Crystal IS has augmented its Optan SMD

Crystal IS has augmented its Optan SMD (surface mount device) product line for instrumentation with the addition of higher light output and wavelength specific bins to meet increased demand for UVC LEDs in fluorescence spectroscopy, imaging and biofouling control. The high-performance UVC LED uses lattice-matched native aluminum nitride substrates and offers high light output at wavelengths from 250 to 280 nm.

LED-lit fishing nets save sea turtles from getting caught

Sometimes, it's the simplest tech that makes the biggest difference. University of Exeter researchers have crafted fishing nets with evenly distributed green LED lights (one every 33 feet) that warn sea turtles away without spooking fish. While scientists have yet to nail the exact reason the lights steer the turtles clear, one researcher tells Tech Insider that it's likely just a matter of visibility -- the turtles stand a better chance of seeing the net in time to avoid it. It's not only quite effective in early tests (it reduced green turtle deaths by 64 percent), but relatively cheap at $100 to cover a giant 1,640ft net with 50 lights.

Glowing Mood Ring House shows off its personality

If a home that changes appearance with the press of a button sounds like a sci-fi fantasy, you may be surprised to learn that it already exists. Architecture studio Silo AR+D completed the Mood Ring House, an expressive LED-studded building that glows a variety of colors depending on the settings of a smartphone app. Located in an eclectic neighborhood in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the Mood Ring House serves as a live-work space with beautiful views of the surrounding forest and distant mountains.

OLED Lighting Flickers Through Growing Pains

The market for OLED lighting panels has been met with uncertainty in recent years. That uncertainty results from disagreements over what technology developed for OLEDs in smartphone displays can be transferred into OLED lighting. In general, though, predictions have been positive. The market is expected to reach almost $1.5 billion in 2021, up from around $30 million in 2015, according to a recent report from Yole Developpement.

2017 Buick Encore Gets Sculpted LEDs and Latest Tech

The third and final member of the GM subcompact crossover family has just received its due updates. We are referring to the Buick Encore, the beneficiary of 2017 features that includes a full exterior redesign and a more high-tech cabin. The smallest yet also most popular Buick model in America now looks more refined thanks to a new front fascia and sharp LED headlights. Designers also installed new mirrors, updated LED taillight graphics and a chrome exhaust. New colors have also been introduced, namely Black Cherry Metallic, Ebony Twilight Metallic, and White Frost Metallic.

New Cree XLamp CXA2 High Density LEDs Double Lumen Output

Cree, Inc. continues to break performance barriers with the introduction of Cree XLamp CXB1310 and CXB1520 High Density LED arrays. Incorporating elements of Cree's SC5 Technology Platform, the new LEDs deliver the highest lumen density at 6mm and 9mm - the most lumens in the industry for their LES [light emitting surface] sizes. The advancement enables radically new and differentiated LED lighting form factors for applications like track lights, lamps and downlights. For example, the CXB1520 LED packs the lumen output of seven 60-watt replacement lamps into an area much smaller than a dime, allowing lighting manufacturers to put more light where it is intended at a lower system cost.

The high performance of the CXA2 High Density LED arrays allow lighting manufacturers to reduce thermal, mechanical and optical costs at the system level. For example, when combined with a 74mm diameter optic, the 3000K, 80 CRI CXB1520 High Density LED array delivers over 50,000 candela in a 10-degree beam while drawing only 40 watts. This high lumen density allows lighting manufacturers to deliver the performance of a 70W ceramic metal halide (CMH) PAR38 lamp through a much smaller PAR20-size optic using 43 percent less power. The CXB1310 High Density LED array delivers up to 3,200 lumens in a 6mm LES, allowing similar reductions in size and power from traditional light sources.

Swirly CFL already displaced by LEDs

The lightbulb shaped like a soft-serve ice cream cone soon will be gone. Good riddance. General Electric, the company founded by Ohioan Thomas Edison, has said that it will stop producing compact fluorescent lightbulbs by the end of this year. General Electric, the company founded by Ohioan Thomas Edison, has said that it will stop producing compact fluorescent lightbulbs by the end of this year.

The Most Important Light Bulb Deal in the World

Last month, JPMorgan Chase announced a deal with Current, a newly formed unit of General Electric, under which Current will plan, manage, and help finance the installation of 1.4 million superefficient light-emitting diodes at some 5,000 of the bank’s branches over the next two years. “It’s the largest rollout for an LED retrofit,” Jaime Irick, the chief commercial officer of Current, told me. The deal could help cut the branches’ lighting-related energy costs in half.

LEDs and Polycarbonate Tubes

Massachusetts-based artist Clint Baclawski challenges the conventional standards of photography and plays with viewers’ sense of perception. His Light Bulb series plays tricks on the viewer’s eyes, simultaneously revealing or hiding the image from plain view depending on the angle at which one physically approaches each piece.  Made of Plexiglass, the works are composed of archival pigment backlight prints mounted in polycarbonate tubes which are then slid over LED or fluorescent light tubes

Nod lamp based on pop-up car headlights

German product designer Simon Frambach has designed a table light is dimmed by lowering the shade like a switch (+ movie). Frambach designed the Nod lamp as a minimal alternative to the "large and voluminous" shades that he believes have become functionally redundant.

If You Own an Ikea Gothem Lamp, You Need to Read This Immediately

If you own a Gothem lamp from Ikea, you might want to return it (and receive a full refund). Ikea announced that it was recalling all three sizes of the lamp due to a potential safety hazard. Apparently the lamps look functional (don't they always?), but the interior cables are potentially damaged and could cause electric shock. Nobody wants that. All Ikea stores are accepting returns and refunds with no proof of receipt. For more details on the recall, refer to its announcement, and below is a photo of the offending lamps. Thanks for looking out for us; we still love you, Ikea.

Balight's bike LEDs light up your ride in the doofiest way possible

Twenty-nine people died in traffic-related accidents on the streets of San Francisco in 2014. Seventeen of them were pedestrians and cyclists. So when I commute through the city on a bike, there's no such thing as being too visible. Well, maybe except for when I turn on the Balight wheel LEDs. This $170 hub-mounted safety light device goes far beyond alerting drivers to your presence: It practically screams, "Hey, everybody, look at me, I'm on a bike!" I'm not sure that's a good thing.

Lumileds aims at lighting with its spin on 2835 LEDs

Lumileds is aiming at retrofit lamps, downlights and troffers with a family of 2835 LEDs. They come in five configurations of light output, string voltage, and ESD protection. “The LED retrofit bulb and other application segments are taking off right now,” said Lumileds mid-power director Matthew Everett. “We decided to optimise for each application requirement via different offerings.” All the Luxeon 2835 LEDs can be driven at double their reference drive currents for manufacturers who want to use fewer LEDs, and and can handle the efficacy drop and increased heat.

Use Electrical Tape to Dim Annoying LEDs on Your Gadgets

Between your TV, cable box, game console, and all the other gadgets you have laying around, your house probably looks a bit like Christmas at night. Turn down the distractions with a bit of electrical tape. As tech tips site How-To Geek points out, cutting out a bit of tape to block an annoyingly bright LED on a gadget is trivially easy, and it makes your house a little easier on the eyes at night.

Squash LEDs shed light on courts, environmental issues

Westchester resident Lee Witham has discovered a way to combine two of his passions, environmental protection and the game of squash. Having been involved with the sport for more than 30 years, Witham is using his business acumen as president of NortonLED, a provider of light-emitting diode or LED products, to launch his recent venture, LED Squash Lighting. The lights, designed by Witham specifically for use in squash courts, replicate daylight and help eliminate the glare that pose a problem with traditional fixtures.

Yellow LEDs produce less glare

The light-emitting diode (street) lights are noticeably less diffuse than the older lights, making a stark contrast between what’s lit and what’s not, and my eyes have to adjust again and again as I pass through the glaring pools of light. Driving beneath them in an otherwise dark neighborhood is no fun, either. It’s simply harder to see with the new lights, which is surely less safe. If we can no longer afford the older lights, we may have to accept that loss of quality, but surely we could acquire LED lights in a better color. The blue is too harsh

ETC LEDs Light Buddhist Events

Taiwan-based Buddhist organization Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) recently held the second Global Followers Assembly and the annual Great Compassion Water and Land Dharma Service. ETC’s Taiwanese dealer, Ming Li Engineering & Consultant Co., LTD., provided ColorSource and Source Four LED Series 2 luminaires and an Eos-family control system to light up the two recent events. Both the Global Assembly and the Dharma Service were held at the DDM World Center for Buddhist Education in Taiwan. Approximately 10,000 followers attended the 2015 Global Assembly.

Seven facts about LEDs

In a recent issue of Professional Carwashing & Detailing, Group Editorial Director/Editor in Chief Rich DiPaolo writes about how improving a carwash’s appearance with LEDs (light-emitting diodes) can also enhance its bottom line in the article, “Light investments for big impact.” Many owners and operators might not realize how much customers actually notice — and remember — about a carwash location. While a well-lit carwash can help to create a comfortable, inviting experience, a dark location may result in customers not visiting again,” says DiPaolo in the article. “Many owners and operators primarily focus on producing a quality wash and a high level of customer service, meaning lighting and other areas of the wash become secondary or tertiary considerations, or they are not considered at all until issues emerge.”

StrimLIGHT LED Bulb with Bluetooth Speaker

The StrimLIGHT LED not only illuminates any room with clear light, but also plays clear, crisp audio. Just connect the bulb’s Bluetooth speaker to the mobile device of your choice, and stream tunes to your heart’s content. Whether adorning your room or assembling an interactive centerpiece of a big event, you’ll be sure to impress anyone to lay eyes (or ears) unto your sweet setup.

The Key To Better Sleep Could Be Your Light Bulb

While most of the conversation about light bulbs revolves around energy efficiency, a growing amount of research shows that we should also be talking how they affect our health. C by GE is a Bluetooth-enabled, customizable LED lighting system that is controlled by an iOS app. The website claims the bulbs give you exactly the kind of light you need throughout the day to promote natural sleep cycles.

Eugene’s switch to LED street lights draws some heat

Workers are finishing changing out nearly 5,000 streetlights with fixtures that are more energy efficient, but the whiter light is drawing criticism from some residents. Portland-based contractor Christenson Electric is scheduled to wrap up within the next month the work of swapping out fixtures employing high-­pressure sodium bulbs with ones using light-emitting diodes, also called LEDs.

Exalos Develops Crystal Growth Method for Micro-LEDs

Semiconductor light source developer Exalos AG has developed new methods for growing crystals for micro-LED production, designed for direct projection displays, including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications. Developed in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, the epitaxial growth technology leverages patent-pending methods of producing vertical emitters with robustness and performance.

Tulpehocken streetlights to be converted to LEDs

The Tulpehocken Township supervisors have voted to enter into a contract with MetEd to have all township streetlights converted to LEDs, which will save the township $515 per month. The new contract will cost $701 per month and will include the LED rental fees and electricity for all 87 township streetlights.

Enjoy good days and good nights with Philips Hue white ambiance

Philips Lighting unlocks the power of white light with Philips Hue white ambiance. Inspired by the sun, this connected light can gradually brighten to help you wake up naturally and gently dim to help you drift to sleep more peacefully.

Philips Hue white ambiance was designed with your daily routines in mind, and truly comes to life with the new ‘Routines’ feature which will be in the upcoming Philips Hue app. Imitating the rise of the sun, ‘Wake up’ routine gently increases in brightness to naturally wake you up in the morning on time. Replicating the sun setting, ‘Go to sleep’ routine gradually dims until it is off, preparing your body for falling asleep. For those with young children who have to get up in the middle of the night, ‘Nightlight’ is a new light recipe which delivers a low level of light whilst also minimizing exposure to blue light, lessening the disturbance to your sleep cycle.

The light recipes in the Philips Hue app are designed to help you throughout the day when concentrating on work, reading, relaxing, to get energized or unwind at night. With Philips Hue white ambiance, you can also create striking and beautiful white light effects that impact the look of your home. If you have an open plan living and kitchen space, use these connected lights to subtly divide the space – opt for a crisp white light effect in the kitchen area and a warm white light in the living room area. Change the ambience of a hallway from practical when returning home to welcoming when guests arrive instantly through a subtly change in the shade of white light.

 With more ways to control Philips Hue in the home than ever before, Philips Hue white ambiance starter kit comes with two Philips Hue white ambiance bulbs (800 lumens at 4000k), a bridge that supports Apple HomeKit and also a Philips Hue dimmer switch. This means that you can control all your Philips Hue lights via the Philips Hue app on your smart device, Siri voice control and Apple Watch. Anyone else, including children, can use the portable Philips Hue dimmer switch to turn your lights on, off or access the light recipes. Delivering exciting new lighting experiences in the home is at the heart of Philips Hue, and the key to this is working with other apps, products and platforms.

Philips Hue lights seamlessly work with Nest Learning thermostat, Nest Cam, Nest Protect and other smart home devices such as Amazon Alexa to truly transform how you experience and interact with light in your home. Through the developers program Philips Hue now has more than 600 third party apps that interact with it. SleepCycle app works as an alarm clock which wakes you when you are in the lightest sleep phase by simulating a natural sunrise with Philips Hue. Sunn app keeps your body clock in sync with nature by adjusting the color and brightness of Philips Hue light from sunrise to sunset. Philips Hue white ambiance lamps will be available from spring 2016 and integrated luminaires will be available from fall 2016 across Europe and North America.

Philips Lighting takes light beyond illumination

Philips Lighting will showcase its connected lighting systems that are transforming homes, offices, shops and streets into smart spaces across the world at Light + Building 2016. The company will introduce new products, systems, services and partnerships that further integrate lighting into IoT, enabling its customers to create new experiences and unlock new value from apps and services.

Philips Lighting announced a new global partnership with Vodafone to help drive widespread adoption of wireless connected street lighting in cities across the world. To date, Philips CityTouch has reached 530 implementations across 33 countries, providing high quality light, energy savings and operational cost savings to form a digital backbone for smart cities. Enabling cities to benefit for LED lighting today and migrate to connected street lighting at their own pace, the company unveiled Philips DigiStreet, the first LED street light that is “future-proofed” with slots for sensors and wireless connectivity.
   
Philips Lighting’s indoor positioning system is driving new location-based services in the retail space, helping to boost sales and customer loyalty. In response to customer needs, the company is extending its portfolio to provide a complete capability, comprised of lighting infrastructure and professional services. Accordingly, the company  announced a partnership with US company Aisle411, a leader in digital store mapping, product search and shopper analytics. Working together with Aisle411, Philips Lighting will deliver the first connected lighting indoor positioning system in the Middle East for aswaaq, the UAE-based community retailer.

In offices, Philips Lighting provided an update on how its partnership with Cisco is helping to create more comfortable, sustainable and productive environments that benefit building owners, facility managers and office workers. Philips Lighting and Cisco are integrating connected lighting into the IoT for offices through a combination of Philips Power over Ethernet (PoE) connected lighting systems with Cisco’s secure IT networking infrastructure.

Adding to a comprehensive ecosystem of bulbs, luminaires, strips and controls, this spring Philips Lighting will launch Philips Hue white ambiance. Unlocking the power of white light by delivering every shade from cool daylight (6500k) to warm white (2200k), Philips Hue white ambience helps consumers wake up more naturally and fall asleep more peacefully, as well as enhance their day through the white light recipes featured on the Philips Hue app. With lighting as the centerpiece of the smart home, Philips Lighting helps drive the adoption of the IoT for homes by partnering with Dutch telecommunications KPN, French insurance firm AXA and French energy company ENGIE as well as with developers who have so far delivered more than 600 third-party apps for Philips Hue.

Shopping at light speed in Dubai, with Philips Lighting

Philips Lighting announces its first connected lighting indoor positioning win in the Middle East with United Arab Emirates (UAE) based retailer aswaaq, one of the world’s most innovative supermarkets and community malls. The new system uses lights that act as a positioning system which allows customers to use smartphones to access new location based services. This empowers the retailer to provide a smooth shopping experience for their customers, which may help boost sales and customer loyalty. Working with Philips on the project is Aisle411, a leader in digital store mapping. Philips Lighting is partnering with the US company to extend its indoor positioning offering to deliver a comprehensive end-to-end capability, including professional services such as digital store mapping, product search and analytics.

The system works by the individual light points transmitting their location through a modulation of light (a technology called Visible Light Communication) that is imperceptible to the human eye but detected by the customer’s smart phone camera. Once the customer downloads the retailer’s app they can choose to access location-based services, such as locate items on their shopping list to an accuracy of 30cm. The data stream is one-way and no personal data is collected by the lighting system.

Since the beginning, aswaaq has been focused on technology to achieve a competitive edge. By installing Philips LED-based indoor positioning technology in its Al Bada’a supermarket, Dubai, aswaaq will benefit from a 50% reduction in lighting-based energy consumption, maintenance cost savings and a reduction in its carbon footprint. At the same time, aswaaq customers will benefit from navigating its aisles more easily and accessing new services via their smartphones.

The Philips LED-based indoor positioning system enables customers to use the retailer’s app to receive information relevant to the items around them such as special offers and even look up prices of items on their phone instead of on the shelves. Retail shop managers can use the system to identify the most popular areas of the store to better place products, as well as help streamline tasks such as stock checks and restocking shelves.

Philips Lighting is now offering retailers both the lighting infrastructure to deliver the world’s most precise indoor positioning system, as well as the mobile platform and indoor mapping services needed to enable shoppers to quickly find products. To help do this Philips has signed a partnership with Aisle411, a leader in digital store mapping, product search and analytics. Philips will also partner with other companies on location based services for retailers.

Aisle 411 and Philips Lighting will work together on the aswaaq project which is due for completion in summer 2016.

Lumir's LED lamp is powered by a tea candle, not batteries

A Korean-based developer thinks he has the solution for unreliable power in the developing world: a light that powers itself from a candle. The Lumir throws off enough light to allow users to read by it, or use it as a way to provide soft, yet ample light to illuminate a small area. Fifteen lumens of light are available through four small LEDs, which while it might not sound like much (a single candle casts roughly 12 to 13 lumens), it is certainly enough to read. What makes Lumir better than a candle is you can choose how that light is directed: “Spot” focuses the light on a specific area, while “Mood” gives a more even and omnidirectional candle-like glow.

Intelligent LEDs from Digital Lumens Illuminate GEODIS Asset Recovery Center in Nieder-Olm, Germany

Digital Lumens, the market leader in intelligent LED lighting systems, together with its German partner SchahlLED Lighting, today announced it has equipped international transportation and logistics service provider GEODIS with an intelligent LED lighting system. Deployed at GEODIS' Asset Recovery Center location in Nieder-Olm, the project has enabled GEODIS to decrease power consumption and reduce the cost of lighting by 70,000 EUR in the first year while improving employee safety and productivity with high quality lights and LightRules software platform for seamless system management and configuration.

GEODIS offers technical services alongside the entire product lifecycle for IT equipment. High quality lighting conditions play an important role at the company’s Asset Recovery Center in Nieder-Olm, where GEODIS processes repair and recycling of customer equipment. By installing the intelligent LED system from Digital Lumens, GEODIS has proven to be a leader in the area of innovative lighting in contract logistics and has reinforced its ecological leading role by means of sustainable management of industrial sites. In fact, GEODIS’ Nieder-Olm site was distinguished by Germany’s Secretary of the Environment Barbara Hendricks as a model company in promoting sustainability programs with disposal of old IT equipment.

MNDOT replacing streetlights with more efficient LEDs

New­er, whit­er lights are one their way to Minnesota roads. The Minnesota Department of Transportation an­nounced a plan Mon­day to re­place more than 28,500 street­light bulbs with LED lights. Because they are more energy efficient and need replacing less often, the LEDs — short for light-emit­ting di­odes — will sup­pos­ed­ly save the state $1.45 mil­lion each year.

Enlighted Raises $25M to Turn LEDs Into Internet-of-Things Nodes

LED lighting fixtures could well become the nodes of ubiquitous wireless connectivity for the office buildings, warehouses, parking lots and other spaces they’re being installed in around the world. At least, this describes the internet-of-things plans of most of the companies in the networked LED business today, including Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Enlighted. Last week, Enlighted announced it has raised a $25 million Series D round to help bolster those plans. New investor Tao Capital joined previous investors Kleiner Perkins, RockPort Capital Partners, and Draper Fisher Jurvetson in the round, which brings the startup’s total venture financing to about $80 million.

White Hot Future for LEDs

Today’s LEDs are true workhorses. Prized for their lower energy consumption, physical robustness and faster switching, they’re found in applications as diverse as aviation lighting, lighted wall paper and automotive headlamps, and are powering the next generation of video displays and sensors.

British experimenter Henry Joseph Round of Marconi Labs was tasked with developing a new direction-finding system for marine transportation. Experimenting with a crystal of silicon carbide and a “cat’s whisker” detector, he observed how light was created when the crystal was exposed to electric current. His findings were published in the journal Electrical World in 1907, yet the discovery would go largely forgotten for decades.

Griplock's lighting suspension system eliminates power cord for LED pendants

Griplock Systems, LLC introduces the most cutting-edge solution for LED fixtures - the Solimar Powered Suspension System. Solimar is the latest in the line of powered suspension systems from Griplock Systems, which began with the patented Rincon, a single-conductor system utilizing CordFree technology for linear fixtures, light boxes, and multi-pendant LED fixtures requiring multiple connectors.

Solimar is a dual-conductor coaxial cable, ideal for pendants or linear fixtures, capable of powering any Class 2 LED lighting fixture and strong enough to suspend heavy fixtures with a safe working load of 40 pounds. Both Solimar and Rincon are complete systems which include Griplock’s revolutionary grippers, providing quick, adjustable installation.

India Looks to LEDs in Massive Energy Conservation Bid

In India, a program to equip millions of homes with energy efficient bulbs and undertake a street light retrofit is expected to lead to a significant conservation of energy in the power-starved country and reduce its carbon footprint. A year ago, Harsh Singh, who lives in a low income neighborhood in New Delhi, was given two LED (light emitting diode) lamps by the state-owned power company for about 10 cents each. He paid another 20 cents every month for a year in his electricity bill. His investment has paid off.

Gold Nanosponges and a Thousand LEDs Make Efficient, Adaptive Headlights

Conventional headlights are extraordinarily wasteful. In order to light up your side of the road, they end up illuminating a bunch of other side of the road (including the eyeballs of other drivers), as well as a significant chunk of the sky—and trees and houses and garden gnomes and lawn flamingos—for no good reason. Won't somebody please think of all of those poor photons, zipping uselessly off into random directions? Fortunately, the Fraunhofer Institute is very concerned about the fate of photons. They've designed a new type of headlight that illuminates the road ahead better than ever before, using a thousand LEDs—70 percent of which are usually kept in photon-saving mode. That is, turned off.

Improved POU disinfection with UVC LEDs

More than 660 million people lack access to clean drinking water. This intensifying problem due to growing population and shrinking water tables is driving innovation in drinking water disinfection systems, and the momentum is increasing as improvements in the performance of Ultraviolet C (UVC) light emitting diodes (LED) are matching the requirements of point-of-use (POU) systems. UVC LEDs provide designers with a more effective germicidal light source; more design flexibility, which leads to more optimized systems; and reduced cost of ownership for the end user. Powerful UVC LEDs are figuring prominently into designs for everything from home and office appliances to commercial systems for water purification.

5 Watt and 9 Watt LEDs from Soraa

Soraa has added lower and higher wattage 120 V MR16 GU10 LED lamps to its offerings. The 5 watt lamps is aimed as a replacement for 35 Watt equivalent halogen lamps. The 9 Watt LED is a replacement for 65 to 75 watt halogens, according to the release. The VIVID GU10 LED lamps offer peak intensity at a 25 degree beam angle, high beam definition and smooth beam edges. The company says the lamps excel and offer colors with a CRI of 95 and a R9 of 95. They also offer whiteness rendering. The lamps offer Point Source Optics and Violet-Emission 3 Phosphor technology.

The global COB LED market to grow at a CAGR of 35.51% during the period 2016-2020

COB is a bare chip technology for LED lighting. A COB LED lighting module is made by placing multiple LED chips in a small area. It is a comparatively new technology for LED packaging. This technology involves multiple LED chips, mounted directly on the substrate to produce an LED array, further packed together in one lighting module. COB LEDs help reduce costs by eliminating the complicated solder reflow assembly process.

The increase in demand for smartphones will create demand for more LEDs to be used in the backlighting unit (BLU) of FPDs, positively impacting the demand for COB LEDs. The development of LED filament lamps and the development of smart lighting will boost the demand for LED lighting.

According to a new report, the declining average selling price (ASP) of LEDs has been a major driving factor of the demand for COB LEDs in the global lighting industry. Economies of scale and the transition in the wafer size used to make LED chips are some of the reasons for this. The small size of LED chips achieved by COB technology supports miniaturization of the devices and provides high efficiency.

Further, the report states that the fluctuating global economy of influential countries such as China, Russia, and Brazil is posing a challenge to global COB LED manufacturers, as it impacts the international trade of LED components and products across borders.

Cree aims to please street light critics with 'warmer' LEDs

Reacting to complaints about the brightness, harshness and appearance of its LED streetlights, Durham-based Cree is rolling out new devices that it says will provide a "warm color." They can even be dimmed. "Cree’s RSW LED Street Luminaire is part of a new family of street lights that address brightness and glare concerns for cities across the country," Sean Harris, a product portfolio manager at Cree, told WRAL TechWire. 

Choosing Static or Dynamic Lighting for LEDs

Two methods exist to light an LED: the static lighting method, where a steady current is fed without a break; and the dynamic lighting method, where current is continuously input in ON-OFF pulses. If the pulses are short, the human eye perceives dynamic lighting as static lighting. The use of high-frequency lighting makes dynamic lighting appear continuous for a stationary observer. Although when the frequency drops below a specific value, the naked human eye can notice a flickering effect.

Lots of LEDs Mean Lots of Questions

“There are a lot of LED options out there, and options are often viewed as a luxury to have. But the only problem is you have to sift through them, because there are better LEDs than others,” said Joshua McGhee, strategic communications manager at Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. So NET 2016 brought in an expert—David Korow, senior lighting specialist at the General Electric Lighting Research Center—to help co-ops make sound LED decisions. “What I would encourage is informed skepticism. You’ve got to know the right questions to ask,” said Korow. “And then you need to be able to verify what was said.”

TiO Announces Lamp Dimmer and Refined TiO Home Software

TiO (Turn it On) brand automation products announces the addition of Lamp Dimmers (LMPNA) to its cast of home automation solutions. The Lamp Dimmers allow users to manage lighting over 802.11 Wi-Fi connectivity with the TiO Home App. Additionally, TiO is pleased to announce updated software, version 3.2, for the TiO Home App with motorized shade control and refined components of the Android and Apple app.

The Lamp Dimmer is load agnostic - it will control any kind of lighting load including any mix of incandescent, electronic low voltage, LED, dimmable and non-dimming CFL, magnetic low voltage, motor loads and cold cathode. The TiO Lamp Dimmers are a slim 4.02” x 4.02” x 2.28” and connect to NEMA Receptacle (LMPNA) with a 300W dimming and switching load. The easy to install Lamp Dimmer connects to the in-wall outlet and the controlled device simply plugs into the Lamp Dimmer.

Featuring 802.11 Wi-Fi connectivity for system communication, the speedy TiO discovery process automatically adds the plug-in product to the TiO system. Configuration takes less than a minute with the TiO Home App and creates infinite uncommonly simple solutions for any users looking to update a single fixture or change a configuration with the touch of a button.

This Concrete Lamp Is A Little Chunk Of Brutalism

Brutalism is a design movement that exists in the macro scale of cities, not the micro scale of desktops. But maybe it should be the other way around, considering how button cute this little Brutalist lamp by Kikkerland is. The Tetromino-shaped concrete lamp plugs into a USB port, sipping power from your computer or laptop to bathe a small square of desk real estate with LED light. What's really cute about it, though, is that it's not just a lamp: The design also allows it to serve as a bed for a succulent or other house plant.

Candlelight powers new eco-friendly LED lamp

Candles have been used for centuries to illuminate rooms without electricity. Now they can run an LED lamp, thanks to the research of a South Korean company. Lumir Inc. is developing the device Lumir C, a small lamp that can convert the heat emitted by a candle into electricity and light. Gonzo Yoon, a member of the Lumir Inc. team explains that they wanted to create a practical and easy lighting that is accessible to everyone.

How Blue LEDs Affect Sleep

Fluorescent bulbs and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have taken over lighting because they are more energy efficient and can provide better lighting than incandescent bulbs. They are found in everything from task lighting to televisions to smartphones. But while these bulbs are helpful in many ways, they can also have a negative effect on sleep.

Soraa Launches Flicker FreeTM MR16 LED Lamps

Soraa, the world leader in GaN on GaN LED technology, announced today that it has incorporated advanced digital drivers into its award winning MR16 LED lamps—making them flicker free. Featuring the company’s signature elements of full visible spectrum light, Soraa’s new Flicker FreeTM MR16 LED lamp eliminates the problem of stroboscopic effect, or “invisible flicker”, that plagues other companies’ MR16 LED lamps. In doing so, Soraa’s digital driver completely addresses the adverse physiological effects associated with invisible flicker, as well significantly expanding the compatibility and capability of the MR16 lamp.

Soraa's new digital driver MR16 LED lamps are the first true CIE size standard flicker free LED lamps. The new lamps are available in 6W, 7.5W and 9W versions; are fully dimmable; and the 6W and 7.5W lamps are ideally suited for enclosed, non-ventilated, indoor and outdoor fixtures—a place where other LED lamps struggle to perform. Soraa’s Flicker FreeTM MR16 LED lamps are available in 10 degree, 25 degree, and 36 degree beam angles; 2700K, 3000K, 4000K, and 5000K colour temperatures; and 95CRI and 80CRI. Plus, Soraa's 10 degree lamps work with its award-winning magnetic accessory SNAP System. With a simple magnetic accessory attachment, beam shapes can be altered and colour temperature can be modified, allowing endless design and display possibilities.

Efficiency Vermont warns shoppers about low-quality LEDs flooding the market

Each day more and more light-emitting diode (LED) lighting products are showing up on the shelves of Vermont stores. LEDs are known for requiring very little energy to power, lasting for more than 20 years, and providing excellent quality light. Unfortunately, some LED products have recently started to flood the lighting market that may not perform when it comes to light quality, energy savings, and lifetime. These products are made with cheaper parts, they are generally packaged very similarly to higher-quality, certified products, and they tend to sell for a few dollars less apiece.

Fortunately, there is one way that shoppers can ensure they are choosing the highest-quality product with guaranteed savings. By opting for LED bulbs with the ENERGY STAR logo, consumers can rest assured that they are getting the most for their money. Many consumers recognize the ENERGY STAR mark as an important guide to buying energy saving products. It means that the product meets a certain level of efficiency and has undergone third party laboratory testing to verify energy savings and quality.

Those less expensive LED bulbs without the ENERGY STAR label often come with claims that are not verified. They may only last a few years, flicker, shift in color, lose brightness over time, look dim, offer uneven light, or continue to use power when turned off. LED bulbs that have earned the ENERGY STAR certification must meet many performance criteria set to ensure that consumers have a good and consistent experience. The US Environmental Protection Agency introduced ENERGY STAR in 1992. It was and still is a voluntary labeling program.