Luxeon side LED

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I few people have been raising questions regarding the new Luxeon Side LED. The side LED is a standard Luxeon Chip fitted with a special optic which directs light in a 360 degree axis parallel to the chip. hence very little forward light.

The intended application is for automotive sector. Consider the following. using a standard Luxeon LED in a brake light would cause a problem with hot spots and or complex optic designs. using the side LED light can be controlled / reflected with conventional design techniques. hence the luxeon becomes a light bulb (ish).

The result is the depth of light clusters can be reduced to say 25mm.

I have a shipment of the production version due in the UK 18th August. The preproduction versions were a bit flimsy.

 

[Darell]

Oooh boy! You've quickly become a font of useful information! Good stuff. I'm especially excited about the automotive application potential of the LS's. I can think of few better applications for LEDs than in vehicles.

 

[Lux Luthor]

Could you use that side emitter as a 360 degree area light? Say, when placed on a table?

 

[Darell]

I can envision good applications for bicycle, pet and child safety as well. Sometimes you need 360 degrees of illumination.

 

[Roy]

Think we're talking about a 180 degree beam here. Or to put it in three dimentional terms..a hemisphere or half a sphere.

 

[Darell]

I see your point. BUT, from Gordon's description, it sounds like a 360 degree band of light instead. A 180 degree beam would imply lots of forward light as well, but Gordon specifically stated that is not the case.

 

[cave dave]

If you put it in a typical parabolic reflector you could have and ajustable beam as well!

Darrell, I can think of lots better uses than in autos, like flashlights and headlamps.

 

[EMPOWERTORCH]

The LED has finally come of age, now having the multidirectional lighting capability of filament and fluorescent bulbs, but without the fragile glass, the flimsy filaments or the dangerous gases! There cxould be 1000's of uses for this kind of lighting product:

Torches (now a variable focus beam is possible with LED)- great news for torch modders!
Lanterns - a good area light
Night vision friendly car Interior lighting
Bulb replacements for mains incandescant fittings
Emergency lighting
Aeroplane interior ambient lighting (safer, longer lived and more energy efficient than fluorescent light)
Floodlighting (Arrays of LED emitters could be chosen to give good lighting to outside locations whilst keeping liht pollution to a minimum.)
Architectural lighting...LED's last such a long time that they could be built in as part of the building.

Solar/Renewable Energy lighting:
In some far flung communities and in some cases regarding phone boxes and roadfway signs and traffic signals, running them from solar or wind power may be feasable. All these applications are around in one form but use fluorescent technology. All these applications require a wide-angle source of light.
Well done Lumidrives and Lumileds

EMPOWERTORCH

 

[Jonathan]

Just a small nit...these devices are not yet as efficient as a full sized fluorescent lamp. The most modern, electronic ballast fluorescent lamps are reported to be in the 90 lumen per watt efficiency range; these LEDs are reported to be in the 30-45 lumen per watt efficiency range.

But they've finally surpassed halogen efficiency, especially when dimmed down, and the life expectancy (if proper driven and temperature controlled) far surpasses anything else available.

-Jon

 

[PeLu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jonathan:
Just a small nit...these devices are not yet as efficient as a full sized fluorescent lamp. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Only above ~8W (that's what you probably call 'full sized')