Track lighting, first introduced in the early
1960's, has moved from a speciality item
for commercial use to a common lighting element
in high fashion and designer decors. Originally
called track lighting because the lights
hung from and were moveable along a track,
today's track lighting encompasses lighting
arrangements that stretch from several individually
directable lights clustered in one location
to flexible tracks that allow curves and
uneven celing to lamp (stem) distances.
Track lights are generally either
low voltage
(12 volt) or line voltage (120
volt) systems.
The low voltage systems offer
smaller sized
lamps and lamp housings but require
a transformer
to convert from line to low voltage.
These
transformers can either be hidden
away from
the lights or, in some low wattage/low
voltage
systems that use an electronic
transformer
that is much smaller than the
traditional
magnetic transformer, the transformer
can
be unobtusively hung along with
the lamps.
Like traditional table lamps, track lights
are available in many styles, colors, and
finishes. |
