google search on "LED Novalytes" and found several suppliers.

Let all of know how these work for you.

Thanks

[nobleday]

I have purchased one NovaLyte from my friend's husband's eBay store. I need to go find my transformer around here someplace ;) before it comes. I plan to hang the light in my greenhouse. It is called Meditaion Station. I will make an album and put a couple of pics. Once it's lit the only thing I want to do to finish it up is make window glass. I plan to use a clear sheet that is called Ink Jet Film. We used them where I used to work for overhead viewers (projectors), but this should keep the dust out.


Holly's eBay store is called Grandma Holly's House and her husband's is Grandpa Tom's Glues and Craft Tools. She sells miniatures and he sells tools, transfomers, lights and things that work for miniatures.
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Grandma-Hollys-House__W0QQ_armrsZ1
http://stores.ebay.com/Grandpa-Toms-Glues-and-Craft-Tools

[Melanie in NW Arkansas]

I've used a little flourescent light from Walmart for roomboxes instead of the auralights. The Auralights are so expensive we were looking for a less expensive route. The Walmart lights are around $10. They are in the light bulb department and are advertised to be used as under cabinet lights. They are about 6 or 8 inches long. A nice thing is more than one can be hooked together. We lit a small house with one on the first floor and another on the second. They aren't as nicely finished as the Auralights but if hidden correctly, they work wonderfully.

[Janice Lee Smith]

Melanie,
Thanks so much for the information! I've spent a fortune on the auralights, so am delighted to know about the Walmart ones. Is hiding them as easy as putting stained strip wood along the side, or would it block the light? ie/ does the light come out of the sides of the strip, or along the bottom?