DamDarya's Blog

More and more people have been using LED lighting sources as replacements for old and traditional incandescent and compact fluorescent lighting. The list of benefits LED technology offers the typical consumer is long, with energy efficiency and a positive environmental impact at the top. LEDs aren’t just for the typical consumers, as now businesses and even the government are using LED lighting solutions for different applications. Read any LED news websites or magazines today and you will find examples of companies and governments installing LEDs in varying places.

An article from LEDs Magazine gives a few examples. The city of Pittsburg, CA, a suburb of Sacramento, has recently installed LED street lights replacing the old bulbs. By replacing nearly 1307 streetlights, the goal is to save roughly $76,000 per year in energy and maintenance costs. The city of Easthampton, MA is also carrying out a similar plan by replacing 469 streetlights with an estimated annual savings of $36,700. With so many communities and towns facing debt issues, switching to LED street lights makes sense.

On top of the money savings, it’s estimated that the Pittsburg example will eliminate the annual output of 281,413 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. Making a switch to LED lighting solutions by the towns and communities show a positive initiative to the citizens about helping the environment. Hopefully, this will trickle down to the common household using LED technology and decreasing the carbon footprint. Every little bit helps. With examples like this gaining exposure through LED news sources, don’t be surprised if the next light you walk by out in public is of the LED variety.

One of the many benefits of using LED lighting sources is the ability to use them in a variety of different applications. They can come in different shapes and colors and be installed in streetlights, traffic lights, garage door lights, etc. However, it seems the most popular sellers are the simple white LED light sources. Companies that sell white LEDs have found great success in ignoring all the other types of LEDS and focusing their attention on improving the white LED bulb. The focus on quality is placed at the forefront of research and development teams.

One such company is Philips. Their slogan, “sense and simplicity”, sums up how they view their white LED lighting solutions. They believe they have perfected the white LED lighting sources. From their sales of these type of bulbs, it seems the public agree with them. Their website (philipslumileds.com) explains their process and what goes in to making their white LED bulbs special. The company believes that white light when given off from LED sources should be of the utmost quality. This quality in their minds refers to keeping a consistent color in the beam of light shown. Keeping a consistent temperature of the bulb is also key to their success. This is impressive as the product line for white LED bulbs offers a full spectrum of white LED lighting from 2540K-10,000K. Customers can pick and choose between cool, neutral, and warm lighting scenarios depending on their lighting needs. Look at philipslumileds.com if you are interested in learning more about Philips quality white LED lighting.

While reading through the New York Times, I came across an article that caught my eye in regards to LED lighting technology. I’ve researched LED technology and the various benefits that LED light bulbs offer over traditional bulbs. I also knew of some of the drawbacks to the technology such as one directional light projection and lack of warm lighting. It seems that a light source that can provide both energy efficiency and attractive light wasn’t available on the market. The article is about a company based in San Jose, California that say that they have come up with such a LED light bulb that eliminates the drawbacks and emits eye pleasing light.

The company, called Switch Lighting, has researched and developed a bulb they feel is set to completely replace incandescents in all lighting solutions. Backed by venture capitalist firms, Switch is poised to take control over the lighting market. Their bulb uses outward facing LEDs and cools them with an inert liquid, creating a warmer shine. The company sells the 75 watt equivalent bulb and claims that it is the “first true warm” white bulb on the market. Similar to other LEDs the light bulb offered from Switch contains no mercury. The New York Times article states that the light bulbs are also made out of 100% recyclable material. Don’t look now, but this may be the path lighting is headed towards. If enough people buy into the technology, look for other companies to take the idea and use it in their own light bulbs.

I was looking for an LED bulb for a lamp I already had in my home office. There was nothing wrong with the lamp itself—I just wanted a greener bulb that would give off about the same amount of light as a standard old 60 watt bulb. Of course, LED bulbs use much less energy to give off the same light as older bulbs, so I couldn’t just go out looking for a 60 watt LED. Also, I didn’t want it to be taller than the lampshade, or give off a light that was a harsh white. Thankfully, many online retail sites have helpful LED reviews that tell which bulb is the right for you.

Reading LED reviews is vital to finding the right bulb. You may think you know what voltage you need, but you may be mistaken. A traditional 60 watt lamp will need only a 7 watt LED bulb. You’ll want to know what the uses for a particular bulb are, which a review can tell you. Reading what someone else thought about a product can give you a better idea to how it will actually function when product titles and descriptions can be hazy or overly technical. They also reveal overall customer satisfaction about the product. It may basically work, but does it work well or deliver what it promises? LED Reviews can save a lot of time and frustration. And when you do find that product that is right for you and put it to use, you can write your own review, letting the company and other shoppers know what you think.

We’ve all heard of LED bulbs in the home, but when you read about LED technology, you’ll find that LEDs have spread out much further, becoming a bigger part of our lives. Cities around the world are using LEDs in stoplights to cut back on energy costs while businesses are finding it much easier to integrate them into already existing fixtures. There are all kinds of LED auto and motorcycle accessories that can add unique style to your ride. LED screens are all the rage at concerts and in advertising. Home garden growers are using LED light sources to produce vegetation indoors. TVs are also utilizing LEDs to make a more energy efficient device as well has the capabilities to build a larger unit. And even at the supermarket, the scanner devices make use of red LEDs to pick up bar codes.

LEDs also have a number of nonvisual applications. They are used in remotes to transmit signals, such as for motion sensitive video games or as the sensor for optical computer mice. They are also used to make touch screens. When you read about LED technology, it seems like something out of a science fiction story, but all of this is really happening around us now. With all the applications for LEDs and the continuing research into them, we will only find more applications for them in the future, therefore making our society much more sustainable and efficient. Read about LED technology to find how to integrate into your life and see what will be developed next.

LEDs have been around for longer than one might think; they are just now coming into practical use. In fact, the first LEDs were discovered in 1907 by H.J. Round, a British experimenter from Marconi Labs. His LED light was made of silicon carbide crystal and a cat’s-whisker detector. Through this method, he discovered the process of Electroluminescence, which is what makes an LED light up. It wasn’t until the 60’s however, that it was studied extensively. Understanding the specifics of LED technology is complicated but one of the best ways to get informed is to check out a YouTube video on the subject.

LEDs first came into use in seven-segment displays and expensive lab and electronics test equipment. Red LEDs were first use for indicators on TVs, remotes, watches, and other electronics, being not bright enough to light an area. As time went on, other colors were put into use and illumination capabilities increased, making it possible to develop the white light LED for light bulbs and the high intensity blue LED for car headlights.

There are all kinds of ways to utilize LED lights and even make your own displays, as seen in this YouTube Video. LED technology is now readily accessible to the general public and is now becoming the favored light source due to its efficiency and low running costs. And because they take less electricity to run, that means a greener living space or work environment, in addition to the savings on energy usage. It is easy to mass produce LEDs, making them much less expensive to buy. If still not convinced that LEDs can make an awesome lighting display, I recommend checking out a YouTube video for more info.

Imagine being able to make a television screen with an inkjet printer, like one you might find in your house. Not only that, but you can also roll up this screen and take it with you wherever you go. It emits light and even has the ability to show “true blacks.” It’s not something out of a sci-fi film or far future technology. It’s all very possible with little units called Organic light emitting diodes, or OLEDs. They’re made from layers of film containing organic compounds. There are many online articles that explain the process. For example, looking at a Wikipedia article is a good first step in understanding how OLEDs work.

Unlike traditional LCD displays, which use a backlight to help create images, OLEDs make light themselves. Information from the Wikipedia article explains that this means that not only do they use significantly less power, they also can display truer to life color, such as deep, “true” black, a concept that has eluded displays for years. They can also be printed out in huge, thin, lightweight plastic sheets to make 80” TVs and advertisement boards. Certain types, like White OLEDs, can be used as lighting for office spaces, and emit a more uniform, energy efficient light than fluorescent lights.

There are a couple drawbacks, however, as no new technology is perfect. According to the Wikipedia Article, Green and red OLEDs have a significantly longer lifespan than blue. Researchers are trying to increase the lifespan of the blue OLEDs, but for now displays have to compensate with color adjusting, making displays appear more blue or saturated at first.

LED (light emitting diode) technology has become an increasingly hot topic over the past decade.  The government has even enacted laws to ban traditional incandescent bulbs in a move to make the nation go green.  Even with the strong push to buy LEDs, many still wonder what is so special about light emitting diode technology and what are the true benefits of switching from traditional light sources to a more non-traditional bulb?

A main benefit is reduced power consumption.  It does not take as many watts of power to operate LED light sources, thus making it more energy efficient.  At first, the initial cost of LED light sources may cause some to turn their heads.  However, the price of the light bulbs may be expensive at the start, but in the long term, you will actually save money.  LED light sources last longer than traditional light bulbs, so you won’t have to replace them as often.  Light emitting diode technology gives off less heat than traditional light bulbs, decreasing the risk of fire or injury.  LED lights have also been recognized for giving off a brighter color as they don’t require color filters to give off certain hues.  LED light sources can be used in a variety of different applications, increasing their versatility.  Some of the most common are flashlights, exit signs, traffic lights and signals, and Christmas lights. The final benefit is the environmental impact.  Light emitting diode light sources reduce carbon emissions, helping to protect the environment.  There is no question that light emitting diode technology is here to stay and has a bright future.