We’re currently installing low-voltage lighting in our Roundhouse Classroom. The setup includes a small solar panel to charge a leisure battery, which powers 12-volt spotlights.
The addition of lighting will benefit our site users and enable the Roundhouse to be used during the winter when daylight hours are short. The Roundhouse has few windows and it’s location amongst the oak trees reduces natural light inside. Lighting will enable a greater range of crafts, arts, and events to be carried out inside.
We’re using seven watt warm white LED bulbs to provide reasonable lighting for activities during the winter and at our evening bookings such as Bryan’s Kung Fu sessions! We are also using a couple of PAR16 birdie lights with barn doors and gels for added coloured fill lighting. Lighting gels can change the temperature of the lighting and add subtle colour effects. The barn doo shutters allow small areas to be illuminated.
Ambient lighting
For further flexibility we’re adding an addressable LED strip (or NeoPixel) to create atmospheric, coloured ambient lighting for events and activities. Coloured mood lighting is great for song workshops, gigs or performances where the warm LED lighting is a little too bright.
Wiring the lighting fixtures
We’re using wago lever lever splicing connectors (wago 221) to connect the lighting fixtures into the new lighting circuit. These are suitable for a range of cable sizes and provide convenient, secure connections. Small wago junction boxes provide a neat solution to the surface mounted cabling, along with strain relief on the cables too. A resettable fuse is used to protect the cabling.
A solar charge controller protects the leisure battery from over and under discharge.
Meadow Orchard Project 
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