Finding ways to make the home office more appealing and enjoyable is a constant. I've tinkered with RGB lighting and had some success over the years, but without a vision, it was incomplete, there's still room for improvement and let us be honest you can't have enough RBG.
I've taken inspiration from CyberPunk as well as watching plenty of YouTube videos on office setups for Gamers. I'm also a big fan of Japanese Anime and Alter Carbon season 1. Let's not mention season 2, which dumbed down, mangled and then discarded the best bits of books 2 and 3,
I'd like to take you on a tour of the transformation from an uninspiring (boring) office, as demonstrated by the picture below, into a visually appealing office with the simple use of RGB lights and some work focus tech upgrades.
The Lighting:
Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels * 20 Panels - £380
FEAHRZEUG Smart LED Ambient Light Bars - £35
KSIPZE 30m Led Strip Lights RGB - £21
The Govee Hexa panels support 12 connected panels via 1 power supply. Or linking all 20 panels with both power leads attached. For me, this would have resulted in leads trailing down the wall. So, I've opted for 2 separate 10 panel configurations. The overall connectivity had its limitations, given that each panel had just one input and one output. This constraint restricted the scope for creating more intricate patterns.
The cheaper and less LED dense KSIPZE strips were discreetly installed under the desk or in less conspicuous areas. While the Govee's higher density LED's were placed inside the diffusers.
The hobby that I get paid for is IT, the upside is that it requires lots of gadgets and tech for testing and development. The downside, without a doubt, is the cost involved. However, I see it as an investment. The more I invest in making things quicker, more efficient, and more effective, the quicker I can complete projects. This helps me justify the following monitor upgrades.....
The 34" monitors were been switched out for an LG 40WP95CP and LG 27UL550P.
The LG 40WP95CP 40" monitor has a pixel density of approximately 140 PPI, compared to the typical range between 55 to 110 PPI. While this lower pixel density might be suitable for gaming, it's less than ideal for office-based productivity tasks where a higher pixel density often leads to sharper and more detailed on-screen content.
The 27” is orientated in portrait for the long read and scripting.
The only issue is that the refresh rates on both monitors reduces to 30Hz as the main workhorse laptop’s GPU isn’t up to the job. The reduction of refresh rate isn’t a massive issue as I’m not a PC gamer and YouTube doesn’t seem to be too badly affected.
But it does tell me that more hardware is required, something water cooled with internal RBG.
Of course, no CyberPunk office is complete without a cityscape and a very cool car
Etsy Mcarlen P1 - Standard Post 50cm * 70cm - £74
EleksMaker Elekstube IPS Nixie Tube Digital Clock
Now, onto my favourite part, the Nixie Tube clock. While it's not a genuine Nixie Tube due to their high cost, this is an excellent alternative, featuring six distinct clock faces, including a simulated Nixie Tube display.
Amazon.com - £243
elekstube.com - £150 + £12 expedited delivery
Thank you for taking the time reading this blog regarding the RGB office upgrades Stay tuned for more updates, as I'm hoping to add further enhancements, any ideas would be gratefully received.