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A hand unplugs the power supply and disconnects the lamp cord.
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TL1 on a desk, time-lapsed over about 6 seconds from cool, bright morning light to warm amber as the room darkens. Static camera, no hands.
Welcome to TL1
Your best mornings start tomorrow.
A few minutes of setup, and TL1 takes it from there. It delivers the day of light set by the scientific consensus on healthy light, measured at your eye.
By day
Bright, sun-like light for sharper alertness and focus.
By night
Warm, dim light that protects your melatonin for deeper sleep.
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Flat lay of everything in the box, each part labeled, with the parts bag shown open.
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Flat lay of everything in the box, each part labeled, with the parts bag shown open.
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Flat lay of everything in the box, each part labeled, with the parts bag shown open.
Check the box
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Lamp body (panel and light engine)
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Base
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Glass
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Power supply
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Parts bag: set screws, Allen wrench and magnetic clock door
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Desk mount: U-shaped tube, two extension tubes, desk bracket with height and clamping knobs
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Wall mount: mounting loop, two rubber bumpers, wall bracket and cap, screw and anchor
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Your TL1: lamp body, glass, power supply, parts bag
Wall mount only: You'll also need a screwdriver or drill.
Find the parts bag before you recycle the box. It holds the set screws, Allen wrench and clock door.
Is your TL1 already on its base?
If you set it up as a tabletop first, take the base off before mounting.
Before you mount
Take off the base
You'll need the Allen wrench.
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Hands twist the glass a quarter turn and lift it off.
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The Allen wrench loosens two set screws and the base slides out.
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Remove the base
Loosen the two set screws and pull the base out. Keep the base and screws in case you go back to tabletop.
Assemble TL1
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Top-down: hands seat the base, then the Allen wrench turns a set screw.
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Attach the base
Seat the base in the lamp body and tighten the two set screws with the Allen wrench.
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Hands lower the glass and give it a quarter turn; close-up of etched glass catching light.
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Add the glass
Set it on the lamp and twist to lock. It's etched inside and out, so the light reaches you soft and even.
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Cords connect, the plug goes in, and the lamp starts cycling colors.
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Plug in
Connect the lamp cord to the power supply, then plug into the wall. The light starts cycling colors. That's setup mode, waiting for the time.
Build the mount
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Hands thread both extension tubes onto the U-shaped tube.
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The height knob loosens, the posts slide through the bracket, and the knob turns tight.
Step
Set a rough height and tighten the knob
Feed the posts through the desk bracket and set them close to the right height. Tighten the height knob hard so the posts can't slip. You'll fine-tune it later.
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Posts slide into the lamp body; the Allen wrench turns a set screw.
Prepare the lamp
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Close-up: a rubber bumper is pressed on near the top, then a second near the bottom.
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Add the bumpers
Stick the two rubber bumpers onto the back of the lamp, one near the top and one near the bottom.
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The bottom loop slides into the lamp body; the Allen wrench turns a set screw.
Clock
Set the clock once.
This one clock runs SolarFlow, TL1's automatic day of light. No app, no wifi, nothing to manage. TL1 keeps its time and HI/LO setting when unplugged.
The glass isn't on yet. Don't look directly at the bare LEDs while they're lit, and don't touch them.
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Close-up of the clock display as a thumb turns the dial and the digits advance.
Step
Set the time
TL1 starts in setup mode, cycling colors. If it isn't, press and hold the dial for two seconds. Turn the dial to the current time.
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Cords connect, the plug goes in, the lamp starts cycling colors, then a thumb turns the dial to set the time.
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Plug in and set the time
Connect the lamp cord to the power supply and plug it into the wall. TL1 starts in setup mode, cycling colors. Turn the dial to the current time.
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A brief click on the dial; the HI/LO indicator flips and the lamp brightens or dims behind it.
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Press and hold with a two-second overlay; colors stop cycling; the magnetic door snaps on.
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Save and close
Press and hold for two seconds. The colors stop cycling. Snap the magnetic door over the display.
HI vs LO
HI · The full daytime dose
DefaultBright, energizing light that gives your body clock its full daytime signal. TL1 comes set to HI.
250 m-EDI · Engineered to meet WELL circadian Tier 2
LO · A softer daytime signal
Gentler light that still tells your body it's daytime.
136 m-EDI · Engineered to meet WELL circadian Tier 1
What's m-EDI?
Lumens measure the light a lamp gives off. Lux measures how much reaches you. m-EDI measures how much of that light your body clock responds to, which is why TL1 is built around it.
Switch anytime: press and hold the dial to return to setup, click briefly to switch, then press and hold to exit.
Mount it
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Side angle at desk height: the bracket slides fully on, the knob turns tight, a hand nudges the lamp and it doesn't move.
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Clamp it tight
Slide the bracket all the way onto the desk edge, then tighten the clamping knob hard, as far as it turns by hand. Nudge the lamp. If it shifts at all, tighten more.
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Seated view: a hand loosens the height knob, slides the lamp head to eye level, and tightens it.
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Fine-tune the height and tighten the knob
Loosen the height knob, raise or lower TL1 so it sits in your field of view, then tighten the knob hard again.
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Hands lower the glass and give it a quarter turn; close-up of etched glass catching light.
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Add the glass
Set it on the lamp and twist to lock. It's etched inside and out, so the light reaches you soft and even.
Adjusting the height later? Hold the lamp with one hand while you loosen the knob, so it can't drop.
Mount it
Use mounting hardware suited to your wall. The included screw and anchor are for convenience only.
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At the wall: a screwdriver drives the bracket in, then the cap threads on.
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Hands lower the glass and give it a quarter turn; close-up of etched glass catching light.
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Add the glass
Set it on the lamp and twist to lock. It's etched inside and out, so the light reaches you soft and even.
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Side angle: the upper loop drops over the cap, the lamp settles against the wall on its bumpers, and the cord reconnects.
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Hang it
Hook the upper loop over the bracket cap. If you disconnected the lamp cord, reconnect it to the power supply.
Place
Find the perfect spot.
Distance decides how much light reaches your eyes. Put TL1 where you spend your mornings, within 30" (75 cm) and facing you. In that range, it delivers the full daytime dose set by the international consensus on healthy light.
Short on desk space? The desk mount lifts TL1 off the surface, and the wall mount takes it off entirely.
Pick a spot on your desk edge where the glass will sit within 30" of you.
Pick a spot on the wall where the glass will sit within 30" of where you sit.
See the mounts →Still
From above: overhead view of a desk, laptop centered, TL1 to one side. A thin line runs from the seat to the glass, labeled 30" / 75 cm.
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From your seat: over-the-shoulder view from the chair. TL1 sits in peripheral view, glass facing the person.
Setting up for the first time? Start here →
← Back to setup
You're set
Your day of light starts now.
Just press the dial and TL1 runs on its own. Here's what to expect, and how to make it yours.
A perfect day of light.
This is SolarFlow, TL1's automatic day of light. Mornings are bright by design. By evening, the light turns warm and dim.
Drag to move through the day
Or customize to your likingTurn the dial to set the light by hand. It stays that way until you turn TL1 off. Turn it off and on again, and SolarFlow takes back over.
Need a hand?
Questions about setup or how TL1 works? We're here to help.
[Support contact and response time]
Make it yours.
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TL1 on the desk mount and the wall mount, side by side.
Accessories
Move TL1 off your desk with a desk or wall mount. Switching takes a few minutes.
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A phone toggles a smart plug and TL1 comes on.
Smart plugs and switched outlets
Turn TL1 on and leave it on. From then on, a smart plug or switched outlet can control it. When the power comes on, TL1 comes on in SolarFlow, even if you'd set the light by hand.
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Early morning, dark window; someone sits down at the desk as TL1 comes up bright.
Your schedule
Run earlier or later than most? Bump the clock to match, and your whole day of light moves with it.
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A hand turns the dial on TL1; a packed suitcase in soft focus behind it.
Beat jet lag
Crossing time zones? Set TL1 to your destination's time before you go. It helps you adjust before you take off. Set it back when you're home.
Energized mornings. Focused afternoons. Restful evenings.
Most people feel a change within days. Here's what independent research on the SunLike LEDs inside TL1 has measured.
By day
1.8×
Faster waking.
Seoul National University College of Medicine.
Up to 2.5×
Faster problem-solving at the same color temperature.
Harvard Medical School.
34 adults, SunLike vs. conventional LED. 39 students, four lighting conditions.
By night
23%
Faster sleep onset.
1.3×
Better sleep quality.
Both: Seoul National University College of Medicine.
34 adults, SunLike vs. conventional LED.
Built to the 2022 scientific consensus: 250 m-EDI by day, under 10 by evening. Measured at your eye.
Questions
In the morning, yes. Bright, cool light is the signal your body clock uses to start the day. Prefer it softer? Switch to LO.
Warm, dim evening light is part of the program. Enough to read by while your body winds down.
HI delivers the full daytime dose of 250 m-EDI. LO delivers 136 m-EDI, a softer setting that still sends a real daytime signal.
Turn TL1 off and on again. It comes back in SolarFlow.
Yes. Bump the clock to match. Reach out if you'd like help.
No need. An hour's difference is within what the program is designed for.
It keeps its time and HI/LO setting. If TL1 was on when the power went out, it comes back on in SolarFlow. If it was off, it stays off.
Yes. Turn TL1 on and leave it on. Whenever the plug turns on, TL1 comes on in SolarFlow, even if you'd set the light by hand.
No. Everything runs from the clock you set.
Yes. Remove the base in a few minutes, then attach a desk or wall mount.
From the founders
Thank you for joining us.
We built TL1 to bring the light your body expects back indoors. We hope you feel the difference in the days ahead.
Tim and Christian, co-founders of Primitive
