May 2009 Archives

LED manufacturers need to educate distributors on LED technology - survey

By Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on May 28, 2009 5:13 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Energy Smart Marketers have announced the results of their recent survey of electrical and lighting distributors. According to the company, the survey "demonstrates the importance of the sales channel for LED lighting manufacturers in gaining access to the emerging solid-state lighting market".

Results from the survey include: "Distributors make the recommendation to the end customer about which brand of LED lighting to specify almost 60% of the time; and more than 80% of distributors surveyed sell as many as seven different brands of LED light engines or fixtures. Yet, 78% of the distributors also said they were not receiving enough product and sales training from LED suppliers."

The survey was conducted with 1,100 people from 400 different electrical and lighting distributors.

Other results reported by the surveyors:
Continue reading LED manufacturers need to educate distributors on LED technology - survey.

Scottish firms develop 'mystery' LED backlight technology

By Richard Wilson on May 27, 2009 12:47 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Two Scottish companies claim to have made a breakthrough in the development of very thin LED backlights for large area displays.

Details of the 'breakthrough' seem to be secret until next week in Texas.

Continue reading Scottish firms develop 'mystery' LED backlight technology.

How to choose an LED for lighting

By Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on May 26, 2009 5:18 PM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks
LED lighting.jpgDon't miss a new LED feature on the webiste - How to choose an LED for lighting

LED technology is already demonstrating itself as a versatile and efficient choice for decorative lighting effects and the scope for using white LEDs for general illumination is enormous through the technological developments that have taken place in recent years, writes Jason Ford.

LEDs are changing the future of lighting, he states, and it is estimated that by 2020 LEDs will represent at least one third of the general lighting market.

The article begins:
Continue reading How to choose an LED for lighting.

Colour rendering index - LEDs versus incandescents

By Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on May 26, 2009 1:29 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
LEDs are further challenging incandescents - a lighting product has been announced with a colour rendering index (CRI) of 92, putting it amongst incandescents for colour quality.

"The LRP-38 generates a CRI of 92 at a colour temperature of 2,700K. The tightly-focused beam delivers a centre beam candlepower of 4,000 with a beam angle of 20 degrees," said Cree. "This light is designed to replace 50-90W halogen PAR38 bulbs in various applications."

Input power is 12W - with the firm claiming a total delivered minimum efficacy of 42 lm/Watt.
Continue reading Colour rendering index - LEDs versus incandescents.

LED spots light up art gallery in China

By Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on May 22, 2009 1:22 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
art spotlight.JPGLEDs are being used to change the way art is viewed in China. Specifically, exhibits at Da An Art Gallery in Zhongshan City, China, are spotlighted by Z-Power LEDs from Seoul Semiconductor.

A benefit of LEDs is that they don't emit ultraviolet radiation, so don't require the filters used with traditional halogen and fluorescent lamps to protect the pictures.

The installation replaced 50W halogen lamps with 7.2W LED spotlights, which according to Seoul Semiconductor could have a 85% power saving.
Continue reading LED spots light up art gallery in China.

Site Update: LED car headlights within the year

By Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on May 21, 2009 11:48 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
27may09HellaVW 200.jpgStandard cars will have LED headlights in the next 18 months, according to headlight maker Hella.

"Expect a breakthrough into volume within the next year or one and a half years," Steffen Pietzonkam head of marketing at Hella, told Electronics Weekly, "We are working on 13 or 14 car models with full LED headlamps."

Both Audi's R8 and Cadillac's Escalade Platinum are in production with full (both main and dip beams) LED headlights.

Read the full story - LED headlights within the year

LEDs just like washing powder - standards produce cleaner products

By Gordon Routledge on May 19, 2009 11:16 AM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks

Makers of washing powder ads always used advertise that the latest version - produced whiter whites, and that you'd be crazy to use any other old rubbish. Sadly, these days I don't watch day time TV (university days long gone), so i don't know if this still goes on.

However - developing LED products can be a very similar experience. No sooner have you finished a design, then, somebody introduces a new and improved version - higher efficacy, better binning - you'd be crazy to even think about using any other old rubbish. The electronics industry rule that old boards never die, they simply fade away is especially true in lighting.

Standardisation of device packages such as we've known for a long time in the wider electronics industry makes life a lot easier - same pcb dimensions, mounting arrangements etc - We ain't there yet - but a I feel we are getting closer.

Osram has just introduced the OLSON.

Continue reading LEDs just like washing powder - standards produce cleaner products.

Poll: What type of LEDs do you use in your design?

By Alistair Winning on May 19, 2009 11:07 AM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks
A quick poll to take the temperature, courtesy of Poll Daddy.

What's the big deal with LED traffic lights?

By Gordon Routledge on May 13, 2009 5:04 PM | 9 Comments | No TrackBacks

Someone asked me this the other day, so I'll share my answer as it involves some pretty impressive figures.

London has over 5000 traffic intersections, each one comprising an average of 10 traffic signals, making  about 50,000 signals. If those were to be converted to LED lights, the resulting saving in electricity alone (assuming a cost of 6 p per unit) turns out to be almost £1 million a year, with an annual reduction in carbon emissions of more than 9500 tonnes.

Presently, light bulbs in conventional traffic lights are changed every year, so as LEDs can be expected to last up to 10 years they would avoid up to 8 maintenance visits over their lifetime. That's a lot of cherrypickers out of work.

Continue reading What's the big deal with LED traffic lights?.

Site update: LEDs challenge incandescents in colour rendering

By Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on May 1, 2009 1:30 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
yourfile.jpgAnother LED development story, from the News index:
LEDs are further challenging incandescents as LED maker Cree has announced a lighting product with a colour rendering index (CRI) of 92, putting it amongst incandescents for colour quality.
Read the full article >>

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Author Profiles

Paul Ward
As Opto Product Manager at Farnell, Paul is overseeing the company's involvement in the rapidly evolving and high profile LED lighting market sector.

As well as ensuring that Farnell offers the latest technologies and products related to solid state lighting, Paul is also responsible for ensuring that the resources are in place to make it easier for design engineers to specify and design-in LED solutions for their applications.

Educated in Production Engineering and Design at Sheffield Hallam University, Paul has worked in various engineering, training and marketing roles for companies including C&K switches, ITT Cannon, Cherry and LED specialist Chicago Miniature Lighting.

Away from the world of LEDs, Paul is a Founder of the charity RTTW, Photographer and Harley Davidson rider; he has ridden and snapped across Europe, New Zealand and the USA on his chrome hog!

Gordon Routledge
Gordon Routledge is one of the original pioneers in LED illumination having worked with LEDs in illumination applications since 1996. Currently VP of Illumination at Dialight, Gordon founded Lumidrives in 2001, having previously been managing director at ACDC Lighting Systems. Gordon has a degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from university of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.

Ian Bryant
ian bryant.jpgIan Bryant is Business Development Manager LED Division at Carclo Technical Plastics. He has worked on and off at Carclo (Formerly Combined Optical Industrial) since leaving school. He has worked through the company from Toolmaking to starting the company on the road of LED optics business some 6-7 years ago, starting with a standard range and more in line with the business of custom optics. In between all this he has worked in engineering and as a works Director for a hydraulics company but kept getting pulled back to the optics industrial. We are able to offer the full solution from idea to parts so have a very good understanding on what is needed. You will see some posts from our design team also under my name.

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This page is an archive of entries from May 2009 listed from newest to oldest.

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