After acquisition, Ruud Lighting rewards employees

Two days after an announcement that Ruud Lighting was being acquired for $525 million, all 750-plus employees received the largest bonuses the company had ever handed out. On Aug. 17, Cree Inc. of Durham, N.C., and Ruud jointly announced an acquisition by Cree for $525 million. They said Ruud Lighting, 9201 Washington Ave., will continue to be based here and will operate as a subsidiary of Cree's lighting business.
Cree makes light-emitting diode, or LED, elements and Ruud Lighting makes LED fixtures. Cree had been Ruud Lighting's main supplier of LEDs.

Stocking up on light ahead of bulb phase-out

Karen DeCoster is thinking of entering the lighting business. DeCoster, a certified public accountant from Detroit, has no experience in the field, but after hoarding 100-watt incandescent bulbs for months, she’s hoping to sell them on Craigslist for a profit. Starting in January, the traditional 100-watt incandescent bulbs that many Americans look to when lighting their homes will become a hot commodity. New federal efficiency standards, passed as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, will make the production of these bulbs illegal then, followed by 75-, 60- and 40-watt bulbs in later years.

LED streetlights have a bright future in Ilion

Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, could shed new light on how municipalities can keep their streets bright at night — and save some money, too. About 100 LED streetlights were installed a couple of years ago along Barringer Road in Ilion in coordination with Frankfort’s Fiberdyne Energy, Chief Executive Officer Peter Polus said. Ilion Mayor John Stephens said the test program has worked out great for the village by reducing energy costs.

Larson Electronics Magnalight Announces Release of Military LED Spotlight

Larson Electronics' Magnalight.com has announced the release of the HML-5M-LED Handheld LED Spotlight with magnetic base designed to provide reliable and powerful illumination under tactical and professional conditions. Producing 3,600 lumens and pulling only 1.6 amps on 24 volts, this handheld LED spotlight is based on Magnalight's proven HML series of military spotlights that have seen use in Iraq and Afghanistan as a part of the Military's Escalation of Force Kits. Operating on any voltage from 9 to 32VDC, this LED spotlight produces a 1600' long by 120 feet wide beam and will withstand operation under highly demanding conditions.
The Magnalight HML-5M-LED Handheld LED Spotlight offers operators in military, law enforcement and professional utility and emergency services a powerful and efficient alternative to traditional halogen and HID equipped spotlights. Equipped with Magnalight's waterproof PAR46 solid state LED bulb, this LED spotlight produces more light while consuming less power. This means longer run times when operated from vehicle and equipment electrical systems without draining batteries. The rugged weatherproof and UV resistant housing and LED lamp in this unit provides excellent durability and reliability while a 100 lbs grip magnetic base provides simple and secure mounting to metal surfaces. A polypropylene handle and heavy gauge steel handle bracket provides easy positioning of the light. This LED spotlight is also available in blue, green, amber and red colors as well as 850nm and 940 nm 12 watt infrared versions for use in covert operations in conjunction with night vision equipment. A variety of power connections are available including 16 and 25 foot straight cords with cigarette plug, 21 foot straight cord with battery clamps, 16 foot straight cord with battery ring terminals and 16 foot coil cord with cigarette plug. With a housing made in the USA and an LED lamp that is Made in the USA compliant, the HML-5M-LED Handheld LED Spotlight produces more light of a higher quality than comparable halogen spotlights, while providing unmatched durability and efficiency.

Now, just light a bulb to switch on your broadband

Imagine that by simply turning on the light bulb in your room, you can also switch on your wireless Internet connection at home. Well, it's a reality now, thanks to a leading British physicist of Edinburgh University who claims to have developed a technology which can send data through the same connection as a normal lamp.

Osram IPO threatened by economic woes and LED slowdown

Siemens has planned to take its lighting subsidiary Osram public in a fall IPO, but bad news in financial markets and slower than expected LED sales could change those plans. Siemens AG announced in March a plan to publicly list its Osram GmbH LED and lighting subsidiary in an initial public offering (IPO) planned for this fall, but recent stories in the press have suggested that Siemens may change its plans. The combination of a tough solid-state-lighting (SSL) market and weakness in the equity markets may have significantly lessened the potential IPO value.

German firm Osram files LED lawsuit against LG, Samsung

German lighting group Osram said Monday it has filed a complaint in South Korea against industrial giants LG and Samsung for patent violations, a move it has already taken in four other countries. Osram, a unit of the German industrial group Siemens, says the two South Korean companies have violated patents on LED lighting, now commonly used in television sets and computer display screens.

Energy Mad to offer shares

Christchurch-based light bulb maker Energy Mad has announced an initial public share offer to raise up to $10 million and aims to list on the stock exchange in early October. The offer values the company, which makes energy-efficient light bulbs, at $37m. Up to 10 million new and existing shares would be made available to new investors at an offer price of $1. The offer opens on August 29 with the company to market it among New Zealand brokerages with that process to close on September 23.

River Walk may get new holiday sparkle

A proposal before the City Council of San Antonia would fundamentally change the colorful holiday light display that attracts thousands to the River Walk each year. The traditional 85,000 incandescent lights would be replaced by 1.76 million multicolored LED lights. The new lights are more energy efficient, but rather than cascading from the River Walk's tree canopy, they would be wrapped around tree trunks.

Philips introduces Fortimo LED high brightness module

Philips announced a new addition to its Fortimo LED family - the Fortimo LED High Brightness Module (HBM). Fortimo LED HBM is an easy to design-in, compact, high lumen LED module for white light applications. The product delivers all the benefits of LEDs without the complexity and recurring R&D costs of lens optics-based LED solutions.
The HBM is an “LED lamp” – a compact rectangular light engine which allows for creation of different light distributions using a metal reflector. This LED solution can be used by luminaire manufacturers to develop LED-based luminaires. The design-in is further simplified with one form-factor offering multiple lumen packages, so a single design can be translated into a full portfolio of products.
The Philips Fortimo LED High Brightness Module is a future-proof solution – its light emitting area, optical and electrical characteristics, and mechanical interface will remain constant, incorporating future LED efficacy upgrades.

Nanoco Look to Use Cadmium-Free Quantum Dots in LED Lighting

Nanoco Group plc has signed a joint development agreement with one of the world's largest lighting companies which is already a major producer of light emitting diode (LED) lights. The objective of the development agreement is to incorporate Nanoco's cadmium-free quantum dots (CFQDTM) into the lighting company's LEDs to create LED lighting with superior performance characteristics.
LED lighting has many advantages over traditional lighting - including long service life, reduced power consumption, compact size and shock resistance - but its colour performance is one factor that has limited its adoption. Nanoco's quantum dots have been shown to overcome this limitation, opening up the possibility of the widespread use of LED lighting in commercial, residential and other settings.
The 12 month agreement with the lighting company is expected to be followed either by further development work or by proceeding to product launch. The financial details of the agreement are not being disclosed.

Hinkley Lighting Gallery Urges Use of Dark Sky-Rated Fixtures for Home Lighting

Hinkley Lighting Gallery is urging homeowners to light up their outdoor spaces the ‘Green way’ by encouraging the use of outdoor lighting fixtures rated by the International Dark Sky Association. Hinkley Lighting Gallery has been carrying Dark Sky light fixtures for over a year and reiterates its advocacy of eco-friendly lighting as the city of Boston implements a push towards sustainability.
With the help of Hurry Associates, Boston has replaced more than 14,000 mercury-vapor street and roadway lights with Philips Hadco’s light-emitting diodes (LED), the New RX1 and RX2. According to a press release distributed by Philips Electronics North America, these light bulbs maximize energy savings while providing a relaxing and appealing white light. The city is expected to save around $1.1 million annually in electricity costs by cutting an estimated 8.9 million kilowatt hours of energy consumption because of this simple and easy change.

Republicans Pushing for Repeal of New Lightbulb Rule

With a January deadline looming on a U.S. law mandating energy-efficiency standards for lightbulbs, some political forces don't want to turn out the lights. More than a dozen Republican lawmakers are backing efforts to repeal the 2007 law that requires bulbs to consume less energy. Meanwhile, Texas has enacted a law that would exempt itself from the federal requirement, and other states are debating similar legislation.

Energy Mad mulls public share offer

Christchurch light bulb firm Energy Mad is understood to be mulling an initial public share offer to raise up to $10 million as part of a plan to list on the NZX this year. The company, known for its Ecobulb energy-saving light bulbs, was founded in 2004 by engineers Chris Mardon and Tom Mackenzie.

AVX Develops Ultra-Low Profile LED Lighting Connectors

AVX Corporation has developed two new series of connectors for LED lighting systems that maintain the same luminosity and light intensity as florescent strip lights. The standard length of most fluorescent lights is 1.2m, and currently it is impossible to reflow-mount LEDs on such a long printed circuit board placed in the fitting. As a result, the lighting strip is divided into shorter lengths joined by connectors. AVX's new 9608 Series LED lighting connector and 9609 Series LED backlight connectors feature the lowest profile in the industry at 1.4mm, which minimizes the spacing between PCBs and allows for even light distribution.
The low-profile lighting connectors utilize a common footprint that eliminates the need for different PCB combinations, while providing maximum luminosity. Additional design simplifications, including the fully customizable harness and the single-pole variation, allow for easy assembly and more LED fixtures at the center of PCB.
The 9608 Series LED lighting connectors are available in three styles: joint (relay) for connecting modularized boards; jumper (short-circuiting) to support a loop at the end of the electrical circuit; and wire-to-board for connection to the power supply unit. The PCB-mount plug connector's simplified design has the same footprint for all styles, which simultaneously saves space and eases the mounting process. The wire-to-board style connectors are mated horizontally and the joint and jumper style connectors are mated vertically, preventing interference between the metal fittings and molded parts.
The 9609 Series LED backlight connectors are single-pin, board-to-board style connectors that can be mounted on the outside of lighting strips to provide a higher density of LEDs on the PCB. The design and mounting process is aided by the availability of similarly shaped receptacle connectors in both joint and wire-to-board styles. The floating structure of the joint style connector absorbs misalignment of ±0.1 mm along the X-axis (±0.2mm between connected boards) and ±0.2mm along the Y-axis (±0.4mm between connected boards), improving contact reliability.
The advanced connector series are designed to withstand temperatures from a range of -40 deg C to +105 deg C, earning it an excellent temperature rating for automotive applications. The RoHS-compliant connector series are supplied and packaged on tape and reel (2,000 pieces per reel).

Lunera to offer a no-money down lease for LED lighting

Much of the energy consumption in commercial buildings is by lighting. But replacing row after row of fluorescent lights with energy-efficient LED lighting can be expensive: typically $4 to $5 a square foot for materials, labor and installation. In a 20,000-square-feet office space, that's $100,000. Now Lunera, a Silicon Valley startup that designs and manufactures next-generation LED lighting, is borrowing a page from California's fast-growing rooftop solar industry. On Thursday, it plans to unveil a lease-to-purchase program that lets commercial building owners retrofit their lighting for no money down. The lease is believed to be the first in the commercial lighting sector.

Bridgelux gets $60 million in new VC funding

Bridgelux received $60 million in venture capital -- funding that will bolster the East Bay cleantech company's quest to develop cheaper light-emitting diodes. Livermore-based Bridgelux hopes to use the cash to accelerate research into an array of ventures, including production of LEDs on silicon surfaces, rather than on more expensive sapphire surfaces.

Lumex Unveils Three New UV LED Standard Wavelengths

Newark, a leading multi-channel, high-service electronics distributor in the Americas, is stocking the newest QuasarBrite UV LED technologies from Lumex, which include three new standard wavelengths. Lumex states that QuasarBrite UV LEDs provide up to 10 times longer lifespan, up to 50% cost savings, up to 70% energy consumption savings and superior light performance, as compared to alternative technologies like CCFLs.
"Previously, widespread use of UV LED technology, especially in the shorter UV wavelengths, was hindered because the materials used in the epoxy LED lens degraded the lifespan of UV LEDs to less than 5,000 hours," explained Kay Fernandez, Product Technology Manager, Lumex. "Recent technological developments have allowed the epoxy lenses to be replaced by a robust TO-46 package with a glass lens, making it possible for QuasarBrite UVs to last 10 times longer- with life spans of over 50,000 hours."