LEDs

There can be no doubt that LEDS are taking over the world of lighting, in much the same way that LCDs took over the TV-set market. Thus the recent months have seen a hive of activity in LED IC and bulb introductions.

LED ICs

In the last few months, Cree (www.cree.com) has been bringing a number of so-called lighting-class LED chips to the market. Last month, the company announced the commercial availability of the XLamp MX-6S and MX-3S LEDs. With the same footprint and high-quality performance as the XLamp MX-6 and MX-3 LEDs, the latest devices offer high-voltage configurations designed for space-constrained LED lamps and bulbs. With a 60 mA input at 20 V, the 6,000-K MX-6S delivers up to 139 lm and the 3000-K version produces 114 lm; at 115 mA/10.7 V, the 6,000-K MX-3S outputs up to 122 lm, the 3,000-K version 100 lm.

Cree’s XLamp MX-3S LED

This follows the company’s September announcement of the availability of 0.5-W XLamp ML-E lighting-class LED devices for distributed LED arrays that can meet Energy Star performance criteria, with color-bining that ensures users of color uniformity. They provide luminous flux up to 58 lm at 150 mA in cool white (5,000 K) and up to 48 lm in warm white (3,000 K).

Vishay Intertechnology’s VLHW4100 LED

Vishay Intertechnology (www.vishay.com) has taken aim at the lighting market with parts that can deliver 4,500 mcd to 11,250 mcd at 20 mA. The white, nondiffused 3-mm VLHW4100 LEDs use InGaN technology in a clear, untinted plastic case with lens that provides a viewing angle of ±22.5°. The device has a thermal resistance as low as to 400 K/W and power dissipation up to 95 mW. The device is compliant to RoHS directive 2002/95/EC , and is available at $10.50 per 100 pieces.

Lumex introduced the through-hole QuasarBrite SSL-LX503SIUPGUSBC four-leaded RGB LED with a 120° viewing angle, suited for applications that require high intensity light in restricted spaces, such as close-proximity airport, retail and hospitality signage, general decorative and indicator lighting; and gaming machines.

The device’s lead frame design is said to provide superior heat dissipation. The RoHS-compliant part contain three individual dies in red (635 nm), green (520 nm) and blue (470 nm). Samples are available from stock, with production quantities in 6-8 weeks and pricing is less than $1 each in production quantities.

JKL Components’ (www.jkllamps.com) ZSM-6550-C LED series is a range of high output white LEDs, with CRIs above 90 to provide accurate color rendition. The devices have a median output of 66 lm with very narrow deviation in brightness and color. The LEDs have eight options for color temperature, ranging from 2,700 to 6,500 K. Their footprint of the LED is 5.4 x 6.5 mm with a 1.65-mm profile.

ZSM-6550-C LED series from JKL Components

The 42-in. Dolby PRM-4200 professional reference monitor introduced in Septembers uses 1,536 OSRAM Opto Semiconductors (www.osram-os.com) Ceramos RGB LEDs. Designed specifically for professional content creation applications and targeted at production and post-production of movies and TV shows, the monitor must provide high performance with wider color gamut, outstanding color accuracy, higher dynamic range, and true deep blacks.

Housed in a 3 x 4.5 x 0.9-mm ceramic package, the red, green and blue chips of the multichip LED are positioned so the color mix has the same appearance when observed from a wide range of angles, and exhibit negligible degradation in brightness or color drift with lifetimes in excess of 50,000 hours. In combination with Dolby’s proprietary dual-modulation and calibration technologies, the LEDs enables the display to meet stringent requirements.

LED lamps and bulbs

Developed as a retrofit for incandescent light bulbs, the first Edison/ E26-base LED bulbs to make use of Philips’ Luxeon Rebel LEDs debuted in Japan this fall under the Elpa brand. Available in four cool and warm white 4 and 5.5-W models, they are designed to replace 40- and 60-W bulbs. Each retrofit bulb contains three or five LEDs, lasts up to 40,000 hours, and consumes 1/10 the energy of its incandescent counterpart.

Asahi Electric’s Elpa LED lamp

The Elpa LED lamps were designed by Hong Kong’s Quantum Lighting Products for Asahi Electric, the owner of the Elpa brand. Future Lighting Solutions provided engineering assistance, including input on LED board layout and thermal management, as well as production board-assembly consultation and LED-inventory-management services.

Around the same time, LEDtronics (www.ledtronics.com) announced vibration-resistant fluorescent-replacement LED tube lights that are well suited for passenger buses, railcars, and other high-vibration environments. The LED48T8-288 series bi-pin LED tube light fits into standard G13 bases and is designed to directly replace conventional T8 and T12 fluorescent tubes. The 48-in.-long tubes operate from a 24 to 42-Vdc supply and provide the light output equivalent of 24 to 32-W fluorescents while typically consuming 21 W at 30 Vdc.

LED48T8-288 series LED tube light from LEDtronics

LEDtronics has also introduced the DEC02SM-B11E26 series flame-tip chandelier bulbs that use surface-mount LEDs with a plastic lens covering that allows the LEDs to shine in multiple directions. The bulbs, which have a standard E26 base and work from 120 Vac consumes only 3 W to produce 174 to 202 lm. They comes in halogen white (2,500 to 2,700 K), provide 360° radial light and 135° viewing angle, and are available with a choice of clear, frosted, or milky-white lens. They have an MSRP of $32.50 each.

Designed to replace 20- and 35-W halogen lamps, EnhanceLite LED MR16 lamps from LEDnovation (www.lednovation.com) offer center beam candle power (CBCP) figures ranging from 1,100 cd for the 3.9-W version to 1,420 cd for the 6-W unit, at efficacies of 64 and 54 lm/W, respectively. The bulbs have a 5-year warranty, are available now in 27° narrow flood (additional beam angles available soon), have a warm-white (3,000-K) color temperature, and CRI greater than 80.

Global Lighting Technologies (www.glthome.com) has combined its edge-lit LED light guide technology with its mass production capabilities to create a troffer downlight that is slim, light, efficient, and can be manufactured cost effectively in high volumes. LEDs are spaced along the edge the light guide of the troffer to create an assembly measuring 23.5 x 23.5 in., with a thickness of only 0.35 in, and weight of less than 7 lbs.

LED troffer from Global Lighting Technologies

The light guide uses advanced light extraction technologies to extract light precisely where needed, providing bright, uniform light in a thinner form factor without hot spots or dark areas. Products now in production offer a brightness of >60 llm/W, color temperature of 4,000 or 6,000K, and power consumption of 45 W. LED troffer pricing varies according to size, number of LEDs, and quantity.

Richard Comerford