The NS-Caffe Tech Blog

LED (light emitting diode) technology has been taking the world by storm. LED news articles can be found all over the internet, crossing continents and languages. It’s beneficial for everyone to turn to LED lighting sources as their main lighting solutions. Perhaps, no other continent is making more moves to switch to LED lighting than Europe. According to these online LED News Articles, the two main organizations that are the major players in the European lighting industry – CELMA and ELC- have published papers and documents discussing LED-based lighting. These documents are for European citizens and businesses and give insights into relevant standards and specifications for lighting solutions. The purpose of these documents is to entice European society to make the switch to the more environmentally friendly LED lighting technology. They also inform society about the benefits of using LEDs including good-quality lighting, improved productivity, and environmental impacts. CELMA and ELC have been promoting LEDs for some time now. At the Strategies in Light Europe 2010 conference, they gave presentations involving the use of LEDs in practical applications. They expect the use of LEDs in Europe to continue to increase but do not shy away from the fact that there will be some issues to consider. The development of standards laid out in the new documents is a huge step in eliminating an issue. Other issues involved include what type of role the European Commission will play and what types of market segmentation will be necessary with the vast differences across the European continent.

The current trend in the lighting industry is replacing traditional light sources with LED (light emitting diode) technology. LED light bulbs are versatile and feature numerous benefits to the consumer and the environment. The technology can get complicated to understand, but the idea centers around small semiconductor chips that convert electricity into light. Although the technology was first discovered in the early 1900’s, it wasn’t until the 1960’s that scientists began trying to utilize LED technology in everyday settings. The first LEDs came into use in seven-segment displays and expensive lab and electronics test equipment. They have come a long way from these settings, and are now used in varying applications in both commercial and residential applications. They offer not only cost savings, but a more energy efficient way and environmentally friendly method for lighting solutions. Along with the versatility of this lighting technology, more and more innovations have been discovered placing this non-traditional light in different applications inside and outside the home.

Today, LED light sources are found inside the home, being applied to everyday appliances. Consumers are replacing traditional light bulbs, found in appliances such as refrigerators and fans with LED appliance light bulbs. When, you think about it, LED light sources only makes sense for appliances such as refrigerators. A typical incandescent appliance light bulb uses 60 watts of power and converts electricity to not only light but also heat. LED lighting converts the electricity to light, giving off less heat. After all, you wouldn’t want a light bulb inside your refrigerator giving off heat. That would defeat the purpose. Another common household use for LED light bulbs is in ceiling fans. LED ceiling fan bulbs are more durable than traditional incandescent and last longer, reducing maintenance costs of replacement. Similar to LED appliance light bulbs, you won’t have to worry about this bulb giving off any heat as it twirls around your ceiling.

Outside of the more practical use of indoor LED light bulbs in appliances, come LED lights used for decoration. With many colors across the spectrum to choose from, home decorators can use LED light sources to bring some fun flair to indoor lighting. LED string and rope lights can be placed on staircase banisters and countertops. LED strip lights are used for inside cabinets and security lighting in restrooms for middle of the night ventures.

A different use for an indoor LED light comes in the form of the LED grow light bulb. Grow light bulbs are used to grow vegetation indoors, where it can develop without harmful UV rays from the sun outdoors. Consumers also use grow light bulbs during the winter months, when the ground is frozen and natural light is oftentimes sparse. A disadvantage of growing a garden indoors is the high cost it takes to power the indoor grow lights. These LED grow lights utilize less energy, give off less heat, and produce an ideal light spectrum for growing indoor vegetation over traditional grow lights. Consumer’s will save money as less power is required and will help the environment by reducing their carbon footprint. With these benefits in mind, using an LED grow light bulb will enhance consumer’s harvest without sacrificing yield.

LED light sources are also found outside of the home. Many consumers have purchased LED lamps to place around outside decks and fire pits. Others have used LED landscape lighting in their front yards to highlight the sidewalk and driveways. One of the most common uses for outdoor lighting comes by way of flood lights, which are an important safety feature many consumers use to light up their home at night. Flood light bulbs also come in handy when having an after dark yard party, where extra light is needed. Outside lighting is generally used to cover a large area, thus needing a large power supply to provide the required light. LED flood light bulbs use less power and have a longer lifespan. Also, traditional flood lights tend to give off a lot of heat due to the large amount of power being used. As mentioned before, LEDs convert the electricity into more light and less heat, reducing risk of burn injury.

LED light sources continue to take the lighting industry by storm. New applications and uses for light emitting diode technology continue to be developed on a daily basis. One this is for sure, the technology has come a long way from the days of using LED’s strictly in scientist labs of the 60’s. We can only sit back and wait to see what happens to LEDs over the next 50 years.

When I was first considering switching to LED bulbs throughout the home, there were many things I wanted to know before I bought my new bulbs. For starters, what sort of bulbs did I want? Why were there spiral shaped bulbs and capsule shaped bulbs, and were they both really LED? How do I figure out what wattage to get for the lamps I already had? Clearly, I had to read more on LED bulbs. It wasn’t too difficult to find the answers I needed. There were several conversion charts for watts that were easy to read. I discovered that there were many different types of LED lights for indoor and outdoor use, and how to tell the difference between them. There were also many different shades, such as warm white or cool white. There are dimmable bulbs and frosted bulbs. In fact, the diversity in that you can place LED bulbs in a variety of different applications was very appealing to me.

When you read more on LED, you find that it’s not just light bulbs utilizing this technology, but also TV and cellphone screens are making use of LEDs to get better quality picture and longer battery life. You can also find detailed diagrams that show the complicated chemical reactions that make an LED work. There are all kinds of new uses for LEDs every day. LED is also in the news often as new uses are found or government debates to make them the sole bulbs on the market. Read more on LED products and features to discover all this and more.

The way light bulbs work is sometimes a complicated and tough process to grasp. With the recent increase in LED light bulb purchases I was curious as the how the technology works. I knew what the benefits were (decreased carbon emissions, less power consumed, and longer shelf life for example) but wanted to understand the process behind it. It blew my mind that a traditional 45 Watt equivalent bulb, for example, could be replaced by a 2 Watt LED bulb. I took to the internet and found my answer. The website that I found had the best explanation was ecmweb.com. I will try to explain how they basically work, staying away from the real technical aspects. LEDs stand for light emitting diodes. These are devices that have the capability of converting electric energy directly into light of a single, one color. The power saving comes from the LEDS ability to eliminate waste energy in the form of heat. Heat as a non-light source is what uses a lot of the energy in traditional lighting sources such as compact fluorescents and incandescents. A diode is in the middle of an LED bulb and acts as the main light producer. As the current comes through the diode, light is produced from within the chip-mounted diode as it acts as a reflector. LEDs can offer a variety of different styles, shapes, and forms of light based upon the diode’s size in the bulb. This is a very basic explanation, but more detailed information can be found on ecmweb.com or other online sources.

Jumping on the LED lighting bandwagon? Don’t be ashamed, millions of people across the world have switched to light emitting diode technology for their lighting solutions. Industry experts believe that this trend will continue to grow as we move towards the future. However, an article from electronicsweekly.com isn’t convinced that LEDs should be at the forefront of lighting future. It brings an interesting perspective to an industry that has very little negative publicity written about it. The article brings up a few interesting points that I wanted to highlight. The first point is that companies that use LEDs and claim up to 90 percent energy efficiency from LED sources are lying. The article says that the most modern LEDs still convert a lot of electricity to heat rather than to light. With this in mind, the article brings up the initial cost of the bulbs. They are more expensive to purchase than traditional bulbs, but the idea is over time they will save the owner money on power consumption and maintenance cost. Although it may be the case in residential homes, the article suggests that offices and businesses should stick to using florescent tubing as their office solution. The electronicsweekly.com article thinks that this type of tube lighting is the most efficient lighting that offices can meet. So what does the article suggest should be at the forefront of the lighting future? They believe that large area sheet emitters based on LED or AC electroluminescence technology. The article states that these are projected to match LEDs in efficiency and cost less to manufacture. Something tells me that the lighting debate is far from over as more technology is developed. We will have to wait and see.

LEDs are becoming the newest way to not only save energy, but also to decorate for parties, dance clubs, and holidays. There are so many effects and programing that can be done in order to make a real quality light show display. You can even coordinate lights to your favorite music tracks. It may seem like a difficult thing to do, but it can be done quite easily with the right LED supplies. Power supplies, timers, and the right connectors can get you on your way to setting up your light display.

For example, some types of bulbs can change colors or dim. If you wanted, you can even get a remote to control these actions yourself. There are portable power supplies that make it possible to set up LED lights in your car or in your room without the need of an outlet. There are converters, connectors—all kinds of LED supplies to create and customize. There are also many different colors of LED string lights, like multicolor or color changing. Understandably, it can become very daunting very quickly. With so many different products out there, you can get lost in just different types of bulbs and string lights alone. Research has been made easy since enthusiasts are experimenting all the time, and often write blogs to share their findings. And with how to videos and retailers offering informational articles on their sites as well, you’ll be equipped with all the right LED supplies you need for your project, no matter how simple or complex.

LED Lighting has taken the lighting industry by storm over the past few decades as people replace their traditional incandescent bulbs with the more energy efficient led light bulbs. Although the idea for LED light bulbs was first discovered by H.J. Round in 1907, the LED light wasn’t studied extensively until the 1960’s. Round is credited with discovering the phenomenon that drives the LED light bulb, electroluminescence. His tools used to create the phenomenon were a silicon carbide crystal and a cat’s- whisker detector. Technology sure has changed since then. Today, LED bulbs are the preferred light bulb of choice as its efficiency and low running costs drive many consumers to make the purchase. Due to the fact that it takes less electricity to run, the use of LED lights is saving the environment by lowering the carbon footprint. The United States government, in particular, has enacted laws to ban traditional, less energy efficient incandescent bulbs. These are some of the most recognized benefits of LED lighting over traditional light sources; however one benefit seems to always be left out when talking about LED lighting solutions. LED light bulbs can fulfill an array of different purposes and functions; thus making them increasingly versatile. LEDs come in a variety of different shapes, colors, and sizes. Light emitting diode technology isn’t just being used to replace traditional light bulbs in household locations, but also is taking over in other areas, such as flashlights and emergency lighting.

Flashlights are a worthy investment for emergency situations and when light has diminished from an environment. Unfortunately, we’ve all been there when we’ve gone to grab a flashlight and the batteries have died, or the light has turned on but it’s dim and flickering. LED flashlights are a solution to this problem. As mentioned, one of the benefits of LED lighting technology is its longer lasting operational life as compared to its incandescent counterpart. An LED flashlight will run up to 60 continuous hours off of regular batteries, with an operational lifetime of over 25,000 hours. The light emitted is strong, with the latest white LED lights measuring 60x brighter than standard flashlights. Also, taking less battery power to run, LED flashlights are of course more energy efficient. With the versatility of LED lighting technology, LED light comes in different colors, such as red, green, blue, and white. Investing in LED technology seems to make sense as you wouldn’t want to get stuck in an emergency situation with an old flashlight that doesn’t work. Although the initial investment may be greater than a traditional flashlight, the long term savings – and not to mention the peace of mind- makes it worth it.

As we all know safety comes first, and LED lighting technology is perfect for exit and emergency evacuation solutions. Today, LED exit and emergency lighting products are being installed in government, commercial, educational, and residential locations across the world. With all of the positive features and benefits of LED lighting, it makes using the technology a no brainer in these locations. Light emitting diode technology has some necessary characteristics needed for shining through emergency situations. Aforementioned, LEDs are incredibly energy efficient. They don’t use as much power to operate, and save companies and households money long term. Due to the fact that exit lights, for example, run 24/7 this savings cuts down on substantial electricity usage. Also, they are long lasting and have a long runtime without flickering and dying out. This is a needed attribute of lighting in an emergency, as LED technology will keep the light shining longer than traditional lighting methods. With this in mind, LED lighting features excellent illumination as the small semiconductor chips convert electricity into light. Using LED lighting to highlight exits will reduce maintenance cost and effort as the LEDs last longer, decreasing the amount of time needed for replacing bulbs. LED retrofit kits are available to replace existing exit lighting with LED technology. By replacing an old emergency sign or by purchasing a new one you are doing your part to benefit the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

There are many benefits to switching to LED light sources to fulfill your lighting solutions. The energy saving and environmental aspect are great reasons to make the switch, as well as longer operational life. Don’t forget the often overlooked benefit- the great versatility this technology offers. There is certain to be an LED application to replace your old traditional lighting source. If not, LED lighting has a bright future that includes a great deal of room for even more innovation to come. Stay tuned.

The LED market is still new and exciting, so it can be confusing on where to start when you want to switch your home over to LED lighting. Things like what size or wattage is the closest equivalent to the traditional bulb you already have—these are probably questions that you have in your head. You may want to know what your savings in energy usage will be. Then there are different shades that will give a space a different feel. That’s why it’s important to read about LED information in order to find what bulbs are right for you and your home. It may seem unnecessary—you can just go to the grocery store and get a bulb there. But it’s not that easy. LED bulbs are very different from old fashioned incandescent lights that you might be accustomed to.

Since the market for LED bulbs has expanded, the amount of resources has also expanded. Retailer sites have articles to read about LED products and features, such as Christmas string lights or flashlights, helping you to further familiarize yourself with them. There are also interesting facts and tidbits that will make you wonder why you didn’t make the switch to LED before (like about how much power they need to work and how much they’ll save you on your electric bill). It’s important, as a consumer, to do some prior research before making the switch to any new product. LED bulbs truly do offer some great advantages over traditional incandescent bulbs. After having read about LED bulbs, you’ll know exactly which one to buy.

From LED Cube Videos to big Rock concerts, LED displays are becoming a very popular way to enhance stage shows or add to the experience of listening to music. People go as far as to synch up their Christmas lights to recordings and create out of this world light shows. Let’s look at some ways, both far away and close to home, that LED displays can be used to make some very exciting entertainment.

One of the biggest spectacles across the pond, the Eurovision Song Contest, pits musical acts from various European countries against each other to win the public’s votes and be the song of the year. And one of the best way to garner votes is to have an memorable and entertaining stage show. For the past several years, the contest as utilized giant LED screens in order for acts to display graphics that go with the lyrics or the mood of their song. In order to synch all these boards together is a tough job, and massive equipment, such as a media server called Hippotizer linked up through the light console, are needed to make sure everything is happening when it needs to.

However, LED displays need not be all that complicated. From this LED Cube Video, you can be directed to purchase a DIY kit to make your own funky light display. With just an 8x8x8 cube (that’s the amount of bulbs) the possibilities of what you can create in your own room are endless. Just watch the LED Cube Video to find out.

The word electroluminescence may sound really complex and scientific – like it belongs in a lab, but it can also be put to use in decorating your home, car, or even yourself! This is possible through the use of EL wire, which is flexible, comes in many colors, and runs off of simple batteries. The wire can be bent into any shape at all, and can be used outside or indoors. With the addition of a sequencer, you can even set the wires to pulsate with a rhythm, even matching the beats of your favorite songs. Electroluminescence wires have become popular for use in outdoor Christmas decorations and in night clubs. What makes EL wire different from strings of decorating lights is that EL wire is completely lit up while standard string lights only provide points of light. It is also highly efficient—several hundred feet can be run off of AA batteries for hours.

EL isn’t a new idea, though. It’s been around since the 1960’s and was first used by Chrysler in car displays. It was also utilized in Panelescent nightlights that can still run after nearly 50 years of continuous use. These types of displays were notable for their cyan-green glow which gave off a gentle and uniform glow on the whole display without using much electricity.

These days, Electroluminescence lighting is used for advertising, as it is lightweight and easy to program what parts should be illuminated. It also allows for already existing spaces to be used while making eye popping boards.