Superior bins = Hopeless fantasies?

I often hear about the "constant evolution" of LED efficiency and quality, but does that evolution produce production runs available to enthusiastic groups and individuals or just a few state-of the-art specimans quickly gobbled up by the big boys?

Technological advances normally trickle down to the general population, or at least sizeable niches within that population. Will top quality bins follow that trend, or will such gems remain hopeless fantasies in Flashaholics' fevered imaginations?

Brightnorm

I think at some point LED's will get to a point where they are all incredibly similar and all incredibly high quality.

When I look back to the 1W LD greenies we had one year ago and compare them to the T-bin scorchers we have now, I am sure that something is changing /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
bernhard

P.S.: and when I look at the rate I need to buy newer and better lights, my wallet, too, is sure that something is changing ... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif

I'm greedy, I had X bins in mind; guess I'll have to wait/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif

BN

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Probably yes, but a year ago (if I may repeat myself) we were playing with U-bins and now the standard is W-bin. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

For my personal taste all this is too fast. One can barely enjoy a new toy before the next one is knocking at the front door.

bernhard

The standard is a W bin? That's news. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The projected date by most LED companies is for LEDs to be to the level of Car Headlamps within 5 years. That's a big leap to get to that level of brightness and throw, which means that we should be experiencing very big changes in consumer's expectations of their flashlights with each passing year.

I'd imagine Lumileds will run out of letters with their LED bins soon.

It's a fun ride, but for the average consumer of lights who's footing the bill, I'd imagine it would seem rather fast, as Kiessling said.

[ QUOTE ]
Kiessling said:
...One can barely enjoy a new toy before the next one is knocking at the front door.bernhard

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll trade doors with you /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My impression was that Ws were hard to get. I'll revisit Don's site and check it out.

BN

Speaking of superior bins, any U-bin LIIIs yet?

Ws are hard to get. I haven't been able to get any more since my last order of them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[ QUOTE ]
jtr1962 said:
Speaking of superior bins, any U-bin LIIIs yet?

[/ QUOTE ]


I doubt we'll see those for some time. I'll bet that most of the T-binned L3s are concentrated at the low end of the T bin range

The Luxeons are indeed better today. They are mostly in a different format now (Lux3, or 5W with new Binning System, or all mostly High Domes, etc.) from what we used to complain about (Low Domes with the single-digit numerical color indicator in the middle of the Code) so this may be making it seem like improvement trends are stagnant.

With that said, the best stuff I have usually run across is almost invariably from across the ponds (offshore) for some reason. I think it is because although a big portion of the better Bins do get here first, they are quickly snapped up by the Big Boys with standing purchase obligations (which therefore entitles them to first pick; if one of Us PROMISED to buy 10,000 pcs. monthly with an open credit account accessible by Lumileds to charge against at any time, then of course We would enjoy the same perk; it's just how business is done, and if We were Lumileds I'm sure We would do the same; guaranteed bulk sales as opposed to picky choosy onesey-twosey small-time clientele) whereas a concomitant proportion of these good bins that are earmarked for foreign destinations are not taken up as quickly over there (except perhaps Asia as it appears the bigger light mfrs. sure are beginning to put out some flashlights with Very good color/brightness), or they end up in the hands of those who then resell to us but at the Small Boys level, meaning much smaller lots and likely rather inflated prices. But hey, they have to make their money too, right?

And I pay it gladly because that way I can at least claim to have the best Luxeons possible, at least within my limited personal financial reach.

So thass muh story and ah'm - stickin' to it... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

I expect to see incremental improvements for a while as the current processes mature. There will be multi die LEDS that are impressive but no better than an equal number of individual LEDs.

At some point in the next few years something will happen to change the underlying design and the result will be a great leap in quality or output. That may be nano-dots or crystal lattice filters or something that is not even on the drawing boards yet.

In the mean time, the superior bins pop up on occasion in quality lights or the B/S/T forums.

Daniel