Denny Langston asked:


In recent years research scientists have been taking a closer look at the lighting in our homes, offices and vehicles.  They are seeing potential for ways of improving health and finding new means of electronic communication through LED’s and natural full spectrum lighting.

Though this will not happen tomorrow, experts at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., an academic home for lighting research, are confident that this burgeoning field of study will soon reap outstanding rewards.

According to lighting engineer, E. Fred Schubert, a new era of “smart” light sources is just beginning. “We are looking at lighting systems that provide more than lighting,” says Shubert. Shubert is talking about light-emitting diodes, or LED’s. Most people know them as being quite small, like the lights that form numbers on digital clocks or blink on answering machines; however recent technological advances have increased their luminosity significantly.  These increases have made it possible for LED’s to illuminate swimming pools and serve as traffic signals, and with time these low-cost light sources will perform even more tasks.

Though LED’s offer energy savings when compared to standard lighting, Schubert and other researchers are more excited about the communications that they may provide. The latter is because LED’s can be made to blink so fast that a person doesn’t notice, but a receiving device can. And that, Schubert says, opens the door to using lights for electronic communication as well as illumination.

Of course, fiber optic cables already transmit lots of data with light signals. But Schubert is talking about things like:

Brake lights that tell a closely following car to stop Headlights that tell a red stop light to turn green Road signs that communicate warnings to specific cars. Room lights that link your computer to the Internet, avoiding Wi-Fi signals that can be pirated.

Schubert said such uses depend on overcoming some basic technical barriers, like making them more powerful and energy-efficient. He states, “I think we’re looking at maybe a timeframe of the next five to twenty years.”

Meanwhile, Mariana Figueiro, program director at Rensselaer’s Lighting Research Center and head of a committee on light and human health for the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, believes that lighting in offices and schools could be improved to help people stay healthy and productive, by acting on their internal body clocks. “Light isn’t just for vision anymore,” says Figueiro, “Light cues, especially blue light, help keep the 24-hr biological clock on its daily cycle.” Figueiro indicated that studies suggest such possibilities as seasonal depression, fatigue, and sleep disturbances; and have even gone so far as suggest that maybe even cancer, especially breast cancer could be influenced by the lighting used in buildings.

Be on the lookout for more breaking news related to the use of LED’s and natural full spectrum lighting being used in buildings.

ELECOSN asked:


LEDs are solid-state semiconductor devices that convert electrical energy directly into light.

Thermal sources of light such as flames and incandescent filaments emit light when heated, either by chemical reaction (flames) or electrical heating (filament lamps). LED “cold” generation of light leads to high efficacy because most of the energy radiates within the visible spectrum.

Other common high efficiency light sources, such as fluorescent lamps and electro luminescent devices, also produce light without much thermal radiation outside the visible spectrum.

Because LEDs are solid-state devices, they can be extremely small and durable; they also provide longer lamp life than other sources.

Light is generated inside the chip, a solid crystal material, when current flows across the junctions of different material compositions.

An LED consists of two elements of processed material called P-type semiconductors and N-type semiconductors. These two elements are placed in direct contact, forming a region called the P-N junction. The composition of the different materials determines the wavelength and therefore the colour of light generated.

LED resembles most other diode types, but there are important differences. The LED has a transparent package, allowing visible or IR energy to pass through. Also, the LED has a large PN-junction area whose shape is tailored to the application. The device shown in Figure 1 is an AlGaInP LED because the semiconductor layers are aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), and phosphate (P).

Main LED materials

The main semiconductor materials used to manufacture LEDs are:

*Indium gallium nitride (InGaN): blue, green and ultraviolet high-brightness LEDs

*Aluminum gallium indium phosphide (AlGaInP): yellow, orange and red high-brightness LEDs

*Aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs): red and infrared LEDs

*Gallium phosphide (GaP): yellow and green LEDs

 

Why LEDs?

LEDs have a range of benefits which is fast making them the best solution for real energy efficient lighting. Over the course of the next few years some aspects are expected to change significantly.

Lifetime

As solid-state light sources, LEDs have a very long lifetime and are generally very robust due to no mechanical or moving parts.

Incandescent bulbs have an expected lifetime of 1k to 5k hours, while good quality LEDs are often quoted of having a lifetime of 50k hours, more than 5 years continuous use. However it is important to to understand that the performance of LEDs degrades over time, and this degradation is strongly affected by factors such as operating current and temperature.

Low maintenance

The long lifetime of LEDs reduces the need to replace failed lamps, and this can lead to significant financial and environmental savings, particularly in maintenance, labour and recycling. This makes LED fixtures useful for installations in inaccessible locations, but if tasks like cleaning the light fixture are required, then the light sources could be replaced at the same time, negating the “low maintenance” advantage.

Efficiency

As a semiconductor device, LEDs are highly efficient. Current device technology is allowing the performance of these to be pushed to limits that exceed that of standard lighting.

The directional nature of light produced by LEDs allows the design of luminaires with higher overall efficiency.

Low power consumption

The low power consumption of LEDs leads to large energy savings that can often drive the installation of LED-based systems. Initial purchase costs start off higher, but can be proven to return the investment cost in a short period of time.

Brightness

Light outputs are constantly being increased and there are several products that have higher lumen output than traditional lighting.

Heat

LEDs do not produce heat in the form of infrared radiation (IR) unlike incandescent bulbs which makes them hot to the touch.

This lack of heat production allows LED fixtures to be used in locations where heating from conventional sources would cause a particular problem e.g. illuminating food, textiles, artifacts, etc.

However, LEDs do produce heat at the semiconductor junction within the device and good thermal management must be employed on high power devices to maintain operation life

Cost

In many applications, LEDs are expensive compared with other light sources, when measured by metrics such as “£-per-lumen”.

LED manufacturers continue to work towards reducing their production costs while at the same time increasing the light output of their devices.

However, the high initial cost of LED-based systems is offset by lower energy consumption, lower maintenance costs and other factors.

The initial cost may seem high, but take into account the electricity usage that is saved, they pay for themselves.

Electricity Cost savings from switching to LED Direct replacement bulbs

10W LED Bulbs Vs 75W halogen bulb running cost comparison

 

Small form-factors

LEDs are very small – typical high-brightness LED chips measure 0.3 mm by 0.3 mm, while high-power devices can be 1 mm x 1 mm or larger. There are many examples where the availability of small, high-brightness devices have enabled significant market advancement. The obvious example is in mobile phone handsets, where blue, green and white LEDs are now used in most models to back light keypads and liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens.

Instantaneous switch-on

LEDs switch on rapidly, even when cold, and this is a particular advantage for certain applications such as vehicle brake lights.

Colour

LEDs are available in a broad range of brilliant, saturated colours (although performance varies across the spectrum), and white devices are also available. Modules containing different colored LEDs (typically red, green and blue, or RGB) can be tuned to a huge range of colours, and easily dimmed. RGB modules provide a much wider gamut of colours than white LEDs or other traditional white light sources, which is a particular advantage in applications such as backlighting liquid-crystal displays (LCD’s).

RGB LEDs and colour mixing

LED characteristics change with time, temperature and current, and from device to device. For RGB LEDs, the performance of different colored devices changes at different rates. This can result in variation of lamp colour and intensity, and poor reproducibility.

LED Vs Halogen

LED Lighting Types

 

Now the LED bulbs are widely applied in household, office, street, shop, park etc for decoration and lightings LED lighting family mainly includes:

1. LED ball lamp

2. LED spot lamp

3. LED ground lamp

4. LED tube light

5. LED rope lamp

6. LED pool lamp

7. LED curtain lamp

8. LED Christmas (festival) lamp

9. LED ceiling lamp

10. LED road light

11. LED Solar light

Etc.

In a word, LED lightings will be the future of lighting, and it will definitely replace the halogen lights in soon future.

Jonathan Gal asked:


Do you own any LED lights? Chances are you may have more of these highly efficient little light bulbs than you are even aware of. They show up as indicator lights in computer and electronic equipment, appear in flashlights and remote controls, exterior lighting fixtures and even holiday light strands. They are remarkably efficient and durable, which makes them suitable to a significantly wider range of applications than traditional light bulbs. A perfect such solution is obvious in gardening and the use of solar path lighting.

What are LED lights? A simple definition is actually not that easy to provide in brief, but basically LED stands for “light emitting diode” which are small electronic units that light up when electricity passes through them. Traditional light bulbs are radically different from LEDs, as they use a filament inside of the bulb which lights up when an electrical current is completed. Such light bulbs burn out rapidly and generate quite a bit of heat – in fact touching a lit bulb can lead to a burn. LEDs however stay relatively cool to the touch because they do not operate in the same manner, and are actually more like an old-fashioned transistor than a light bulb. What this means is that they use electricity far more affectively than their old-fashioned counter parts, and are far less likely to fail.

What are the benefits of LED lights? Their main benefit is their remarkable efficiency. While they may cost more at the initial point of purchase, LED lights will last for a very long time. They are resistant to blows, dropping and shock, they are relatively unaffected by continual dimming or turning on and off, they are much smaller and provide a wide range of uses. Additionally, they can appear in many colors through a manipulation of their diode and semiconductor materials, which eliminates the needs for special filters or color applications, which in turn greatly reduces the overall cost of the lighting fixtures in which they appear. Additionally, they do not contain the toxic elements and components of other lighting options, including such heavy metals as mercury which frequently appears in fluorescent lights.

How are LEDs used every day? If you take a quick car trip you will see exactly how LEDs are used in “every day” applications – they are in street lights, automobile signals and tail lights, billboards and signs, solar yard lights, exterior lighting such as spotlights on flag poles or strings of Christmas lights, and you may even notice them on security cameras where they are used for night vision purposes.

Clearly LED lights are all around, and their efficiency and ever decreasing costs will continue to make them a popular choice for home, commercial and technological applications.

Imran ali asked:


There is a wide variety of different LED lights available out there. These lights come in various shapes and sizes and are used for a diverse range of purposes. These state-of-the-art lights are designed with resistors as low-power LEDs and they are also available as high-power lights for more robust operation. You can choose from 1W to 3W high-power LEDs, LEDs with wire and resistor, wireless LED remote controller, LED car kits, LED sign boards, LED strips, household bulbs and many more. All these models and styles are used for different purposes including home décor and customization of vehicles. The uses of these powerful lights are unlimited and therefore they are appreciated all over the world.

LED lighting is also used for security reasons and as traffic lights. Since these lights consume very little power they are ideal to be used for long operations or where they are required to remain on for an indefinite time period. LEDs are better than incandescent light bulbs or other traditional lights as they do not heat up very quickly. Almost 80% of the energy consumed by LEDs is converted into light and only some of it is dissipated as heat. Because of the same reason these lights last for a long time and are definitely a cost-effective option.

Basically LEDs are available in three categories: LEDs for cars, LED flashlights, and LED bulbs or strips for home. LED tubes with different patterns are also becoming popular in today’s stylish and high-tech world. These lights can be used to decorate almost anything and they come in red, blue, green and ultra violet colors. LED lights are very bright and can be used in cars, computers, motorcycles and snowmobiles. These lights can be recognized easily from a distance and are therefore used on sign displays such as danger signs and as police warning lights.

LED rope light for household use is yet another wonderful light that one can use for home décor. These lights look pleasing to the eye and can be used to outline the boundary of an object such as a coffee table or TV trolley. They come with 36 LEDs per meter in different colors like red, blue and white. They can also be used as outdoor décor items and as hanging lights on weddings and parties. Since these lights come in exciting colors they are used by many stylish people who love luminosity and brightness.

LED car kits are also admired by a lot of car enthusiasts all over the world. These LED lights create an under-car halo which looks lovely. This LED car kit requires 12V power and comes with 2.1 million color output. It has the ability to display one color at a time and the pattern can be chosen according to the terrain or situation. These lights are made waterproof and they last for many years to come. The best thing about these kits is that they are not very expensive at all. You can get a wonderful LED car kit with remote controller and all wiring for somewhere around $200 which is quite reasonable.

LED lights have infinite uses. Ranging from simple 5mm & 8mm LEDs with resistor to high-power multi-purpose LEDs, these lights are strong and long-lasting. They are designed to operate non-stop for long durations because of extremely low power consumption and very little heat dissipation. They are ideal to be used as ambient and architectural lights as well as medical and convenient lights. Par 38 and Par 20 household LED bulbs are very practical and useful. They can be used for bright kitchen lighting and office lighting.

 

Ernesto Maitim asked:


lights are making a major difference in everything that’s about lighting. From Christmas lights, traffic lights to head lamps and flash lights, those made with light emitting diodes are the ones most popular. What’s more, because it is solar, there’s nothing to plug. Just expose the gadget to the rays of the sun. Indeed, LED and solar power are the team to beat when it comes to coming up with environmentally friendly lighting. One of the popular uses solar led lights is lighting up the exterior of our homes. All LED lights have to do is gather the solar energy all day and have them stored in their solar batteries. Fully charged ones can actually power up the lighting for a maximum of 10 hours. To really optimize the charging capacity of the batteries, just make sure that the solar led lights are totally exposed to the rays of the sun at the longest time. And so it is very practical to buy these types of outdoor solar lighting as their exposure outside your homes, getting all drenched by the sunshine, is what exactly makes them work. Solar Led lights are likewise in the form of lighting for the yard, albeit a good number of lights are necessary to really brighten up the area. And what would the Christmas tree be without those tiny twinkling multi-color lights to cheer up the season. Much of the Solar Christmas lights nowadays are made from light emitting diodes. And so, indeed, the solar Led technology is here to stay, trying to provide bright illumination, adding exciting to our homes and their exteriors – all without the use of conventional power but instead tap the free and clean energy from the sun. For more articles on solar led lights and other outdoor solar lights and gizmos, do visit our Solar Lights and Gizmos blog.

Siegfried Luger asked:


LED is a lighting company that offers variety of lighting specifications as per the requirements of the customers. LED is one of the leading manufacturers in the lighting applications and offers various kinds of lighting fixtures for the customers. LED has a team of professionals who are specialized in the lighting applications and they offer specialized service in the selection of the suitable kind of fixture for the customers. LED offers the best lighting applications at competitive prices and they are offered at the best standards to the customers.

LED is regarded as a leading inventor of enhanced materials of patent packed phosphor solutions that are available in the solid state used for the lighting applications. These provide the option to the LED packagers to supplement the essential materials for the lighting applications for the swift prototyping and in the deployment of phosphor related solid state of lighting solution. The LED professionals are empowered in the addition of enhanced service integration and capability of pilot production that ranges from the chip board and makes the light engines of the lighting application to remain integrated.

Some of the lighting solutions offered by the LED professionals are everlight electronic company limited, Seoul Semiconductor Company limited, American Opto plus LED Inc, Avago technologies, Cree, citizen electronic company limited, Edison Opto Corporation and GE lamination LCC. These lighting solutions offered by the professionals of LED finds an important role for the lighting industry. The customers are provided with the option of the selection of the best lighting application of their home and workplace. The lighting applications bought with LED are useful and they provide durable life. Power and energy consumption is saved.

Some of the latest innovations and products in LED are LED spotlight, LED architectural lighting, LED socket, Linear LED module, MR 16 LED Lamp, Reflector LED, Stage light, lighting fixture and more products. The professionals help the customer is choosing of the best lighting application for their house and workplace. The customer has also the option of selection of their own lighting applications for the specified places. LED helps the buyer with the promotion of various lighting applications and provides enhanced services. Some of the specialized services are LEDs, Modules, Cooling systems, Driver Modules, Driver ICIs, light sensors, light controllers, phosphors, simulation tools, test equipments, research centers, production equipments, fixtures, lenses and PCB’s.

LED is considered as the leading manufacturer in the field of lighting applications has the applications are produced and developed with latest technologies. These lightings provide an enhanced life to the customer and do not result in frequent repairs. The lighting solutions are bright and make the visitors attracted by the empowered beam of light. Bulk orders for workplace and business place are accepted in LED lighting solutions and the professionals helps the customers in fixing of them at the specified places. The lighting solutions are offered at competitive prices and make the whole dwelling showered with beautiful bright lights. Feel the experience at LED.

Kevin Dry asked:


It is not widely appreciated that the problem with fluorescent tubes (CFLs) including the new low energy bulbs widely promoted at the moment is that they contain Mercury. The disposal of these types of lighting product needs to be carefully managed to ensure that Mercury (a toxic heavy metal) is captured when disposed of. In addition to the problem of Mercury there is the issue of the starting circuits and power surges these can cause particularly in areas where there are large numbers of fittings being activated at one time.

A move to LED retail lighting can in some cases be a simple replacement of lamp but advice should be sought first. It is often the case that it is not as simple as just remove and replace. Retail LED lighting frequently offers long term cost savings alongside improvements to the retail environment. Key areas of retailing particularly those associate with Pharmacy and especially the promotion of cosmetics benefit strongly from the clean white light that LEDs can offer.

Two other key benefits are on offer with a successful transition over to LED based retail lighting, one of these being replacement costs – particularly in the case of fluorescent tubes and the other being reduction of excessive heat from roof mounted fittings which in some cases can increase costs of running the store’s air conditioning at a high rate than need be simply to loose the heat of the lighting.

New retail lighting solutions include roof mounted LED grids which can replace the traditional multi way fluorescent tube housings found in removable panel type ceiling structures. These same LED grids can be used to perform backlighting functions on promotion or advertising panels. A wide selection of LED tube replacements are now on offer for retail environments and can be used directly to achieve good results.

Many retail lighting distributors and companies are offering LED’s as an alternative without explaining the key differences in the mode of operation or being able to advise on effective drive circuits and power suppliers. Retail companies need to use a good quality supplier of LED’s who can give clear advice on how to avoid the pitfalls that can come from a poorly configured lighting transition. Retail lighting companies such as Selectronic that have been involved with LED’s from before the time their use migrated into the lighting environment can advise on some of the key points of design. A factor they can advise on is LED degradation and ways that it can be managed and planned for as well as offering a wide range of design solutions that can give optimum results.

LED retail lighting is the clear way forward but the route to utilise the  technology needs to be considered fully to get the best results. With an expected life of 50000hours, you can be sure that once completed you will have a solution for the long term!

Imran ali asked:


 

Are you looking for state-of-the-art LED lighting? This article will educate you about some of the most noticeable benefits of these small yet powerful lights in terms of cost effectiveness and environmental uses. LED is short for Light Emitting Diode. LED lights are made up of small semiconductor diodes that emit blue, green and red light when an electric current is passed through them. Using these three basic colors, all other colors can be produced by combining them in different proportions. Basically these types of lights are used as indicators and for other special purposes like Christmas lighting and for use in flashlights and car lights.

 

Because LED lights are very efficient in terms of saving energy and cost, they are popular all over the world. All kinds of LED lights are provided by renowned manufactures across the globe. These lights include high-power LEDs, low-power LEDs, sign displays, remote control devices, household bulbs, car kits, rope lights and strips. White-colored LED lamps and energy-saver lights are very common and good at their job. They can operate continuously for hours and hours without becoming dim or weak. High-power and strong LED lights are expected to last for many years.

 

LED industry leaders have estimated that good quality LED lighting can last for 50,000 to 100,000 hours. Usually these kinds of lights require 9 to 14V DC power which is very low as compared to power required by traditional lighting. Furthermore, they are easy to install and carry around in case you need to move to a new place. They can be stored in a compact storage place and come very handy on special occasions like birthday parties, weddings and Christmas celebrations. Another advantage of these small lights is that they are made water proof and can be installed in any area of your choice.

 

LED lighting has been found to be superior to incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent tubes in terms of longer and more useful life. These lights also have a faster response time as compared to other types of lights and become fully bright in a matter of microseconds. They can also be used in electronic and electrical experiments where they are required to test passage of electric current through a circuit. They do not contain mercury and are therefore very safe. In fact they can be used to test various circuits where high voltage is expected to be used in order to be safe and avoid electric shock.

 

Although LEDs are more expensive than other type of lighting, they are very cost effective in the long run. First of all, they save energy. And secondly, they operate for a much longer duration than ordinary fluorescent lights or tubes. Their design flexibility, powerful nature, small size and availability in almost all kinds of colors make them an attractive choice for household use. They are also safe to be used around children as they do not produce much heat. Visible LEDs do not produce any ultraviolet radiation and are therefore useful for a wide range of purposes.

 

So, you see LED lighting has many advantages over other types of lighting. It is not only cost-effective but also very safe and useful. Different kinds of LED bulbs are now utilized for household use to produce super bright and continuous light. They are also used for entertainment and architectural lighting as part of sophisticated and state-of-the-art interior design. Many people use LED bulbs as portable lights for different purposes. They provide environmental protection and come in many colors including blue, white, red, yellow and green. Red and yellow LED lights are often used in advertisements and sign displays. LED rope lights and strips are used all over the world for wedding decorations and concerts.

Imran ali asked:


 

LED lighting comes in many different types, shapes and sizes for different purposes. It is useful and advantageous in many different fields ranging from simple home décor to architectural design and medical lighting. Many LED industry leaders provide different kinds of LED lights to their customers including rope lights, strips, bulbs, pre-wired single LEDs, outdoor lights, sign displays, floodlights and spotlights. There are other types of LEDs as well used as indicators in electronic devices, in flashlights and as car lights. These lights also come handy while designing a motion sensing security system for home or office safety and protection against burglars.

 

LED traffic control system is also very popular across the globe. These small lights in different colors are made to operate continuously for directing traffic coming from different directions. Alerts and warning signs are also made by using these types of lights. Flashlights make use of LEDs because of their light weight and extremely powerful nature. They can last for many hours even if required for constant and steady operation. Most of these lights have 2 to 3 miles visibility and are therefore excellent to be used as danger alerts and warnings.

 

Semiconductor materials used in the making of LEDs include gallium phosphide, indium gallium nitride, diamond, zinc selenide, silicon, silicon carbide and some others. These lights do not contain mercury and are therefore useful for safe operations such as using around children and pets. Safety products such as LED safety flashers are very common all over the world. Emergency flares and other types of lights come under this category. LED lighting is also widely employed for interior design such as outdoor powerful lighting and under cabinet lighting. LED strips are often used for this purpose along with decorating the interior of cars and making an LED pet leash.

 

LED under car kits are also becoming increasingly popular in today’s fast-moving and modern world. These state-of-the-art lights are used to create an under-car lighting halo which looks beautiful from a distance. Many people who are fond of decorating their cars use these kinds of lights. Their specifications include display of 2.1 million colors, many levels of flash speed, music displays, water proof and shatter proof, and requirement of 12V DC power. It is a multi-functional kit which comes very handy for different purposes. The best thing about this device is that it not expensive at all and lasts for a long time to come.

 

LED lights can be used for so many exciting purposes and decorative uses that you simply cannot ignore their importance. The night reader lamps that make use of LED lights are also popular among people of all ages. Their height and angle can be adjusted accordingly and therefore can be used as table lamps and for reading in bed. LED bulbs are used for household uses ranging from kitchen lighting to simple yet attractive decoration. Strip and rope lights are available to be used for wedding and Christmas celebrations.

 

The uses of LED lighting are unlimited. This kind of lighting is not only powerful but also very cost-effective. Because of this reason, many manufacturers are now providing different types of LED lights for almost all kinds of uses. These include ambient and architectural lighting, medical and portable lights, 3mm and 5mm small LEDs for electrical experiments, and single, ready-to-use LEDs for installation on unconventional surfaces like rocks and in aquariums. In addition to these, many companies also provide popular LED accessories including transformers, dimmers, voltage doublers, motion sensors, voltage regulators, and installation accessories. All these equipment and devices come very handy for all kinds of lighting purposes.

pvyas asked:


Light Emitting Diode, which is conveniently called as LED lights in electronic term is a semi conductor light that emits light as soon as an electric current is applied to it. They are extensively used as indicator lights on electronic devices and also in higher power applications as in case of flashlights and area lighting. As per the technological methodology, an LED is a light source which can be infrared, visible or ultra violet. The color is determined by the composition and condition of the semi conducting material used. Discovered in the year 1907 by H.J Round, a British experimenter, earlier these bulbs were used as replacements for incandescent indicators only.

Methodology

The white color of the LED bulbs come from a narrow band blue that is emitted naturally by GaN LEDs. The yellow on the other hand is generated by a phosphor coating on the die which absorbs a proportion of the blue and converts it to yellow. These GaN die are able to produce operational wavelengths from green to ultraviolet by varying the relative amounts of indium and gallium during production. When electric applied in the forward direction of the device it results in a form of electro luminescence where incoherent and narrow-spectrum light is discharged from the p-n junction in a solid state material.

Advantages

LED technology has taken the world to a whooping stage of development as it is very useful in conservation of energy and pollution. Some of the important advantages of the bulb are -

1. LED lights are more efficient when compared to the conventional bulbs and tube lights. They produce more light per watt against an incandescent bulb and this facet makes it very useful when used in battery powered or energy-saving devices.

2. This technology has the capacity of emitting various colors of light without the use of colors filters that traditional lighting methods require, thus saving initial costs.

3. Due to their small size, they can be easily placed and they also light up very quickly and achieve full brightness in microseconds.

4. These LED light have a better cycling life as compare to incandescent bulbs and also radiate much less heat in the process of switching on and off.

5. They have a better life span around 35,000 to 50,000 hours of useful life and LEDs mostly fail by dimming over time, rather than the abrupt burn-out of incandescent bulbs as in comparison to incandescent lights.

6. These lights are shock resistant and the solid package of the LED can be designed to focus its light. The fact that they are non toxic (do not contain mercury) also favors the application of these bulbs.

Disadvantages

However, withstanding all the advantages, there are certain short comings faced by these LED lights as well. they are listed below -

1. As compared to incandescent bulbs the LEDs are much more expensive and its execution largely depends on the ambient temperature of the operating environment. They require adequate heat sinking in order to make it more durable.

2. These LEDs are also voltage sensitive and one needs to be vigilant as they involve series of resistors or current-regulated power supplies. As they work on the mechanism of area light source, it becomes difficult for them to operate in spherical light field.

3. Of recent it is being observed by the scientists that blue and cool white LEDs emit blue light hazard that is unsafe for eyes. The cool white LED lights should not be used for outdoor lighting near astronomical observatories. Together these lights have certain limitations that are termed as blue pollution.

Applications

LED lights are perhaps the most advanced technology that is taking its tool over the people all over the world. Their application is diverse and hence they can be divided in three distinct categories – Visual signal application where the lights transpires from the bulb to the human eyes directly, Illuminations where LED light is reflected from an object to give visual response and finally, technological approach that does not require the contact with human visual system as in case of light photosynthesis in plants.

Products and Evolution

In the past decade, LED technology has expanded its scope to almost every household in the world. From little red spots that tells one that the wi fi connection is on, to the excellent light source that we see in our rooms just by switching on a plug, applications of LED is ubiquitous. Production quality LEDs are now capable of efficiencies of around 70 lm/W, compared with 12 lm/W for incandescent light bulbs, and single die devices are producing over 100 lm.

Today one can find the implication of these LED lights in many areas. Be it the LCD screen of the computers or the latest version of the mobile phones, be it Ipods or safety and security hardware like LED enabled drainage system or Led micro lights for reading at nights, LED technology is vast and growing by leaps and bounds. The newest trend in the electronic market is the green influence that has not left the LED world bereft. The most recent launches in the LED market are theLight bulbs that can help one save up to 90% of electricity costs plus reduce the heat output and even more than this the bulbs claim to last up to 10 times longer than a standard light bulb or compact florescent. Some of the most advanced LED enabled products in the electronic world are -

LED enabled Faucet Lights – Install this in your homes to give a new look to the monotonous water taps. Available in red and blue they are heat sensitive and alarm the user by changing colors, as soon as the water temperature goes above 89 degrees centigrade.

LED Jellyfish Mood Lamps – These are unique desktop tank that plays trick with the eyes by displaying three jellyfish that swim, with the aid of the 6 bright colorful LEDS that are placed at the top of the tank.

Sony’s Walkman - Sony, the largest supplier of electronic goods has launched a new Walkman called NWZ-X1000 that features an OLED (Organic light emitting diode) touchscreen.