Why not hexagonal LED's?

[Ned]

Why not hexagonal LED\'s?

When I see so many light makers trying to pack 60 LED's into the head of a light, I wonder. why not make the individual LED's hexagonal in shape so they can be packed more densely (a la honeycomb)?

Here's hoping this is not a spectacularly stupid question...

 

[Chris M.]

Re: Why not hexagonal LED\'s?

I agree- that`s a very good idea.


Trouble is that most LEDs aren`t made with that purpose in mind. The 5mm/T1-3/4 housing they are in was developed back in the days when people would laugh at you if you said you wanted to use an LED in place of a bulb in a flashlight- cos they were too dim.
Those that are made for close packing- eg for some message signs and bar-graph-displays- still aren`t very bright. You can get rectangular and square bodied LEDs that pack in tightly but they`re not near as bright, except perhaps Nichia`s rectangular blue white and green ones, but they have such a wide beam they appear to be dimmer than normal.

I think one problem might be in the shape of the lens. A round lens is "normal" but chop off 6 of its edges and it might lose efficiency (dimmer output) or some optical effect at the edges might make the beam more irregular. Still- if an LED manufacturer like Nichia made a bright, hexagonal LED specifically for clustering in flashlights and other lighting products- and designed the lens properly (which they probably would do) to give a smooth beam- I reckon it would be a success.

How about it Nichia? Hexagonal LEDs- as bright as your regular round ones.

 

[Ned]

Re: Why not hexagonal LED\'s?

I don't imagine that the clipping of the edges of the "lens" would casue much if any distortion. Most light will pass through the center of the LED in a cluster arrangement.

What about heat? Could be that those gaps in the current clusters allow just enough heat loss. Hex packing might generate to many BTU's.