I was at kmart today and seen something interesting called a "LimeLite". Its just like a flat square piece of plastic. and on the back says 115/0.3w for power usage. they appear to be similar to the indiglo light on watches and clocks. you just plug them directly into the wall. they are very dim but still enough light to find your way around a room if your eyes are adjusted to the dark. I know most of the posts in here are about flashlights but i thought this was cool and wondered if anyone else had information on these little lights?
anyone heard of a limelite?
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It's called electroluminescent.
here are some sites that sell it.
http://www.beingseen.com http://www.glowire.com
here are some sites that sell it.
http://www.beingseen.com http://www.glowire.com
Chris M.
Flashlight Enthusiast
We have them in the UK too, I`ve got one on a kind of burn-time test, it`s been there about a year now and still is going brightly. The battery powered Krill "electronic glowstick" lights use the same technology although all I hear about them on this board is that they don`t last very long at all, perhaps the EL material is overdriven to get more light?
But those Limelite things seem pretty good to me.
But those Limelite things seem pretty good to me.
D
**DONOTDELETE**
Guest
I have a bunch of those lime-lites.
They've been out about 10 years now.
In 1994 they got the Popular Science
Best of Whats New. When they first came
out they had a problem with power surges
and burning out. I had some of these and
contacted the company and they were replaced, no questions asked. I could easily say that I've been burning some for over five years with no burn-outs. The company also manufactures their products for Timex and GE. Here's their website: http://www.limelite.com/
They've been out about 10 years now.
In 1994 they got the Popular Science
Best of Whats New. When they first came
out they had a problem with power surges
and burning out. I had some of these and
contacted the company and they were replaced, no questions asked. I could easily say that I've been burning some for over five years with no burn-outs. The company also manufactures their products for Timex and GE. Here's their website: http://www.limelite.com/
Brock
Flashaholic
I also have had them for over 5 years, some of the originals are ok and some have become very blotchy and actually make a buzzing noise. I have sent some of those back and they sent me new ones, no questions asked. In my new house I have outlets at the top, middle and bottom of the steps on the sides, I put limelight in there and it makes it much easy to go up and down at night.
I have heard they aren't any better then incandescent for efficiency, but since they use less power overall and are last much longer, I like them.
I have heard they aren't any better then incandescent for efficiency, but since they use less power overall and are last much longer, I like them.
Steelwolf
Flashlight Enthusiast
They are about as efficient as incandescents in terms of lumens per watt, but you win because you don't have to replace any bulbs, whereas an incandescent light may have had its bulb replaced several times for the same service time (rated for 10 years continuous use IIRC). Nice glow and good reliability.
While we're on the topic of nightlights, has anyone heard of, or tried, the type that uses the neon tube? They are quite popular in Singapore and are brighter than the EL lights. But I've only had one for a while and don't know how long it lasts. You can't replace the tube, so once it's blown, the entire unit has to be disposed of.
While we're on the topic of nightlights, has anyone heard of, or tried, the type that uses the neon tube? They are quite popular in Singapore and are brighter than the EL lights. But I've only had one for a while and don't know how long it lasts. You can't replace the tube, so once it's blown, the entire unit has to be disposed of.
is it even possible to find a regular bulb that uses .3 watts? these are guaranteed for lifetime but i dont have any of the packaging or receipt so i doubt i could get them replaced. why aren't there any plug in led lights? if there was I would guess converting the 120 ac all the way to a low dc would probly not be that efficient but i dont know what im talking about.
Chris M.
Flashlight Enthusiast
has anyone heard of, or tried, the type that uses the neon tube?
Yep, we have those here too. It`s more like a neon bulb than a tube inside- have you seen the amber coloured neon power lights on some appliances, often built into the power-on switch? That`s what they use, although normally a tiny bit bigger so it`s brighter. Amber colour isn`t as see-able as green by the very nature of human eyes so I reckon Limelites win there. There are also green versions of those neon bulbs (works on a slightly different principle but are the same size bulb) and I`m sure I`ve seen green neon night lights too- those may be on par with Limelites but green Neon bulbs have a fairly short life in comparison. One in a power-on lamp I have here has been glowing less than a year and already is flickering a bit (early sign of failure), but conversely I`ve seen others still burning after 10 years, must be due to the amount of power fed to them perhaps.
I`d go with Limelites though- they don`t flicker and last longer, or should do anyway. Nice cool green colour which our eyes are quite sensitive to as well.
Yep, we have those here too. It`s more like a neon bulb than a tube inside- have you seen the amber coloured neon power lights on some appliances, often built into the power-on switch? That`s what they use, although normally a tiny bit bigger so it`s brighter. Amber colour isn`t as see-able as green by the very nature of human eyes so I reckon Limelites win there. There are also green versions of those neon bulbs (works on a slightly different principle but are the same size bulb) and I`m sure I`ve seen green neon night lights too- those may be on par with Limelites but green Neon bulbs have a fairly short life in comparison. One in a power-on lamp I have here has been glowing less than a year and already is flickering a bit (early sign of failure), but conversely I`ve seen others still burning after 10 years, must be due to the amount of power fed to them perhaps.
I`d go with Limelites though- they don`t flicker and last longer, or should do anyway. Nice cool green colour which our eyes are quite sensitive to as well.
Go Go Gadget Flashlight
Enlightened
I can't remember where I saw them, probably at Wally world, but...
The newer style of those Limelight type lights are blue like the newer Timex Indiglo color.
Same great benefits and no icky green color.
The newer style of those Limelight type lights are blue like the newer Timex Indiglo color.
Same great benefits and no icky green color.
The_LED_Museum
*Retired*
I've got one in the can, and it works fine in that small room. But I find them a bit too bright to use in the outlet next to the bed.
What they are is essentially a leaky capacitor with a phosphor on one of the plates. Unfortunately, I haven't really done too much studying on exacly *how* these thing work at the subatomic level, so not much help there. They somehow convert part of the capacitor's dielectric loss into light. They must have AC or badly chopped DC in order to work. Lower AC frequencies usually impart a more greenish color, lower light output, and longer life; while higher AC frequencies make them much brighter, bluer, and shorter-lived.
That's about all I know about these things. :0
What they are is essentially a leaky capacitor with a phosphor on one of the plates. Unfortunately, I haven't really done too much studying on exacly *how* these thing work at the subatomic level, so not much help there. They somehow convert part of the capacitor's dielectric loss into light. They must have AC or badly chopped DC in order to work. Lower AC frequencies usually impart a more greenish color, lower light output, and longer life; while higher AC frequencies make them much brighter, bluer, and shorter-lived.
That's about all I know about these things. :0
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