I will have a track light in the back of my theater that will illuminate DVD shelves as well as an erquipment rack, (in the center). The shelves will likely be only 6-8" deep while the equipment rack will likely be about 20-24" deep. The ceiling is 9'-3"

Is there any rule of thumb for how far out from the shelf fronts the track should be? I thought I read somewhere that it should be about 36" since closer in and it won't illuminate the bottom shelf at all and farther out it will be in your shadow as you stand in front of the shelf.

Do I have this right?

My guess is that the equipment rack won't be in the equation since not much light is needed on it in normal operation, (loading DVD's mostly).

TIA,
Phil

What will the heights of the shelves be and what type of bulbs will you be using?

The shelf height will be just enough to hold a standard DVD box plus and inch or so to get a finger in to pull it out. I'm thinking no more than 7 1/4" deep and 8 - 8 1/2" high. (I measure standard box at 5 1/2 x 7 1/2").

The bulbs can be as much as 50W, (low voltage), but I'd like to go no more than 40, perhaps less. The room will be a bat cave.

I could probably make the shelves 6" deep and that would somewhat solve the problem, but you never know when a new standard will come out and mess you up.

Sorry about that, I meant height from the floor to each shelf and if you were going to use spots or floods and how many over what length of area.

Oh! The first shelf will probably be about 4" off the floor to allow for baseboard. From there it will be every 8 - 8 1/2" all the way up to 7 or 8 feet. Since the room is 9-3 I'll probably have a soffet for base control, etc.

The lights are WAC 801's which are little square things not much bigger than the lamps themselves. I think you can buy either spot or flood models of the lamps, (standard 12V lamps), so I guess it would be which ever worked best.

The room is 17-3 wide so I will have 2-3 on either side of the equipment rack. Doors open in on both sides of that wall and they are too close to the back for shelving so at most I'd have some artwork or something, (where I'd add the 3rd light).

Giving 2' for the rack and 2 1/2' for each door would leave about 12' or 6' on each side. For that I would use two 3' shelves, one light each, and perhaps the artwork behind the door, (when it's closed), would be illuminated by a third.

Make sense?

Gotcha. With those I would go for about 30-32" from the front of the shelves and use floods.
The size of your artwork will determine if you need a spot or flood on them.

If you look at the internet sites for track lighting manufacturers and distributors you will find formulas they recommend using. They have different recommendations based on the type of lighting effect you are trying to achieve. I did this a while back and came to the conclusion that 30" was the best distance for my room (using flood style lights). My ceiling is 8' high.

My question is where will you be standing? If you are creating your own shadow, then you have effectively decreased the effect of the lighting you were going for in the first place. Look at having lights shining from the left and right of you, not just directly behind you.

Cheers,
Jay

I will have a track light in the back of my theater that will illuminate DVD shelves as well as an erquipment rack, (in the center). The shelves will likely be only 6-8" deep while the equipment rack will likely be about 20-24" deep. The ceiling is 9'-3"

Is there any rule of thumb for how far out from the shelf fronts the track should be? I thought I read somewhere that it should be about 36" since closer in and it won't illuminate the bottom shelf at all and farther out it will be in your shadow as you stand in front of the shelf.

Do I have this right?

My guess is that the equipment rack won't be in the equation since not much light is needed on it in normal operation, (loading DVD's mostly).

TIA,
Phil

If you look at the internet sites for track lighting manufacturers and distributors you will find formulas they recommend using.

Do you happen to remember what sites/manufacturers/distributors you were looking at? I tried searching, but haven't been very successful.

thanks,

As I mentioned, it's a tradeoff between shelf lighting and shadow avoidance. My guess is that 32 is probably about right.

If anyone can find a site with a calculator. I'd like to know as well.

TRACK LIGHTING FAQ (http://www.pegasusassociates.com/products/TrackLighting/TrackLighting.html)

Q) Where should track lighting be placed for accent lighting?

A) For creating the accent lighting of objects on a wall, the wall itself, or any vertical surface, position the track fixture so that the light coming from the fixture makes a 30-degree angle with the vertical. This will help to prevent light from shining directly into anyone’s eyes (direct glare), it will prevent disturbing reflections (indirect glare) coming from the object being lit, and it will minimize any shadows produced when the track fixture is too close to the wall being lit. If the distance from the track fixture to the wall being lit is S and the distance from the ceiling to the middle of the object being lit is D, then the correct position for the track fixture is S = D x 0.55 If you are trying to illuminate a reflective wall hanging that can produce glare (for example, a framed photograph covered with glass), do not place the track lighting more than 2-3 feet from the wall. Also, placement of track lighting down the center of a room generally will only cause direct glare in your eyes and shadows on your task area. Usually only one track fixture is needed for each object being lit.

Q) Where should track lighting be placed for wall washing?

A) For wall washing a non-textured vertical surface mount the track parallel to the wall being lit and about 2 feet to 3 feet from that wall on ceilings up to 9 feet. Mount the track 3 feet to 4 feet from the wall on ceilings between 9 feet and 11 feet high. Space the fixtures the same distance apart as the track is from the wall.

Q) Where should track lighting be placed for wall grazing?

A) For wall grazing textured vertical surfaces (such as draperies, stone, or brick) mount the track 6 to 12 inches from that wall with the track fixtures 6 to 12 inches from each other and aimed downward. In general, however, both wall washing and wall grazing might be better accomplished by using recessed lighting rather than track lighting.
Some general lighting can be provided by track fixtures aimed at a wall or by spill light from fixtures used for accent lighting.