Mini Strobe Goes LED!

Mini Strobe Goes LED!

LOS ANGELES - American DJ has put new flash into strobe lights by adding the power of LEDs, while scaling down the size, to create the S-81 LED Mini Strobe. A modern-day version of this all-time popular effect, the compact S-81 LED measures just 3.5″ x 5.5″ x 3.5″, yet contains 21 bright white LEDs, which give it an impressive punch that belies its petite size.
This highly portable LED mini strobe is small enough to fit anywhere and it’s super easy to operate, making it an ideal choice for creating cool visual effects at school dances, dorm parties, discos, bars, band performances — anywhere a strobe light can be used. And, with the fall-winter season just around the corner, it’s perfect for adding freakish fun to Halloween parties and a splash of flash to holiday festivities.
Best of all, the S-81 LED has a mini price tag too. At just $25.95 MSRP, everyone from professional DJs, to students, to home party hosts can enjoy the fun, exciting effects of a strobe, along with the user benefits of advanced LED technology.
“American DJ is committed to bringing the value, performance and energy-saving advantages of LEDs to everyday lighting users such as working DJs and bands,” said Scott Davies, General Manager of the American DJ Group of Companies. “The S-81 LED is the latest example of how LEDs are evolving to become a practical lamp source for even the smallest, most commonly used effects like strobe lights. This powerful mini-sized unit definitely takes strobes into the next generation, with its LED power, performance benefits, compact size and surprisingly affordable price.”
One big benefit of the S-81 LED is that its LED lamps produce such a powerful clear bright beam, no fog is necessary to enhance the effect. This enables it to be used at locations and venues where fog is not allowed or desired, such as many schools and wedding halls. Another safety and comfort feature of the S-81 LED is its cooler operating temperature. Since LEDs produce less heat than traditional fixtures, it is less likely to overheat, and the temperature on the dance floor or stage remains cooler and more comfortable.
With LEDs’ long lamp life, the S-81 Mini offers tremendous dollar value as well. Its LEDs are rated for 50,000 hours of use, meaning it could run continuously for over 2,000 days before the bulb would burn out. Divide this into its retail price of $24.95, and the S-81 costs you just over one cent a day!
Energy savings is another advantage of LED fixtures. Despite its brilliant output, the S-81 LED draws only 3W of power, compared to a halogen strobe light of approximately the same size, which can consume 20W or more.
The S-81 LED Mini Strobe has a beam angle of 130° and includes a flash rate control knob on the rear of the unit. Designed for ultimate compactness and portability, it measures 3.5″L x 5.5″W x 3.5″H and weighs just 1 pound.
The MSRP of the S-81 LED Mini Strobe is $25.95.

LED Headlamps - Which Industries Benefit Most?

LED Headlamps - Which Industries Benefit Most?
Headlamp technology has a long way since it was first introduced, with LED lights sources now replacing the candles and lamps of the past decades. LED headlamps are used in a number of different industries, but there are three specific industries which have received the most benefit from them (and as such they have helped in the lightweight and durable versions that are used today to develop .) These key industries are mining, search and rescue and Industry --Production, and each of them makes use of headlamps in a slightly different way.
Coal Mining A reliable source is essential for the coal mining industry, miners, since much of their time deep under the earth, where no daylight to spend to achieve. Early mining headlamp use is made small oil lamps, candles, helmet mounted, such as work, but that posed a dangerous situation if encountered pockets of gas or had large amounts of coal dust present. For securityin the mines is a major concern, an alternative had to be found to allow miners to do their work without the risk of fire or an explosion.
Battery-powered lanterns were used for years when the batteries mining helmets even harder than it already. The development of LED lights was the answer to the Bergleute''Gebete, so that a stable and reliable light source that no heavy battery packs do not have to move them. LED lights, provided a better qualityLight as the beginning of the alternatives and, thus pressure on the Bergleute''Augen.
Search and Rescue Unlike miners who spend most of the search and rescue forces of the majority of their time outdoors. This does not mean that isn''t their work more dangerous, the lives of adults and children often hang in the balance sheet and rescue teams must be able to respond a wide variety of terrain and weather conditions, situations quickly and efficiently. This efficiency can be significantly reduced through have to have a flashlight or battery-powered lantern. The ability to make an LED headlamp don this important work much easier. The lightweight LED lights tend to be so closed to be watertight, so search and rescue forces have not only the hands are free, but they are also able to do their job effectively, regardless of the weather outside.
Industrial Manufacturing Industrial production is definitely not an easy job, and in most cases, what a job> Industrial workers does will require them to have both hands free to do it. That's good for the line workers who do their jobs in well-lit areas, but it can be a great inconvenience for warehouse workers and those who carry out maintenance, because they often venture into the corners and darker areas of the plant. LED lights have a lot of light where they need it while your hands free, and the LED lights tend to be stable enough thatthey can in a few cases something goes off and take care of impact without breaking a light bulb.

Heated LED Bathroom Mirrors: The Ultimate Bathroom Accessory?

Heated LED Bathroom Mirrors: The Ultimate Bathroom Accessory?

Introduction
Central to the mythology of mirrors is Narcissus a Boeotian hero, who disliked those who loved him for his own natural beauty. He famously gazed into a pool of water and was so fascinated with the reflection, that he was unable to bring himself to leave the image. Not realising that the image he could see was of his own natural beauty, he couldn’t bring himself to leave the image, and he perished.
The concept of how the mirror works is quite simple. It stems simply from the reflective surface of still water and therefore nature plays its part. When you look down into a puddle or a dark pool of water, the smooth water reflects the light straight back into your eyes. Mirrors work in a similar way, in that a mirror is made up of a coated glass surface which when a polished metal surface or metal film is applied behind the glass, light cannot shine through and so reflects the image back. Young children particularly, are always fascinated when they look into a mirror for the first time and see their own reflection staring back at them. Anyone who has young children will remember the vision of their young child daughter kissing their image on a mirror. My eight year old daughter loves sitting in front of her mirror applying her make up nearly as much as my fifteen year old daughter!
Where would we be today without mirrors? Mirrors are generally used for personal grooming or interior decoration and have evolved from a luxury item into a necessity. There is an enormous variety of mirror shapes and sizes and over the years, mirrors have gradually evolved to meet many different requirements. Today there is a large selection of mirrors , ranging from small mirrors to large mirrors, framed, unframed and includes bathroom mirrors, decorative mirrors, illuminated mirrors, LED mirrors, shaving mirrors, make up mirrors and demister mirrors. Away from personal use, mirrors are also used as part of scientific apparatus such as cameras, lasers, telescopes and periscopes, to reflect light and used as tools in dentistry and medical care.Not to mention the beauty and hair salon industries.
History of Mirrors
The history of mirrors as far as we can see dates back over 8,000 years. The earliest known mirrors were made from pieces of polished stone such as obsidian, a naturally occurring glass from cooled volcanic lava flows. In Anatolia in Turkey, examples of obsidian mirrors dated at around 6000 BC have been found. In south and central America, polished stone mirrors from around 2000 BC on wards have also been found. From around 3000 BC mirrors of polished copper are known to have been crafted in ancient Egypt. In China bronze mirrors were manufactured from around 2000 BC.
The first metal coated glass mirrors are thought to have been made in the first century AD, in Sidon, known today as Lebanon. The Roman author Pliny makes reference to glass mirrors backed with gold leaf in his Naturalis Historia, one of the largest reference books to have survived from the Roman Empire, which focused on natural and man-made objects and was written in around 77 AD. The Romans also created a technique for making crude mirrors by using molten lead to coat blown glass.
In the 10th Century Arabian Physicists, considered different types of mirrors, reflecting mirrors and parabolic mirrors and another discussed concave and convex mirrors in both cylindrical and spherical geometries. In undertaking various experiments with mirrors, finding the point on a convex mirror at which a ray of light coming from one point is reflected to another point was solved.
During the period of the 14th to 17th Centuries, across Europe a method of coating glass with a tin-mercury amalgam was perfected by manufacturers. Venice was recognised for its glass making expertise and soon became a centre of mirror production using this new technique. Glass mirrors from this period were extremely expensive luxuries.
The particular process of silvering to produce the first silvered-glass mirror is credited to German chemist Justus von Liebig in 1835. He developed a process to apply a thin layer of metallic silver onto glass through the chemical reduction of silver nitrate. The process was adapted for mass production and led to the greater availability of affordable mirrors and formed the basis of what we now consider the normal way to produce a mirror today.
The evolution of the mirror over the years is quite interesting, if like me you love mirrors! It has evolved from a luxury item to an item which is now taken for granted in daily use. Today, walk into any DIY store to look at mirrors and the selection is vast, with many technology features now finding there way into mirrors, to give added simplicity, luxury and decoration.
Accessories available on backlit mirrors feature back lighting, LED lighting and demister pads.
How are Mirrors Made?
The manufacture of mirrors includes the application to a suitable material of a reflective coating. Glass is the most commonly used material, due to its ability to take a smooth finish and its rigidity. Glass is also more scratch resistant than many other materials.
Early mirrors were made of solid metal, bronze or silver and they were far too expensive for many. Metal is also prone to corrosion and because of polished metal’s low emissivity, antique mirrors were less suitable for indoor use. With indoor lighting at the time supplied by candles or lanterns, the metal mirrors reflected a much darker picture.
In modern times ‘float glass’ is used in the manufacture of mirrors, which is a flat ribbon of glass which is run out of a furnace and along the surface of a bath of molten tin. The temperature of both the glass and molten tin is controlled to enable both surfaces to be made perfectly flat. There are now three common types of mirrors: plain - which has a flat surface, and the two spherical types of mirrors: the convex and the concave. The concave and convex mirrors can be used in an entertaining way, when used at fairgrounds or amusement parks to distort peoples figures reflected in them through bloating, stretching and shrinking, the person or object in front of them.
In some applications, a mirror isn’t a mirror at all. For example, when used in public conveniences, especially in public or factory toilets, where for reasons of cost and the need for greater durability, a single polished metal sheet is often installed as a form of mirror.
Different Types of Mirror
Throughout the ages, mirrors have been employed as symbols of truth, deception and vanity. Mention a mirror and you instantly know that if you look into one, you will see your own reflection staring back at you. The image you see will resemble your own appearance. In optical principles, the reflections in mirrors do not totally match the objects in front of them. When looking into the mirror, trace the contour of the reflection of your head in a mirror. The reflection may correspond in proportion, but will generally be half in actual size. With such a variety and huge range of mirrors now available, much has been made of the amount of money spent in purchasing mirrors particularly by women, although in this day and age with an increase in men purchasing cosmetics, some men will also be vain enough to carry a mirror.
The vain Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs famously asked her special mirror, “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Mirrors are synonymous with truth.Mirrors are frequently used in interior decoration to create an illusion of space, and to decorate and amplify the apparent size of a room. They will be used around the home, the office, a pub, club or restaurant to good effect. They work particularly well in night clubs, reflecting the many images of light in the club or room to create a feeling of a much bigger space.
Infinity Mirrors provide an effect of never reaching an end, known as ‘symmetry breaking’ and are particularly effective when used in a dark environment. I remember experiencing this phenomenon for the first time as a child in a large department store lift, where mirrors where on all sides of the elevator car. For those who are not good in lifts I should think this effect probably does nothing to calm them, perhaps that’s why you don’t see lifts like this anymore Or is it just because I’m getting old and that was a particular style popular in the 70’s!
My next favourite kind of mirror after the infinity mirror is the heated mirror, these mirrors have a heating element or what is called a demister pad mounted on the back. The reason a mirror steams up when you have a shower is because the surface temperature of the mirror is colder than the air temperature and causes the water vapour in the air to condense on the mirror. Some bright spark realised long ago that it if you heated the mirror this would avoid it steaming up, brilliant!
For many years heated mirrors have only featured in very expensive bathrooms usually costing thousands, and quality hotels have used heated mirrors as a neat differentiator from the increasingly popular budget hotels and motels. Of course it is not until you step out of the hotel shower and see yourself in the mirror that you realise it is there! Whilst at the back of your mind you realise this is one of the reasons why this room is more expensive than the other hotel across the street.
Last week I heard the BBC Radio 2 DJ Ken Bruce state that the best shave you ever had will have been in a hotel, to which he attributed the benefit of the heated bathroom mirror as the main reason. I have to agree, and every time I stay in (nice) hotel I always have a really good look at the bathroom with a view to reproducing the best of its features in my own home.
Any bathroom can benefit from a demister mirror creating the feeling of that luxury bathroom. All you need is a power supply routing to the mirror which your local electrician can install for you relatively cheaply, once installed it can also be used for powering a shaver point, or better still buy a heated mirror with a shaver socket built in.
In 1980, ska group The Beat had a UK top ten hit with ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’ and the bathroom is probably the location where we are most intimate with our mirrors. Many will say that it is not wise to look at yourself in the mirror first thing in the morning, but the bathroom is often the first port of call in the morning. Many bathrooms feature a main bathroom mirror positioned on a wall and a bathroom cabinet with mirror doors. Other than the “oh my god” do I really look like that expression, the uses of a mirror or mirrors in a bathroom will generally be to aid the application of make up, hair styling or shaving. One of the major problems with bathroom mirrors is that after showering or bathing, the mirror is misted over.
A recent addition in the manufacture of heated mirrors is the inclusion of a demister pad which clears the mirror for use in just seconds. Just think never having to again wait for the steam of the bathroom to disappear from the mirror, or having to open the window, before using the mirror to shave or apply make up. The bathroom mirror demister or steam free bathroom mirror is a great invention. Some manufacturers refer to these products as fog free bathroom mirrors and there is now a huge range available, again some with back lights, LED lighting and built in shaver points.
Demister mirrors and steam free bathroom mirrors are not the only recent developments on mirrors. As suggested above another reasonably new product is the illuminated bathroom mirror. Illuminated mirrors maintain the features of a simple mirror, but will enhance any environment in which they are used with the addition of lighting. As with all mirrors, the range of illuminated mirrors is extensive, with a variety of sizes and shapes available. An Illuminated mirror with shaving point can also be purchased. Illuminated bathroom cabinets with or without shaver sockets are also available.
Mirrors with illuminated LED lights will enhance any bathroom or environment in which they are installed. Being of low energy consumption LED, or light emitting diode, are more environmentally friendly than traditional bulbs. They are designed to withstand the moisture of the bathroom environment. So water vapour mist will not cause a problem. As a real luxury mirror, illuminated bathroom mirrors and bathroom mirrors with LED lighting can also include a demister pad, to demist the mirror in just a few seconds and an on/off sensor to activate the lights as soon as motion is detected in front of the mirror. Now bathroom cabinets are also available with inbuilt back lights, and LED lighting for that special something different in your bathroom.As a bathroom accessory the mirror should come high on the list, in fact can you really have a finished bathroom without a mirror? The enormous selection of styles, types, shapes and sizes means that there must be a mirror to match anyone’s budget. Although some of the latest technological versions such as illuminated, backlit and LED mirrors could be considered to be luxury items, some are not as expensive as you may think.
A convenient feature for any man who likes to shave before they go in the shower is a heated bathroom light mirrors because, if like me, your significant other has had a shower before you get in the bathroom the mirror is all steamed up when you get to it.
Mirrors, Superstition and Auspicious Energy Flow
I have always loved mirrors, probably why I have ended up in the mirrors business! When I was at school I did a project on them, this was before the internet was invented mind so I trawled through piles and piles of reference books in both the school and local library for months. These days of course it would only take a couple of hours on Google, kids these days don’t know how easy they’ve got it!
Once you get immersed in mirrors as I did all those years ago, or ‘mirros’ as I frequently misspelled it, and start researching them, you find that they play a major part in all aspects of life. Mirrors also feature in superstitions. One of the most commonly known superstitions is that someone who breaks a mirror will receive seven years bad luck. A popular belief for this superstition is that mirrors are a reflection of the soul and if a mirror is broken, then part of the soul is broken. Added to this, some believe that the soul regenerates every seven years in an unbroken condition, hence the seven years of bad luck. I bet you’ve always wondered why that was so I’m glad to share that with you!
It is also said that the mirror does not lie. A mirror can show only the truth. It is a very bad omen indeed to see something in a mirror which should not be there, a technique regularly used in scary movies! Some cultures also have a custom that a newborn child should not look into a mirror until its first birthday because its soul is still forming.
In the southern United States, it used to be customary to cover the mirrors in a house where the wake of a deceased person was being held. If a mirror was left uncovered or exposed, people believed that the deceased person’s soul would become trapped in any uncovered mirror.
In the ancient art of Feng Shui mirror placement is considered very important. There is a lot of information available about this, and it is a subject that can’t be covered in a mere paragraph or two here. But Chi energy flow can be influenced by mirrors so where the energy needs to be diverted, mirrors can be used for this to great effect. Personally I don’t really conform to these rules, although my mum has mirrors strategically placed all over her house to redirect in-auspicious energy! One of the principles I do follow though is to make sure I don’t have any mirrors pointing at my bed, or the kids beds, as this is said to reflect your dreams back onto you whilst you are sleeping!
Conclusion
A mirror is defined as a coated glass surface for reflecting images. There is a huge range of mirrors for scientific use, and available in many shapes and sizes. The most commonly seen uses of mirrors are for personal grooming and interior decoration. As a race we are thoroughly addicted to mirrors.
Over time, mirrors have evolved from a luxury item to an item of necessity and many particularly women will always carry a mirror in their hand bags. However, today with technological advancements, some mirrors will be seen as a luxury, particularly those which include illumination, LED or demisting devices. As individuals we spend many hours of our life in a bathroom, so why not treat yourself to one of life’s little luxuries and indulge in a stylish bathroom mirror? After all, let’s be honest, who can really live without looking in a mirror at least once a day?

Led-World Exclusive - LED Lamps with Remote Control

LED Lamps with Remote Control :

When it comes to choosing light globes these days, energy-conscious consumers have a multitude of choice. Both CFL bulbs and LED bulbs offer energy-efficient lighting and whilst they seem expensive at first, you realize they will save you money in the long term. However, a less appealing feature of LED globes is the bright, white light they emit, not particularly compatible with creating a warm, romantic feel in your home. That may be about to change. Sharp Corporation has just announced it has created a series of LED globes that includes a bulb with a remote-controlled, adjustable-color function and a dimmer.
The series of nine globes will be released in Japan in July. Model DL-L60 features an adjustable color function which allows users to change the light through a series of seven shades from warm white to daylight light. This model also includes a dimmer function, allowing the user to enjoy a range of color and brightness. Three other bulbs in the series are dimmer compatible, but the dimmer will need to be purchased separately.
The LED bulbs have a standard E26 screw base so will be compatible with all your existing lights and lamps. All models have a service life of approximately 40,000 hours and will not lose intensity or longevity even if continually turned on or off. With the exception of the DL-L60, users can choose bulbs with warm light or daylight white.
Warm white is described as being equal to the light from an incandescent lamp and daylight light is equivalent to bright daylight. Like other LED bulbs, they provide bright, even light and as they emit very little light in the ultraviolet range are less likely to attract insects and bugs. Prices are expected to range from ¥3880 (USD$40) to ¥7980 (USD$82).

LED Lighting Could Help Reduce CO2 Emissions 50 Percent Over 20 Years

LED Lighting Could Help Reduce CO2 Emissions 50 Percent Over 20 Years

Just by switching to LED lights, we could decrease carbon dioxide emissions from electric power use by up to 50 percent in just over 20 years. A recent report by McKinsey & Company states that making this switch is possibly the most cost-effective way to tackle global warming using existing technology.

LEDs are more than twice as efficient as compact fluorescent bulbs, currently the standard for greener lighting. Unlike compact fluorescents, LEDs turn on quickly and are compatible with dimmer switches. And while fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, which requires special disposal, LED bulbs contain no toxic elements, and last so long that disposal is not much of an issue.
“It is fit-and-forget-lighting that is essentially there for as long as you live,” said Colin Humphreys, a researcher at Cambridge University who works on gallium nitride LED lights, which now adorn structures in Britain.
The switch to LEDs is proceeding far more rapidly than experts had predicted just two years ago. President Obama’s stimulus package, which offers money for “green” infrastructure investment, will accelerate that pace, experts say. San Jose, Calif., plans to use $2 million in energy-efficiency grants to install 1,500 LED streetlights.
LEDs have a high initial cost, no doubt – an outdoor spotlight can cost up to $100, compared to $7 for an incandescent bulb. But, imagine not having to change that light bulb again for 20 years or more, and paying pennies on the dollar for power consumption compared to ‘regular’ light bulbs.
They’re still not perfect, being better suited for directional lighting than general lighting needs, but scientists are already finding new ways to address these problems. It’s a start!

Led-World Exclusive - 2010 Ford Mustang Lights Cut Fuel Costs

2010 Ford Mustang Lights Cut Fuel Costs

When it comes to getting the most possible efficiency out of a vehicle, the battle is often one of small steps, not giant leaps. Completely redesigning a vehicle from the bottom up to be the most efficient vehicle on the road is a big challenge. First there’s the extra research and development costs, then, once the vehicle is designed, you’ll likely have to retool your factories in order to produce the thing. So how does one increase efficiency without having to change the industry’s ways? One way that Ford adopted in the Ford Mustang is the use of LED lights.Using a gasoline engine to produce electricity isn’t too hard. Using it to drive a car and produce electricity at the same time results in a lot of lost power, hence lowering efficiency. So, any measure that could decrease the need for electricity has an impact. The LED taillights found on the Ford Mustang, which uses Osram Sylvania’s Joule system use 87% less electricity than a traditional incandescent bulb, and, because they have no fragile monofilament, they are far more durable.

The Osram Sylvania system also realizes the needs of the auto industry by constructing their LED fixtures in shapes and sizes that make them easily interchangable with previous incandescent features. As a parting word, here’s a few figures from Osram Sylvania: LED lights on the 2010 Ford Mustang make for an annual fuel savings of 10.5 gallons and a decrease in cabron emissions of 205 pounds.
This may not seem like a huge amount, but if you were to implement that system on the roughly 250 million light-duty vehicles (cars, pickup trucks, commercial vehicles, etc., according to a recent Osram press release) in America, that would mean a yearly reduction of 51.25 billion pounds of CO2 emissions and the use of 2.625 billion gallons of gasoline. That’s pretty impressive for a small light fixture.

LED GROW LIGHT - Future Trend of LED Light

The Power of LED Grow Lights

With the release of hard-hitting documentaries such as Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and Leonardo DiCaprio’s The 11th Hour energy consumption and its relationship to global climate change has become a prominent issue. What people often fail to understand is that the best solutions are not great actions on the part of a few, but rather small actions taken by the many. For example, if everyone in the U.S. were to replace incandescent lights with fluorescent ones, it could eliminate the need for Middle East oil.
LED Grow lights are another example of a small thing that can make a great difference. If you are growing your own food in a hydroponics garden, you’re already taking a step toward saving the planet. The use of LED Grow Lights allows you to take the next step in reducing your footprint on the planet. Not only to they operate at a fraction of the voltage of conventional bulbs (less than 20 VAC as opposed to 120), but they are free of mercury – a highly toxic metal used in metallic vapor and fluorescent lights.
LED Grow Lights are efficient and economical in other ways as well. Unlike the more general purpose fluorescent bulbs, LED Grow Lights require no electric or digital ballast,that can eventually burn out. They also emit “targeted light;” whereas most standard grow lights emit a broad spectrum of light that includes light wavelength that is useless to plant life, LED Grow Lights emit only that part of the spectrum actually used for photosynthesis. This also means far less waste heat, which requires extra ventilation to carry away. It also means less glare; while this useful light is very bright to plants, humans perceive such light as relatively dim. This also eliminates the need for troublesome shades and reflectors.
Although they can represent a greater upfront investment, LED Grow Lights cost substantially less in the long run. In the first place, they are not nearly as fragile as conventional bulbs and fluorescents. Best of all, they are extremely durable – the average lifespan of an LED Grow Light is 100,000 hours – which is as much as fifty times as long as that of conventional bulbs. This adds up to nearly twelve years under normal conditions.
Because LED Grow Lights are environmentally friendly, they will result in healthier, more productive plants. Because they emit very little in the way of heat, LED Grow Lights allow your plants to keep cooler. Plants thrive at room temperature, receiving all the light they require without growth-stunting excess heat. In addition, your plants will suffer less from heat-related root damage that can occur when hot conventional grow lights heat the soil.
With LED Grow Lights, your plants will also require less watering.
Across the board, LED Grow Lights allow you to grow more economically and in a more environmentally-friendly way.
Susan Slobac operates a hydroponics garden store. She has detailed knowledge of what grow lights are best for hydroponics gardens. Susan is also concerned with the environment and sees LED grow lights as one alternative solution to the traditional energy consuming grow lights most often used. Susan promotes LED grow lights based on efficiency and performance.

LED Grow Lights Can Save Time And Money

When a person decides to begin growing their own plants, they have made a decision which will help them enjoy some of the best variety of plants in their own home. There is a strong sense of accomplishment and fulfillment achieved from growing your own garden, whether the product is vegetables for your table or flowers to brighten your home. You can grow these plants, though, in many ways. Among the best entails the use of LED grow lights.
The traditional method of plant growing is HID lighting. This high-intensity discharge lighting can be seen all over society, for this is the type of lighting used to light parking lots, stadiums, and other large areas. For some time it has been utilized for indoor gardens since it provides a great light source for growing plants.
This is not the best way to proceed, however. There are a great many wavelengths displayed over the range of light and not all of these wavelengths are useful to plants. Of the light produced by HID lighting, only 35% can be used by the plant. Why would someone pay to run the other 65% of energy coming off of these lights which is utterly wasted?
LED grow lights, however, are manufactured to use a great deal less energy when they are run. LEDs will last seven years if used an average of eighteen hours each day. HID light bulbs must be changed much more often. In addition, LEDs only emit light the plant can use, thus reducing the electrical costs of conventional lights.
Other areas will be saved when LED lighting is used over another source. In indoor growing environments, alternative light forms will generate high levels of heat, and a cooling system of some sort will be needed to prevent the light from overheating and presenting a possible fire hazard. This heat is not produced, however, by LED lighting, which means there is no need to spend a lot of money for a cooling system.
Owing to the fact that they can be positioned in nearly any required direction, these lights enjoy a very broad range of accessibility. You can easily arrange plants so that they get enough light. Not only will LED grow panels help grow some of the best plants possible in indoor gardening, they are also a great way to save a lot of money over time.

Led-World Exclusive Comparison : LED Vs CFL

Led-World - The light bulb, the symbol of bright ideas, doesn't look like such a great idea anymore, as lawmakers in the U.S. and abroad are talking about banning the century-old technology because of its contribution to global warming.But what comes next? Compact fluorescent bulbs are the only real alternative right now, but "bulbs" that use light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are quickly emerging as a challenger.LEDs, which are small chips usually encased in a glass dome the size of a matchstick head, have been in use in electronics for decades to indicate, for example, whether a VCR is on or off.Those LEDs were usually red or green, but a scientific breakthrough in the 1990s paved the way for the production of LEDs that produce white light. Because they use less power than standard incandescent bulbs, white LEDs have become common in flashlights.Established players in the lighting industry and a host of startups are now grooming LEDs to take on the reigning champion of residential lighting, the familiar pear-shaped incandescent light bulb.The light bulb has been running out of friends recently. California and Canada have decided to ban the sale of incandescent bulbs by 2012. Australia is banning them in 2010. The European Union is looking at banning production of the bulbs. A U.S. Senate committee is working on a proposal that would phase out the light bulb in 10 years.And in New Jersey, where the first practical incandescent bulb emerged from Thomas Edison's laboratory in 1879, a bill has been introduced to ban their use in government buildings.Governments are gunning for the light bulb because it's much less efficient than fluorescents, using about five times more energy to produce the same amount of light.Lighting consumes 22 percent of electricity produced in the U.S., according to the Department of Energy, and widespread use of LED lighting could cut consumption in half. By 2027, LED lighting could cut annual energy use by the equivalent of 500 million barrels of oil, with the attendant reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide, the gas believed to be responsible for global warming.Much of that reduction would be possible with today's technology, using compact fluorescents, or CFLs. But consumers haven't warmed to them. The light quality hasn't been satisfactory, most take time to turn on and aren't dimmable.The LED has advantages over the CFL in most of those areas, and judging by this week's Lightfair trade show in New York, it could be a serious challenge to the CFL in a few years. What holds it back is chiefly price, but LEDs are already an economic alternative for niche uses.In the last two years, the diodes have doubled in energy efficiency and brightness, according to Greg Merritt, director of marketing for Durham, N.C.-based LED-manufacturer Cree Inc. In particular, LEDs that produce a yellowish or "warm" light similar to incandescents have improved.Dallas-based Lighting Science Group Corp. showed an LED "bulb" that screws into a standard medium-sized socket and produces a warm light equivalent to that of a 25-watt incandescent bulb, but consumes just 5.8 watts. It costs $50, hardly palatable to consumers who can buy a standard bulb for less than a dollar.Polybrite International, a startup in Naperville, Ill., announced that lighting giant Osram Sylvania, a subsidiary of Germany's Siemens AG, will distribute its LED "bulbs." The intended market is mainly commercial clients, who can afford to pay $15 to $85 per unit, according to Osram Sylvania marketing manager Constance Pineault.The energy efficiency is no doubt a draw for commercial clients like hotels, but LEDs have another big advantage: they last up to 50,000 hours, according to manufacturers. That compares to about 10,000 hours for fluorescents and 1,000 hours for incandescents. Not having to send out janitors to replace burned-out bulbs means big savings in maintenance costs."Right now the applications that make sense are either high maintenance or high power consumption, like parking garages, where the lights are on all the time," said Cree's Merritt.LEDs already beat fluorescents for energy efficiency in some niche uses. For instance, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is putting LED lighting in its in-store refrigerators, where the cold dims fluorescents and incandescents produce too much heat. LEDs also starting to replace flat fluorescent backlights in liquid-crystal displays, or LCDs, where they produce better colors.LEDs don't contain toxic mercury, which CFLs do, though the amount is very small. (Recent stories circulating on the Web about calling a hazmat team if a CFL breaks are exaggerated. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends sweeping up, not vacuuming, the fragments, then checking out local recycling options.)The cost of LED lighting should be coming down quickly. Polybrite founder Carl Scianna said the cost of individual white-light diodes, several of which go into an LED bulb and make up much of the cost, have come down in price from about $8 to $1.50 in a year."They're going to keep going down," Scianna said. "By the middle of next year, they'll be priced for consumers."Nadarajah Narendran, director of lighting research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., cautions that there are still technical issues to work out with LEDs.While single LEDs can demonstrate very high energy efficiency in the lab, when they're combined into fixtures, their efficiency is considerably lower. In part that's a heat issue: the diodes produce less heat than incandescents, but they keep that heat in the fixture rather than radiating it, and the hotter the diodes get, the less efficient they are.He sees screwing LED bulbs into standard sockets "as a waste of talent" that doesn't utilize the inherent properties of LEDs, like their small size and longevity."You could build them in as part of the furniture, part of the cabinetry," Narendran said.Because of their high prices, he doesn't believe LEDs will be ready to replace incandescents in all their uses for the next five to 10 years, but "LEDs, good or bad, will be growing very rapidly."

Led-World Exclusive - OSRAM Takes LED Lighting To The Streets

Time to say goodnight, fluorescents -- looks like the LED is primed to take over. As the world looks for more efficient ways to power businesses, light up streets and keep the world spinning, OSRAM has just introduced two new innovations in the LED lighting space that look to push us one step closer to finally putting those inefficient fluorescent bulbs to rest for good.For starters, the company revealed its unique Golden DRAGON Oval Plus LED, which is designed to provide perfect lumination for energy-efficient street lighting without the need for secondary optics. The secret -- because we just know you're dying to know -- is in the new integrated lens, which boasts an oval radiation pattern in order to deliver directed light and reduce light pollution elsewhere. Since different roads call for different lighting concepts, the LEDs are available in different white tones.



Moving on, we've got an all new ultra-white OSLON SSL LED that measures in at an almost unbelievable 3 x 3mm in size. Requiring just one single watt of power, the light features a high luminous efficiency of 100 lm/W and is said to be ideal for spotlights, desk lights and ceiling floodlights. No prices are given on these, probably because they'll primarily be sold to local governments and businesses, but we can't help but be intruiged. Just think -- in a few years, your car's headlamps, interior lighting and flashlight will likely all be LED-based. Ah, the sweet smell of progress.
Moving on, we've got an all new ultra-white OSLON SSL LED that measures in at an almost unbelievable 3 x 3mm in size. Requiring just one single watt of power, the light features a high luminous efficiency of 100 lm/W and is said to be ideal for spotlights, desk lights and ceiling floodlights. No prices are given on these, probably because they'll primarily be sold to local governments and businesses, but we can't help but be intruiged. Just think -- in a few years, your car's headlamps, interior lighting and flashlight will likely all be LED-based. Ah, the sweet smell of progress.

Top 10 Reasons You Need To Switch To LED Light Bulbs-Led-World Exclusive

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been turning up all over the place, which leads one to wonder why. What's so great about these little lights? Why are we seeing more and more LED light bulbs cropping up on everything from cars to traffic lights? LED light bulbs have some very clear advantages over other types of lighting, such as:

1. LED light bulbs last longer. Without a filament to break or burn out, LED light bulbs can last for over 100,000 hours without showing their age (that's over eleven years at full brightness). This lifespan is twice that of typical fluorescent bulbs and twenty times longer than incandescent light bulbs.
2. They are energy efficient. An incandescent light bulb loses 80 percent of its energy to heat, leaving only the last 20 percent for light. LED light bulbs turn this around, giving up a scant 20 percent of their energy to heat loss. Not only that, but they operate at 10 to 20 percent of the power required for incandescent bulbs of similar brightness.
3. LEDs are more colorful. LED light bulbs can be made in a vast array of colors without the use of extra filters, which brings down production costs. They also provide a truer, brighter color than a filtered bulb.
4. LED light bulbs work in silence. The days of humming bulbs came to an end with the creation of LEDs, so there's no need to lose sanity listening to the thrum, tick, or ping of other light bulbs.
5. They are incredibly safe. With so little energy lost to heat and so little energy used overall, LED light bulbs run cool, which means no burnt fingers or burnt down houses. They are extremely durable thanks to their solid-state construction, so there's no broken glass to deal with, either.
6. LED light bulbs are focused. LEDs can be made to focus without the use of extra reflectors or lenses, which means less bulk and lower cost for the same beam of light.
7. They are the best for dimming. Incandescent bulbs turn yellow when dimmed, while LED light bulbs retain their true colors.
8. LEDs are versatile. Thanks to the wide array of colors and shapes LEDs be made to replace most any light bulb. Their diminutive size and power-sipping nature also open up a world of possibility, from infrared remote control lights to ultra-light headlamps.
9. LED light bulbs bring light quickly. Lighting up to their full brightness in microseconds, LEDs are a safer choice when reaction time is a factor, like when that car in the fast lane slams on the brakes.
10. They promise a brighter future. LED light bulbs don't contain mercury, like compact fluorescent bulbs do. Combining that with the fact that they outlast their energy efficient cousins, makes the choice to go LED clear as day.

LED light bulbs have a staggering number of uses, and somehow they keep excelling at all of them. When it's time to shed light on the subject, this jack-of-all-trades masters all.