Friday, 29 March 2013

Cree Extends LED Street Lighting

Cree, Inc. announces the next performance upgrade to the LEDway Series LED Street Light. These energy-efficient luminaires, provided in several versions and tailored to specific applications, are the ideal replacement for outdated high pressure sodium (HPS) and metal halide (MH) fixtures. Providing significant improvements over the prior LEDway Series, select versions of the new LEDway Series LED Street Lights provide up to 20 percent additional energy savings and increased lumen output, while other versions provide up to 15 percent higher lumen output and additional energy savings. These improvements can help municipalities reduce operating cost where budgets are tight – lowering the total cost of ownership while providing the same illumination performance.
Engineered to optimize illumination and economic performance, Cree LEDway Street Lights boast an industry-leading ten year warranty and offer more than 20 optical distribution patterns, flexible drive currents and multiple lumen packages. The versatility of the LEDway luminaire lets municipalities fully optimize the LED fixture to meet application and project goals.

SORAA LED MR16 Lamp Receives Architectural SSL Product Innovation Award

Soraa, the world’s leader in GaN on GaN LED technology, announced today that it received a Product Innovation Award (PIA) from Architectural SSL Magazine for its SORAA OUTDOOR LED MR16 lamp. Suitable for use in outdoor fixtures, or indoors in enclosed recessed or small non-ventilated track fixtures, Soraa’s lamp is the ideal LED choice for replacing 35-Watt halogen MR16 lamps in diverse applications.
Built around a single very small, very bright GaN on GaN LED light source that emits substantially more light (up to ten times more per unit area) and tolerates much higher temperatures than first generation LEDs, the SORAA OUTDOOR LED MR16 lamp is the only 35W-halogen-equivalent LED lamp that can be used in enclosed fixtures; produces no UV or IR; lasts up to 10 times as long; uses 75 percent less energy; runs cooler; produces a much more consistent and efficient beam; and are compatible with existing lamp fixtures and lighting infrastructure.

Thursday, 28 March 2013

Five things to consider before buying LED bulbs

As your incandescents burn out, it's a good time to consider switching to LED bulbs. By now, you probably know that LEDs have an impressive lifespan (20-something years!) and are very cost-effective. You probably also know that they're a pricey investment that can run five times more expensive than incandescents. Despite the cost, now's the right time to switch to LEDs. These bulbs have made significant advances over the last few years, finally delivering the warm light incandescents have comforted us with for decades.

Tuesday, 26 March 2013

Crystal IS Announces Record Performance from a Single Chip UVC LED

Crystal IS, Inc achieved more than 65mW in optical output at 260 nm from a single UVC LED operated in a continuous mode. The details of this breakthrough were recently published in Applied Physics Express. UVC refers to ultraviolet light with wavelengths between 200 – 280 nanometers (nm). Light in the UVC wavelength can be used for disinfecting water, sterilizing surfaces, destroying harmful micro-organisms in food products and in air, and for spectroscopy applications. Yole Développement estimates the UVC lamp market to be nearly $200 Million in 2012, with lamps being replaced increasingly by UV LEDs.

Monday, 25 March 2013

Will LEDs Soon Replace Phased-Out Incandescent Bulbs?

The standard light bulb may no longer be the right image of a good idea since incandescents will be phased out by next year. The replacement - for the item, if not the image - is one of two choices: compact fluorescents or LEDs. Both alternatives bring issues of likeability and affordability when compared to each other and to their old-style comfy cousin.

Buffalo to replace street lights with LEDs

The City of Buffalo is looking to replace the streets lights from the high pressure sodium lights to LED lighting. The costs of LED is dropping because manufactures are making more. As of now, there are 32,000 lights through the city. The city owns the pole but National Grid own 99 percent of the light fixtures themselves or the luminaire. National Grid does not currently offer an LED luminaire.

Friday, 22 March 2013

Cooper Lighting supplies LED luminaires for Idaho interstate high-mast project

By turning to LEDs for an interstate interchange, Chubbuck, Idaho was able to match the color and quality of light on nearby roadways and achieve energy savings. High-mast lighting remains an elusive target for LEDs, but Cooper Lighting has supplied a Chubbuck, ID project with Streetworks Ventus solid-state lighting (SSL) fixtures. The luminaires are installed on 80-ft poles at an interstate freeway interchange, achieving a 39% reduction in energy relative to high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights.

Thursday, 21 March 2013

Acuity acquires LED driver manufacturer eldoLED

Lighting giant Acuity has bought a specialist manufacturer of LED drivers to extend its focus on solid-state lighting. Light manufacturer Acuity Brands (NYSE: AYI) has acquired eldoLAB Holding BV, a designer and manufacturer of high-performance, intelligent drivers for LED-based lighting systems.  Founded in 2003, eldoLED is a privately-owned company headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Wednesday, 20 March 2013

Let There Be Light... Bulbs!

For the past few months, there have been in-store displays selling energy-efficient, long-lasting light bulbs for as little as 49 cents. That’s 49 cents for a compact fluorescent light (CFL) light bulb that normally costs $8 to $10. And there are other similar savings on other-sized bulbs. One sign said "cool bulb, hot price." We first thought the brown containers of bulbs were an overstock or other discount item. We were wrong. The light bulbs are part of an energy conservation program sponsored by the District of Columbia Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU). About 40 retailers have participated in the light bulb program, selling about 45,000 bulbs at sharply discounted prices.

Tuesday, 19 March 2013

Bubble Lamp That Looks Like A Smell

Scent of Light, by Diego Vencato and Marco Merendi is, quite simply, crafted to look like smell. Adopting the teardrop shape of a perfume bottle, and using a particularly clear formulation of glass, the LED lamp is coated with metal oxides to give it a soapy or oil-like ethereal sheen. “The inspiration comes from thinking of light as a fragrance, an intangible but ever-so evocative matter,” Vencato tells Co.Design.

Friday, 15 March 2013

Philips upgrades the Fortimo LED integrated spot light module



Philips' Fortimo LED Integrated Spot Gen2 has been upgraded so that it is now dimmable, allowing users to change the desired ambience of this SSL product depending on the situation. Philips' Fortimo LED Integrated Spot Gen2, an all-in-one solid-state lighting (SSL) solution that includes an integrated driver, optics and heat sink, has evolved into a dimmable module. This 600 lm module provides luminaire manufacturers with high quality of light in three color temperatures (2700, 3000, and 4000K) and varying beam angles (15, 24, and 36 degree). 

Board moves forward with LEDs

The Sioux County School Board approved the purchase of LED lights for the high school gym, weight room and stage and high efficiency fluorescent lights for the elementary gym Monday night. The lights will cost approximately $10,500 from Crescent Electric, and the labor to install them will be bid separately. Superintendent Dr. Brett Gies estimates the entire project to cost the district about $15,000.

Thursday, 14 March 2013

Origami lamp lets you fold your own nightlight

This clever lamp from German designer Mirco Kirsch has you doing all the assembly — but not with screws and pegs. Instead, the sheet metal must be bent into shape with your bare hands. You don't have to be Superman to do it, though: The metal is pre-perforated and should yield quite easily — although you may want to practice on a paper model first. No soldering or wiring is necessary other than plugging in the LED module.

Wednesday, 13 March 2013

LED LCD backlights explained

All so-called LED TVs are really just LCD TVs that use LEDs for their backlight. This backlight creates the light that allows the LCD to create an image. However, there are multiple ways these LED backlights can be arranged, and that arrangement can have a dramatic effect on picture quality. So here's your guide to all the different versions, with some funky illustrations, too.

Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Thyristor Power Control Devices from Littelfuse

Littlefise has introduced two new Alternistor Triac and two new QUADRAC Thyristor Power Control Devices. These devices are designed for use as the switch in a dimmer circuit to adjust the light output of Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs and strings. They allow designers of AC line based dimmers for LED lighting to accommodate a wide range of operating parameters without sacrificing reliability and without degrading the performance of the dimmer. As a result, a single control device can be used for LED-based dimmers or for combination dimmers designed for incandescent, compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), and LED loads.

Futuristic new Barbie comes with an LED laden touchscreen dress

Feminists have been protesting about the negative body image that Barbie Dolls expose young girls to for ages now. However, the most famous doll in the world simply refuses to die out and the company that makes it Mattel Inc. keeps coming out with newer versions of the doll to ensure that little girls always keep persuading their parents to spend their hard earned money on the same doll with different paraphernalia. Dubbed Barbie Digital Dress, the doll comes with a swankily futuristic dress that boasts of a touchscreen surface and even has LEDs packed in it.

Monday, 11 March 2013

dilitronics provides guest-friendly LED illumination for German hotel

dilitronics has created a stylish atmosphere in the new SCALA Turm Hotel's rooms by using integrated LED light stripes in the ceilings and walls that are controlled by guests. The developer of LED drivers and LED system solutions, dilitronics GmbH has turned the rooms and corridors of the recently opened, four-star SCALA Turm Hotel in Jena, Germany, into energy-efficient SSL works of art using a sophisticated illumination concept based completely on LED techniques and digital control components. The guests can control the light stripes integrated into their rooms' ceilings and walls that can produce a broad color spectrum

Grand Prix New York Announces Conversion to Xeleum LED Lighting

Grand Prix New York announced that Xeleum Lighting has been selected to convert the existing fluorescent and high-bay lighting to LEDs in its 118,000 square foot Mount Kisco, New York entertainment center. Vice President of Grand Prix New York, Nat Mundy stated, “We initially chose Xeleum to design a unique lighting solution for a new arcade that we were adding to our entertainment center. The lighting they implemented, which includes animated LED lights with custom programmability of color sequences, was so successful it led to a dialogue of how we might use their other LED lighting products throughout our center which also includes indoor go-kart racing and bowling. Our most recent project included the installation of Xeleum LED high-bay fixtures and troffers for use in our restaurant and bowling locations. With our large open spaces and long operating hours, energy costs are a major expense. Xeleum’s LED solutions have already helped us realize a significant savings in our energy bill while providing improved lighting for our customers and staff. In addition, we won’t have to worry about changing another light bulb for years to come and, with or high ceilings and hard to reach light fixtures, we consider that a very key feature!”

Friday, 8 March 2013

Cree Introduces The Biggest Thing Since the Light Bulb

Cree, Inc. introduces a game-changing series of LED bulbs at a retail price point that gives consumers a reason to switch to LED lighting. The long-lasting Cree LED bulbs showcase Cree’s commitment to LED lighting innovation. The new bulbs shine as brightly as comparable incandescents while saving 84 percent of the energy compared to traditional bulbs. The Cree LED bulbs are backed by a 10-year limited warranty and available exclusively at The Home Depot.
The innovative bulb is illuminated by Cree LED Filament Tower™ Technology and provides a compact optically balanced light source within a real glass bulb to deliver consumers the warm light they love and want. Boasting a shape that looks like a traditional light bulb, Cree LED bulbs can be placed in most lighting fixtures in the home. The new Cree LED bulb is designed to last 25,000 hours or 25 times longer than typical incandescent light bulbs – reducing the need to replace bulbs for years to come.
With a retail price of $9.97 for the warm white 40-watt replacement, $12.97 for the 60-watt warm white replacement and $13.97 for the 60-watt day light, the Cree LED bulbs save 84 percent of the energy compared to traditional incandescents. Cree LED bulbs can pay for themselves quickly and then pay consumers year after year. By replacing the incandescent bulbs with Cree LED bulbs in a home’s five most frequently used light fixtures, consumers can save $61 per year on electric bills.
Cree LED bulbs are the ideal replacement for energy-wasting 60-watt and 40-watt incandescents and compromise-laden CFL lighting. The new LED bulbs turn on instantly and are free of the mercury that is found in CFL bulbs. Unlike many low-priced LED bulbs, Cree LED bulbs are easily dimmable with most standard incandescent dimmers.
The Cree LED light bulb (60-watt incandescent replacement) delivers 800 lumens and consumes only 9.5 watts and is available in warm white (2700K) and day light (5000K) color temperatures. The Cree LED light bulb (40-watt incandescent replacement) delivers 450 lumens and consumes only 6 watts and is available in 2700K color temperature

Thursday, 7 March 2013

Brighter, clearer images from mobile phone cameras as ams introduces intelligent flash LED driver

ams AG introduced a new intelligent LED driver for mobile phone cameras that maximizes the brightness of the flash without causing the phone’s battery to fall below its minimum operating voltage.
The AS3649 LED driver uses an innovative “diagnostic pulse” – a burst of controlled high current lasting a few milliseconds – immediately before every flash operation. During this pulse the device measures the momentary voltage across the terminals of the phone’s battery. On the basis of this measurement, it reports a value for the highest flash drive current the battery can sustain, up to a maximum of 2.5A, without dropping below its minimum voltage and triggering the phone to reset itself during the main flash.
Drawing on advanced analog sensing technology developed by ams, the AS3649 measures the battery voltage and current with high accuracy, enabling it to precisely calibrate the optimal LED drive current under any given conditions.
Mobile phones that use the AS3649 can therefore generate the brightest possible flash light, without the need for a bulky auxiliary power source such as a super-capacitor. Users benefit from higher image quality and higher resolution. When taking pictures of fast-moving objects, a brighter flash enables the use of faster shutter speeds for sharper, clearer pictures.
The introduction of the LED driver AS3649 also allows mobile phone manufacturers to markedly reduce the engineering and software development effort involved in flash LED implementation. Today, manufacturers exhaustively test the operation of each mobile phone model’s LED flash system under all possible operating conditions, and at all operating voltages. The results of these tests are encoded in a software look-up table stored on the phone. Whenever the camera calls for the flash to be operated, the phone’s processor must read from the look-up table an estimate for a safe drive current value.
The diagnostic pulse technique implemented by the AS3649 eliminates virtually all of this engineering effort, since it is able to measure the actual behavior of the battery at the time of use, instead of estimating it beforehand on the basis of sampled test results.
Supplying up to 2.5A to a single LED or up to 1.25A each to two LEDs, the AS3649 is well positioned for next-generation phone cameras using higher-brightness LEDs. The device’s current-source architecture provides for effective thermal management, and an on-board NTC (temperature sensor) automatically reduces the current to the LED if it exceeds a programmable temperature threshold.
Ronald Tingl, Senior Marketing Manager at ams, said: “Consumers look carefully at camera performance when choosing a mobile phone – it is a key differentiator. By using the AS3649, handset manufacturers can achieve the best possible lighting for pictures taken in dark conditions, and at the same time benefit from eliminating the huge effort involved in qualifying all components stressed by high LED flash drive currents.”

Wednesday, 6 March 2013

All-Terrain Generator Lights Now with FRC LEDs

In addition to high-output halogens, LENTRY® Scene Lighting Systems are now available with FRC LEDs for departments that need versatility, portability, bright light, and extra power. These LEDs offer 20,000 lumens of spot and flood light at once, and very white light quite close to natural sunlight. They are 120V, only 2 amp and 240W, so one LENTRY Unit can power up to five of the telescoping LEDs at once and still have power to give, depending on the generator chosen. LEDs are solid state, with no bulbs to burn out or replace. Being low profile and rugged, with heat resistant handles, instant-on at full intensity, and rated for 50,000 hours (that's 5.7 years continuous use), this scene light will serve you well for decades. Fully extended, LENTRY Light Systems range from 4.5 feet high to 13 feet but compact down to fit in small compartments.

Monday, 4 March 2013

Zhaga publishes interface specs for LED downlighting modules

The Zhaga Consortium has published its second interface specification for LED light engines: Zhaga Interface Specification Book 2 defining a solid-state lighting (SSL) module primarily for downlight applications. Zhaga has also created a database of certified products, which are all commercially available. Zhaga, an international group of lighting industry companies, develops interface specifications (Books) that enable the interchangeability of LED light engines made by different manufacturers.

LED-Based Street Lighting Market to Surpass $2 Billion by 2020

Dramatically falling costs and improvements in efficiency are driving increased sales of light emitting diode (LED) lamps for street lighting. Costs have fallen as much as 50 percent over the past two years, and are expected to continue falling. According to a new report from Pike Research, a part of Navigant’s Energy Practice, by 2015, LEDs will become the second-leading type of lamp for street lights in terms of sales, behind only high pressure sodium lamps. By 2020, the study concludes, LED lamps for street lights will generate more than $2 billion in annual revenue.
Nearly all smart street lighting projects are still in a pilot phase at the moment, according to the report. The adoption of LED street lights and networked control systems is seriously hindered by the ownership models and tariff structures in place across the United States and in some European and Asian locations as well. If utility companies own street lighting systems and charge a fixed tariff per light to municipalities, then towns have little financial incentive to pay for upgrading their lights. However, the potential for significant energy savings, reduced emissions and improved quality of service, combined with falling LED prices, means that more and more cities will find this an attractive proposition over time.
The report, “Smart Street Lighting”, analyzes the global market opportunity for lamp upgrades and networked lighting controls across five categories of public outdoor lighting: highways, roads, parking lots, city parks, and sports stadiums. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the demand drivers, obstacles, policy factors, and technology issues associated with the growing market for street lighting controls. Key industry players are profiled in depth and worldwide revenue and capacity forecasts, segmented by lamp type and region, extend through 2020. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Pike Research website.

Friday, 1 March 2013

California plans more exacting LED retrofit lamp guidelines

Just as it did in phasing out incandescent lamps more quickly than the federal government, the state of California has a new guideline for LED retrofit lamps that is more stringent than Energy Star guidelines in some areas. The California Energy Commission (CEC) has published the voluntary guideline, working initially from research performed by the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) at the University of California Davis, and lamp manufacturers will have to comply to have their solid-state lighting (SSL) retrofits be eligible for utility rebates.