Big government and our light bulbs

To the list of things that threaten to end civilization as we know it, add candle-shaped light bulbs. That’s the issue in California’s latest threatened lawsuit, or one of them, against the Trump administration. The Department of Energy is about to finalize a federal rule that would reverse an Obama-era rule that changed the definition of a light bulb. Some states, Washington and Colorado among them, passed laws to preserve the federal energy efficiency standards on specialty bulbs within their borders. California and other states are poised to sue over what critics call a “rollback” and NEMA says is a return to compliance with the law that Congress passed.

Asia-Pacific $10.6 Bn Outdoor Lighting Market to 2024 - Shift from Conventional Lights Toward Solar Powered Lights

Asia-Pacific (APAC) outdoor lighting market is predicted to attain a size of $10.6 billion by 2024, progressing at a CAGR of 11.1% This is attributed to the increasing government initiatives promoting energy efficiency and the development of smart, LED-based outdoor lighting systems. In the APAC region, the growing number of smart city projects is creating ample opportunities for the players in the market.

On the basis of lighting type, the APAC outdoor lighting market is divided into fluorescent lights, light-emitting diode (LED) lights, high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, and plasma lamps. Among these, the LED lights category is projected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period. This is ascribed to the rising demand for LED-based lighting in various applications areas, especially highways, stadiums, and tunnels. Moreover, countries such as India, China, and South Korea are offering subsidies to users to replace incandescent lights with LEDs.

The APAC outdoor lighting market is classified into retail and commercial distribution channels. Of these, in 2018, the commercial channel held the larger revenue share in the market due to the escalating demand for LED-based street lights in commercial spaces, such as parking lots, highways, airports, jogging tracks, bridges, and streets. End users including government organizations, contractors, and private builders prefer to buy lighting products directly from the manufacturers, leading to the growth of this category.

Desk Lamp + Universal Smartphone Charger

If you’re one of the many people who has a desk lamp on your desk or night stand, the LumiCharge II would like to replace it. This crowdfunded (now in production) desk lamp tries to do pretty much everything, combining a multi-hue and multi-brightness LED lamp with a nightlight, universal smartphone charge stand, Q1 wireless charging, a USB charge port, and an LED display showing info such as time, date and temperature.

VCC Launches LSM0805 Series and Steps Up Its Small SMD LED Offerings

Visual Communications Company (VCC) recently announced its new LSM0805 Series SMD LED package.

With a footprint of only 2.0mm x 1.25mm x .08mm, the new chip LEDs are a smart choice for applications including IoT, medical devices, industrial controls and a host of consumer wearables.

The LSM0805 Series will be available to VCC’s distribution channels in June 2019.

Global LED Trunking market was valued at US$ 5.33 Bn in 2018

The global LED Trunking market was valued at US$ 5.33 Bn in 2018 and is expected to reach US$ 8.86 Bn by 2027 with a CAGR growth rate of 5.9% in the forecast period from 2019 to 2026.

For the installation of the energy-efficient lighting such as LEDs, an appropriate lighting fixture holds an important position.These fixtures are termed as LED trunking, which provides tailored LED solution to different end users requirements.

The trunking system is capable of offering a flexible and stable platform to ensure proper fixing of the luminaires/lights at even intervals for warehouses and retail stores in aisle lighting applications.

The factors driving the LED Trunking market is embraced with, demand for better & advanced energy efficient and energy saving products, rise in the adoption of LEDs over traditional lighting products are anticipated to have a massive impact on the growth of LED Trunking market in the coming years. Also, the huge capital investment required for the installation of LED trunking and lighting fixtures, is expected to hinder the market growth in the coming years.

Putnam: Bohnet lighting retail store goes dark after 113 years

For nearly as long as there has been electricity in Lansing homes, there has been Bohnet Electric Co.The company was founded by William Bohnet in 1906 as residents turned from gas lighting to electricity. William’s brother Ernest added a retail outlet shortly after to provide residents the electrical fixtures they needed. More than a century and four generations later, Ernest Bohnet’s lighting showroom is closing, victim of a changing retail world. The company will continue as a service business, offering repair work and restorations of vintage fixtures

GE's smart-bulb tutorial shows how complicated smart technology can be

GE traces its roots back to Thomas Edison, the inventor of the first practical, long-lasting light bulb in 1879. One hundred and forty years later, his company appears to be having trouble transitioning to a "smart" bulb. A tutorial video from GE (GE) showing customers how to reset their C by GE light bulbs portrays an elaborate multi-step process. It involves turning the light off for either two, five or eight seconds and then on for a varied number of seconds over and over and over again. The video shows two different processes for resetting different versions of the bulbs, but both involve more than 10 steps each. It runs three minutes long. The video was originally posted by GE Lighting in January but recently started getting attention — and ridicule — on social media after finding its way to Reddit.

Luna Smart Lamp is a Lamp, Wireless Charger and Speaker in One Device

Luna is a lamp, a wireless charger, and has Alexa built-in, equipped with a high-quality 7W speaker. The first of its kind, Luna Smart Lamp brings Italian Design into a new generation of multi-functional Smart-Home devices. Think of an Echo dot, with improved sound quality, a fast wireless charger on its top, a multi-color dimmable LED light (voice controlled of course) all packed in a single, minimal piece of Italian design. Whenever you'll want to give Alexa a rest, you can use Luna in multi-room and Bluetooth mode.

Embattled Revolution Lighting sees more changes

Revolution Lighting Technologies, which has been grappling with possibly incorrect fiscal reports, has hired a new chief financial officer but lost its accounting firm. New CFO Joan Nano takes the post after a stint as a financial consultant for the company that started March 27. She had previously served, since 2008, as managing director of Finance Solutions, a financial consulting firm. Nano will receive an annual base salary of $210,000, “plus a discretionary bonus opportunity,” according to Revolution filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Best Reading Lamp

The novelty of a portable reading lamp is an exciting one, allowing you to read in the car or other places on the go. But you can also utilize a clip-on reading lamp to read in bed so as to not bother your partner or not run up a higher electric bill by utilizing an overhead light. The Energizer Clip-On Book Light will run up to 25 hours and comes with batteries. With its advanced LED technology, it recreates a naturally lit environment. The beam is broad enough to see well but narrow enough for privacy. It clips onto any surface that is 0.5 inches and the neck is flexible and collapsible to find you the angle you’re looking for.

Global LED Light Engine Market Forecast to 2024

The LED Light Engine Market is Expected to Be Valued at USD 30.0 Billion in 2019 and is Anticipated to Reach USD 59.5 Billion By 2024 Growing at a CAGR of 14.7% From 2019 to 2024.

Rising demand for energy-saving lighting systems; development and modernization of infrastructure, for example, smart cities; availability of low price LEDs; entrance of LEDs as light sources in general lighting; and accelerating growth of LED technology over conventional lighting technology are key factors influencing the market growth of LED light engines.

The LED light engine market for luminaires is expected to grow at the highest CAGR as luminaires hold the major market share in the LED lighting system. Increasing consumer awareness about conserving energy and installing lighting systems with high energy efficiency is expected to boost the LED lighting market for luminaires, which in turn is expected to drive the market for LED light engines during the forecast period.

After Philips Hue, Trulifi lights transmit and receive data by light

Signify, the Philips subsidiary behind Hue lighting, has announced even smarter lighting aimed at businesses: Trulifi lights can transmit and receive data using nothing more than light. Instead of using radio signals (such as WiFi, 4G/5G, Bluetooth, etc.), Trulifi uses light waves to enable highly reliable, secure two-way wireless communications at speeds far above most conventional workplace wireless technologies. Trulifi uses optical wireless transceiver technology built, or retrofitted, into Philips luminaires. This means customers don’t have to rip and replace their existing lighting infrastructure to receive great quality light and wireless connectivity.

LADWP Announces Free Distribution of LED Light Bulbs to Customers

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power plans to deliver 2.8 million free LED light bulbs to residential customers by the end of July, the utility announced Monday. "Not only will this simple change help save the environment, it will also put money back in our customers' pocketbooks," DWP General Manager David H. Wright said in a statement. "The LED household distribution program is a cost-effective way to deliver energy efficiency directly to all of LADWP's residential customers, both in single-family as well as multi-family homes."

Share Shineon Announces Its Development in Micro LED and Mini LED Displays

China LED company Shineon presented its Micro LED display at GILE 2019 with its new brand IconiView targeting high-end display products. The 139-inch 4K Micro LED display was developed by Shineon and Lumens, using Flip-Chip-on-Module (COM) technology with a pixel density of 1,570,900 pixel/m2. The display achieved a contrast ratio of 3000:1 and its brightness is over 2000nit. According to Shineon, the product has been verified and can be mass produced.

Music festival lighting 'can trigger epileptic fits'

Strobe lighting at music festivals can increase the risk of epileptic seizures, researchers have warned. The Dutch team said even people who have not been diagnosed with epilepsy might be affected. Their study was prompted by the case of a 20-year-old, with no history of epilepsy, who suddenly collapsed and had a fit at a festival. The Epilepsy Society said festivals should limit lighting to the recommended levels.

Does an empty baseball field really need outdoor lighting all night?

Countless ball fields, tennis courts and other athletic facilities are regularly bathed in artificial light after dark — sometimes from dusk until dawn, even if no one is using them. There can be good reasons to leave on outdoor lights at night, like deterring crime or improving safety in public places. There are also good reasons to turn them off, however, especially if they're powerful floodlights illuminating an empty baseball field at 2 a.m. It would save energy, of course, but it could also save a variety of wild animals from the growing scourge of light pollution.

Anthony Wayne Bridge's new lights won't be ready for Fourth of July

Even if the evening of July 4 is clear and dry in Toledo, weather already will have affected part of the city’s Independence Day show. The Ohio Department of Transportation has disclosed that the new, dynamic, decorative lighting system on the Anthony Wayne Bridge’s suspension cables will not be operational in time for Toledo’s fireworks display. The lighting system will feature variably colored, pulsing light-emitting diodes on the cables and flood lighting for the towers on the structure, which is also known as the High Level Bridge (Photo: Smithr1981).

Review: Mi Desk Lamp 1S

When it comes to the Mi Desk Lamp, there are already probably many consumers that are confused about the difference between the Mi Desk Lamp Pro, the Mi Desk Lamp, and now the Mi Desk Lamp 1S. To put it all in simple terms, the Mi Desk Lamp Pro has the ultra-high colour-temperature standards required by the Ra90 museum, including many respected medical establishments that require specific and accurate lighting, with 700lm, and of course support for Apple HomeKit and the Mi Home platforms.

This $24 LED light strip has an awesome feature you won’t find on an $80 Philips Hue strip

The $80 Philips Hue LightStrip Plus is on sale right now on Amazon at a deep discount. But even with a sizable $16 discount, it still costs $64 and that’s a lot to spend on a single LED light strip. If you’re looking for a similar product that does everything the Philips Hue model can do and more for a fraction of the price, you’ve come to the right place. The Minger DreamColor 16.4ft LED Strip Light can be had right now for just $23.99 if you use the coupon code 8YKSW2SV at checkout, and it has all the same features including Alexa and Google Assistant support. On top of that, this model has a built-in microphone and it can flash in sync with your music. Try to do that with a Philips Hue strip!

New LED Horse Arena Lighting Packages Are Here

Access Fixtures, a Worcester, Massachusetts-based manufacturer of commercial, industrial, and sports lighting, has introduced three complete horse arena lighting packages intended for outdoor horse arenas of various sizes.

To date, Access Fixtures has provided custom packages based on photometric studies that are specific to the dimensions and needs of each arena. These new packages, based on 190' x 135' outdoor arenas and 150' x 75' outdoor arenas, provide customers with three different prepackaged options meant to throw a lot of light in a designated area. The packages make it simple for consumers to select what they need.

These packages can be used for various different types of equestrian sporting including but not limited to dressage, rodeo, and casual riding. All of these packages include steel poles APTA or APTI sports lighters. Quantity and wattage of fixtures will vary based on the package chosen. Average footcandles also varies between each of these three packages. These packages are the first wave of arena package releases planned by Access Fixtures--customers can expect more arena sizes and options to launch very soon.

Global $978Mn Cleanroom Lighting Market

The cleanroom lighting market is projected to reach USD 978 million by 2024 from USD 742 million in 2019, at a CAGR of 5.7%.

Major drivers for the market's growth are the need for the controlled environment with deficient levels of pollutants in manufacturing industries, stringent regulations in healthcare & food processing industries to prevent contamination of the product, rising demand for sterile manufacturing areas in the pharmaceutical industry and advancements in medical devices to support the growth of cleanroom lighting.

Furthermore, underlying opportunities for the cleanroom lighting market include the growing economies in the Middle East to boost cleanroom lighting adoption and increasing demand for energy-efficient cleanrooms. The major restraints for the market are the high cost associated with clean rooms. Customized designs of cleanrooms and the need for technical know-how pose significant challenges to the cleanroom lighting market.

Photo Duk

Simple Trick for LEDs on Solderless Breadboards

Sometimes the most useful hacks are also the simplest ones. A case in point is the LED and resistor assembly that Skippy recently posted. The idea is to solder up some pre-made indicators with integrated resistors to save space on the breadboard when prototyping — instead of four slots, you only use two per LED. This is about as easy a trick as you can imagine, but it has the hallmark of a classic hack: a high utility-to-work ratio. The deluxe assembly uses a two-pin header as a base to plug into the breadboard. This, of course, could be optional since some breadboards have a memory for the widest pin previously inserted — using header pins may eventually make the slots a little flaky for smaller component leads.

New Kensington to install more LED streetlights

New Kensington is moving ahead with the installation of new LED streetlights downtown. City council on Monday authorized City Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti and City Engineer Tony Males to enter into negotiations for the new lights. They will be negotiating with representatives from Connected Energ Group and Tudi Mechanical Systems. Scarpiniti said the lights will be purchased through Connected Energy, and Tudi Mechanical will install them.

Detroit's lighting authority starts replacing defective LED streetlights

The city's Public Lighting Authority has begun efforts to replace nearly one-third of its LED streetlights only a few years after they were installed because of defective equipment that's causing premature dimming and failures. The Detroit News first reported last month that the authority had filed a federal lawsuit against the manufacturer, Leotek Electronics USA, arguing the problems put the city's revitalization progress "in jeopardy" and a fix is expected to cost millions.

KODA’s new LightCam is a motion activated security camera with floodlight + alarm

California-based KODA’s latest security camera introduces its first motion-activated floodlight + alarm offering with the new KODA LightCam. The camera includes some impressive features including the company’s UltraSense technology that does a great job of minimizing false alarms while allowing pre-event recording to make sure the camera captures as much as possible when detecting presence.

Casper's Glow Lights Are the No-BS Answer to Better Sleep

Sleep is a million-dollar market these days. That makes sense—it's the one thing we all crave but can never quite get enough of. Recently, one of the era's trendiest direct-to-consumer mattress brands, Casper, made the leap from bedding to bedside sleep-assistance with Glow Lights (yes, that's their proper name). Glow Lights use very warm, comforting light housed in a palm-sized translucent cylinder to mimic the setting or rising sun. The effect is exactly as wholesome and natural as it sounds. The lights calm you down before bedtime and gently wake you the next morning. And they're dead simple to use.

Norway (Michigan) gets estimate for LED streetlights

Town Manager Dennis Lajoie announced Thursday evening that the cost of converting 293 streetlights to LED bulbs is $175,177. Voters have approved spending up to $200,000 for the work by Realterm Energy of Maryland and set aside $13,000 for it this fiscal year, which ends June 30. The $175,177 estimate includes the $13,000 already set aside. The town would lose $1,300 in annual tax revenue after the conversion, but save about $33,700 in energy costs annually.

This Is the Best and Strangest Lamp You Can Get for Your Living Room

Lighting can completely change the feeling of a space, and the dim light of this lamp makes it perfect for winding down during the evenings or setting the mood. You’ll find that there are tons of different variations of this really cool lamp. The classic example (above) comes in 7 different sizes, from 3 inches in diameter, to 9 inches, which is about the difference between a tennis ball and a volleyball. The price for the original lamp ranges from $26.99 to $54.99. You can adjust the brightness on each lamp as well as the tone — either warm or white. The lamp is set on a wooden stand is wireless (it recharges with a USB charging cable, which is included) This way, you can set it on your coffee table or on a side table without tripping over any wires.

ESP8266 Upgrade Gives IKEA LEDs UDP Superpowers

It can be difficult to resist the impulse buy. You see something interesting, the price is right, and even though you know you should do your research first, you end up putting it in your cart anyway. That’s how Tobias Girstmair ended up being the not-so proud owner of a LEDBERG RGB LED strip from IKEA, and what eventually pushed him to replace wimpy original controller with an ESP8266. So what was the problem with the original controller? If you can believe it, it was incapable of producing white light. When IKEA says an LED is multi-color, they apparently mean it’s only multi-color.

LEDs created from wonder material could revolutionize lighting and displays

In solar cells, the cheap, easy to make materials called perovskites are adept at turning photons into electricity. Now, perovskites are turning the tables, converting electrons into light with an efficiency on par with that of the commercial organic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) found in cellphones and flat screen TVs. And in a glimpse of how they might one day be harnessed, researchers reported last week in Science Advances that they’ve used a 3D printer to pattern perovskites for use in full-color displays.

Ring’s new outdoor lighting products are brilliant

Ring’s i new outdoor lighting products are impressive. It’s rare, even in 2019, for something to work out of the box, but that’s what happened when I installed Ring’s outdoor lighting products. They just worked. You know the drill. You get a gadget and go to install it. Somewhere during the installation, it fails or hiccups. The thing doesn’t connect to Wifi, or it fails during an update, or something. Eventually, you’ll get it working after a few minor issues are solved.

Osram Opto launches quantum-dot-based mid-power LED at LightFair

Osram Opto Semiconductors used LightFair International (LFI) to debut the Osconiq S 3030 QD mid-power LEDs with the QD suffix referring to the fact that the LEDs rely on quantum dots to deliver a narrow energy peak in the red spectral region. The quantum dot technology enables the LEDs to deliver 173-lm/W efficacy in warm-white CCT with 90-CRI color rendering, whereas typical warm-white LEDs in the same class might deliver efficacy in the 140–150 lm/W range. Osram said at LFI that the new LEDs are available now.

Collaborating with MES Brings New Luminaire to Market Faster

Long before it needed help with manufacturing and logistics, a major lighting OEM teamed with MES, Inc. on the development of a new luminaire. As a result of involving MES in the product’s earliest design stages, development time for the new luminaire was shortened dramatically.

The customer had developed a new line of recessed downlights for high-value, commercial applications. These break-through designs take full advantage of the new generation of high-performing LEDs, which need less space to produce a soothing, comfortable illumination.

To accommodate the benefits of LED lighting technology, the customer pursued a new luminaire design that utilized aluminum die castings. Speed-to-launch is critical for any new product in the commercial lighting segment, so the customer engaged an aluminum die casting expert to help it bring the new product to market faster: MES.

MES aluminum casting experts worked closely with the customer’s design and production engineers, offering feedback at each stage in the development process. MES drew on its own “best practices” experience in working with manufacturers, offering suggestions that optimized component design and streamlined the development process. That collaboration resulted in a component design that met or exceeded all the part’s desired functional requirements. In addition, the component was designed, with the help of MES, to be produced in a way that assured the best possible quality at the lowest possible cost.

Once design freeze had been reached, MES moved quickly to build the necessary production tooling and deliver multiple components that conformed fully to the customer’s production part approval process (PPAP). The deep tooling capacity available through MES allowed eight tools to be built simultaneously, a critical step in meeting the customer’s aggressive delivery targets.

By collaborating extensively with MES throughout the new luminaire’s design and production steps, the customer was able to beat all its internal metrics for development and delivery. The full-service approach of MES, and the willingness of the MES team to help the customer find solutions beyond the literal scope of their supply chain needs, allowed the customer to leverage a competitive advantage in the marketplace by significantly reducing the time required to go from initial designs to market launch. It allowed the customer to feature its new product at Lightfair 2019 for maximum industry exposure. And ultimately, a smaller development window resulted in a more efficient development process and lower development costs.

This lighting upgrade in your home will make a big difference

No remodeling project is finished until you upgrade the lighting. Overhead lights wash a room with light. Sunlight that peeks through windows brightens up a space. But they’re rarely enough to make a room comfortable enough for cooking, reading or sewing. Decorative lights make a room look nice, but they’re not. Add “lighting” to your contractor’s to-do list, and carefully consider where you will place each fixture. Think about what you will do in the room, not just about how the room will look when the renovations are complete. Choose light fixtures both for how they will look and for how they will help you accomplish your tasks.

Chicopee replaces over 4,700 street lights with LEDs

Chicopee is shining a bit brighter. The city recently completed an upgrade for its street lamps. They're all brand new and energy efficient. Over the past three years, Chicopee Electric Light managed to replace all 4,700 light fixtures that line the city's streets and sidewalks. Jeffrey Cady of Chicopee Electric Light told 22News, "All about energy efficiency. Trying to save the city money, the consumer money. Trying to use electricity as efficiently as we can."

LED Devices Could Increase Memory Retention In Astronauts

A bioengineering professor at the Univesity of Texas in Arlington has been commissioned to investigate the possibility of using LEDs to improve memory and cognitive function in astronauts whilst on space missions. The idea is to use directed light from LEDs to literally, and metaphorically, illuminate their brains.

The Professor, Hanli Liu, is a co-primary investigator of an $800,000 NASA grant and believes it could be successful. The premise is to use light-based technology to increase the activity of mitochondria in brain cells to improve astronaut cognitive function whilst in space.

This $40 smart light strip is half the price of the Philips Hue version

If you’re in the market for a smart light strip, you’re going to shell out a fair amount of cash. After all, light strips from the likes of Philips Hue and LIFX may have a ton to offer in terms of compatibility, features, and ease of use, but that’s all reflected in the price. I would know – I’ve reviewed a ton of them in our buying guide here. Thankfully, those aren’t your only options. There are more affordable smart light strips, like the Koogeek LS1.

Design-Driven, 3D-Printed Lighting Options From Gantri

Frequently, cost inhibits the purchase of future-forward design items for the home. Breaking through this barrier, online lighting marketplace Gantri gives consumers access to the work of numerous award-winning designers at undeniably reasonable prices. This pertains to the fact that their exclusive roster of 30+ products are 3D-printed upon purchase. But Gantri isn’t just a marketplace; it’s a platform for emerging designs, an R&D facility for advancements in 3D-printing, and a development center for sustainable materials.

Seoul Semiconductor’s SunLike Series Natural Spectrum LEDs Win German Innovation Award 2019

Seoul Semiconductor Co. announced that its SunLike Series natural spectrum LEDs have been awarded the German Innovation Award 2019 in the category Lighting Solution. Presented by the German Design Council, the award recognized products and solutions from different industries that offer additional benefits and added value compared to previous solution.

Seoul Semiconductor’s SunLike Series natural spectrum LEDs are the world’s first LEDs to produce light that closely matches the spectrum of natural sunlight, delivering human-centric lighting by reaching lower blue light peak similar to sunlight spectral curve possible to reduce scattered reflection and glare. The light sources with SunLike Series LEDs more accurately show the color of objects as they would appear in natural sunlight. It is optimized to natural light spectra and color rendering of CRI-97 – close to CRI-100 of sunlight, and higher than the CRI-80 of conventional LEDs.

SunLike Series natural spectrum LEDs were co-developed through the combination of Seoul Semiconductor’s optical semiconductor technology and Toshiba Materials’ TRI-R technology. TRI-R technology, supported by Toshiba Materials, defines its original concept as “the light closest to the sun for human wellbeing.” TRI-R technology enables the spectrum of natural sunlight to be reproduced by a white LED light source technology. TRI-R is a registered trademark of Toshiba Material Co., Ltd.

Wireless LEDs Aren’t A First, But You Can Make Your Own

Wireless LEDs. That’s what Scotty Allen found in Japan, and if you find something you just have to replicate it. Allen found these wireless LEDs in a display stand for model makers and gunpla. Because you don’t want to run wires, drill holes, and deal with fiber optics when illuminating plastic models, model companies have come up with wireless LEDs. Just glue them on, and they’ll blink. It requires a base station, but these are wireless LEDs.