With a head fake to Neil Sedaka, here is an update on the “Light Table Sunrise”. It is working fabulously !

As the days get shorter, even with the switch back to Standard Time here in the USA, a sunrise simulator (or dawn simulator) makes the shock of waking up almost shockless.

I looked at a number of them but with most being built into an ugly balloon looking lamp, I really wanted something that would control a light of my own choosing. There are a few options but most cost more money than a “I don’t know if it will help” experiment. Fortunately, there are tinkerers and entrepreneurs and once in a while they are the same person – case in point, Wind Hover Mfg @ sunraintime.com.

The too simple model 205 is $25 and the much better model 308 is only $35. I originally ordered two of the model 205 – one for me and one as a gift. It worked as advertised and it actually did what I needed it to do – help wake me up gently. My only complaint was the 205 is just too simple. There are not external controls so you actually need to remember the “trick” to programming it. Having ordered and used the newer model, I would not recommend the intro level device only because most people will want the features of the advanced model.

With the competition to the 308 being 2 to 4 times more, it’s a no-brainer if you have trouble getting up and think a sunrise simulator is your best line of defense.