Control Systems & PLC's

Diode Array

The Light Emitting Diode­—LED

What is LED?

The Light Emitting Diode­—LED

Basically, LEDs are tiny light bulbs, or semiconductor diodes, that fit easily into an electrical circuit. But unlike ordinary incandescent lamps, they do not have a filament that burns out or gets hot. The diodes emit light when partnered with an electrical current and are illuminated solely by the movement of electrons in the semiconductor material.

The LED is called solid state lighting or "SSL" because light is emitted from a solid object, the semiconductor diode, instead of a vacuum or gas tube (like an incandescent, fluorescent or HID lamp). The diode itself is a two-terminal crystalline and when an electrical current passes through it, the recombination of positive and negative charges results in the emission of visible light.

Less than one millimeter square, individual LEDs are clustered on a circuit board to create an array, which is then incorporated into a light fixture.

LED products are available at CommercialLightingSupplier.com.

 

Higher Color Rendering Means Lower Efficacy

By adding warming red to the LED, however, the higher red phosphor coating reduces the overall lumen output. As Kelvin temperature goes down and becomes warmer, overall lumen output is decreased. For example, a 14W Nora fixture with 3000K has a 630 lumen output, while a 14W Nora fixture with 4200K has a 710 lumen output. Efficacy is thus reduced as CRI goes higher.

Longer Performance Life

LEDs have a rated life based on the time it takes for the light output to decrease to 70% of the original output, which is typically about 50,000 hours or 17 years of normal use. A typical incandescent fixture will need to be re-lamped 10 or more times during the life of an LED fixture.

As LED chips increase in lumens and efficacy, the lighting industry is focused on producing better performing products. With higher lumen-per-watt LEDs being introduced everyday, the future for LEDs is bright.

Within the next decade LEDs are expected to be the dominant light source … a clean and green alternative for homes, cities and business.

The lighting industry has rarely seen a more compelling dynamic than the nationwide effort to go green with LEDs. Municipalities, airports and civic centers are converting entire public area lighting systems. Cost-conscious institutional and commercial facilities can not retrofit fast enough. And architects and home builders want the coveted LED (and LEED) green designations for the marketing edge.

LED products are available at CommercialLightingSupplier.com.

 

http://www.commerciallightingsupplier.com

http://www.commerciallightingsupplier.com/Under-Cabinet-LED.html

 

 

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Cheap IR heat detection, and reading.?

Is there a diode of some sort that can detect (non-oscillating) Infrared radiation? I don't need anything as expensive (or accurate) as a Thermal Array. I will need to take heat readings from about 25 separate points. So I was hoping there was an inexpensive way to do this. I just can't touch the object I'm reading. Any suggestions?

Do you, or a friend have a Nitendo WII and a bluetooth adapter for your pc??

(bluetooth adapters are cheap)

The WII remote has an infrared camera and sends that signal via bluetooth to the WII... or your computer if you have a bluetooth adapter.

The link below gives you information on how to use the remote with your computer to see the infrared levels.

MCS 600 - Diode Array Spectrometer