New Technology - Liquid Filled LED Light Bulbs

I've been fascinated watching the race to develop a viable LED based replacement for the standard incandescent bulb. This is one of the most unique yet.....a liquid filled bulb. The liquid works as a highly efficient heat sink. The design of the bulb allows for a more omnidirectional light output. The cost/efficiency ratio of these new bulbs seems attractive as well.

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-key-for-leds-how-about-liquid-filled-lightbulbs/

Not new, Ive seen something similar
http://www.eternaleds.com/4W_LED_Globe_A_Shape_Bulb_Eternaleds_HydraLux_p/hydralux-4.htm
however, a "25w replacement" doesnt do me much good for any applications I'm looking for, however the linked one definitely looks very interesting! just dont drop it. :nana:

While I'm not sure if a liquid filled bulb is a completely new idea as far as I know this company has a completely new approach. It is not just a bulb full of liquid. Anyway, its 1100 lumens - 75 watt equivalent at 15.5 Watts. And, "the bulbs will survive at least a three-foot drop!"

They will be at LightFair International next week and I plan to make a stop at their booth. It will be interesting if that bulb can be cost competetive given the 10 individually mounted LED PCBs which are hand jumpered from board to board. The machining of the heat sink has to be expensive as well with so many odd surfaces and taped holes. Seems more like a novelty than a viable product in my opinion.

Harold_B said:

They will be at LightFair International next week and I plan to make a stop at their booth. It will be interesting if that bulb can be cost competetive given the 10 individually mounted LED PCBs which are hand jumpered from board to board. The machining of the heat sink has to be expensive as well with so many odd surfaces and taped holes. Seems more like a novelty than a viable product in my opinion.

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I know what you mean. So many promising ideas seem to end up as gimmicks. This one seems intriguing though and the claim that it can stand a three foot drop as well. Please report back with your findings!

Hmm maybe not soo bad as you think, the bottom part of the heatsink doesnt look machined, and as commented, machining would be quite pricy for that. Casting, specifically investment casting could make surfaces good enough for putting down a LED on a sil-pad sort of thermal pad, For screwholes etc, it looks like it would be a single operation on a multi-axis lathe.
They could mill the flats under the LEDs if needed, drill and tap holes, and bore out the center, and do any other final operations. I'm sure prototypes are hand soldered, but the LEDs on PCBs could be laid out in a row, with flex ribbons hot-bar soldered down quickly, with only the last joint, connecting it to the PCB done by hand.

Hopefully they can get some units out the door at the price range they suggest in the article. I'd definitely like to handle one in person, try it out in some fixtures etc...

Name that LED?

I was gonna' post some photos of this bulb but you beat me to it. Whether it's a viable new technological design or not, it certainly does look pretty darn cool. I want one!
Can't see the emitters well enough to identify. The article mentions Lumileds and Bridgelux. There may be more info on their website. I think they have PDFs of the specs to download.

I have had absolutely no luck uploading images so if one of you that has can pull this off that be great: what I did to get images of the production jumpered PCBs is to download the video on the website, pause it and use the snip tool on win 7 to snag the image. You can blow it up from there to get a better view of the LED as well. It looks like a Rebel to me.

The pictures above look different than what is in the video here http://www.switchlightbulbs.com/media.php . Lumileds would be an easy guess. But, Switch states that they'll be using multiple suppliers. The video shows what looks like a Cree MX6 or MX3, or a Rebel-C. They state that the prototype LEDs have the lens/dome on them and that the production units won't.

I hope that they release them soon. I could use up a dozen 75-watt neutral-white bulbs very quickly. http://www.switchlightbulbs.com/products.php

The images I'm able to grab are definitely not MX-3 or MX-6. I won't presume to know what their relationship is with Lumiled but I'm not aware of the Rebel being available without a dome. There is a Luxeon C but it is cool white. I would assume that the under $20 pricing will be for the 40 watt equivalent and go up from there which would make them about the same as the competition. If they can hold the cost down as the output goes up then they have really got something. Still, I am dubious that they can stay competitive given the complexity of the design.

EZO said:

And, "the bulbs will survive at least a three-foot drop!"

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The fact that it can break at all kind of negates one of the points of using LEDs in the first place. If you ask me, this is a solution in search of a problem.

jtr1962 said:

The fact that it can break at all kind of negates one of the points of using LEDs in the first place. If you ask me, this is a solution in search of a problem.

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Well, a traditional light bulb is unlikely to survive a three foot fall and certainly a CFL would never survive a three foot fall plus you'd end up with serious mercury contamination. So a bulb that will be substantially more unbreakable than what we've been using up until now along with being dramatically more efficient and Hg free would be a definite improvement.

Ehhh, I'm not so sure. Again, the price point and the 75W equivalent are noteworthy but to say that a consumer wouldn't be major upset to have a silicone fluid oozing out onto the floor and $20+ down the drain after dropping it? Ever try to clean that stuff up? Imagine that in carpet! Cool looking product that I could see in the right place in my home (we like funky stuff) but I doubt that this is the product that is going to crack the LED market open. My opinion....

Harold_B said:

I have had absolutely no luck uploading images so if one of you that has can pull this off that be great: what I did to get images of the production jumpered PCBs is to download the video on the website, pause it and use the snip tool on win 7 to snag the image. You can blow it up from there to get a better view of the LED as well. It looks like a Rebel to me.

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Harold_B.......I think this is what you are asking for although I found it on a slightly different video. It does look like a rebel. In fact, does the designation RBL1 on the board refer to Rebel?



Here's the video on Youtube, but be advised that it comes across like a mini infommercial. I'm posting it because there's some useful information related to the discussion. It shows the globe in three versions of diffusion, the bulb in real world usage, a close up of the prototype and some comparison data with other lamps.

EZO said:

Well, a traditional light bulb is unlikely to survive a three foot fall and certainly a CFL would never survive a three foot fall plus you'd end up with serious mercury contamination. So a bulb that will be substantially more unbreakable than what we've been using up until now along with being dramatically more efficient and Hg free would be a definite improvement.

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Of course it's an improvement in the areas you mention. My point though is there's no inherent reason you need to use anything breakable in an LED bulb at all, much less fill it with some gooey liquid. The globe or optics could be high-impact plastic. The metal heat sink is obviously unbreakable. If you pot the electronics, the lamp in theory could survive being dropped from a skyscraper. With LEDs becoming ever more efficient, this seems like an interim gimmick to deal with a heat issue which won't even exist in 2 or 3 years.

Regardless of the LED, that tint is delicious.

EZO - Yes, that's the one. Thanks and well done!

I wonder what their long term strategy is. Bulb prices will come down, thermal management issues will be reduced, etc. Is the goop integral to the plan and what about the comments about the vertical placement of the LEDs? Would they be able to change to a different technology that mounts horizontally and still maintain a thermal advantage? Very pretty but....

EZO said:

I was gonna' post some photos of this bulb but you beat me to it. Whether it's a viable new technological design or not, it certainly does look pretty darn cool. I want one!
Can't see the emitters well enough to identify. The article mentions Lumileds and Bridgelux. There may be more info on their website. I think they have PDFs of the specs to download.

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They look like Rebels to me.