Re: LED lights
I am a Engineer and have worked with LED,s since 1973. I am proud to see the technology has moved to get hi-brightness devices to the market place. Unlike regular bulbs, these devices produce a very narrow spectrum of light and don't need regular filters or lenses for there coloration. I am sure the various governmental agencies will be challanged, notice I didn't use the word "threatned" by the rapid implementation. They are extremely durable, don't break when they touch water, use much less energy, and last hundreds of thousands of hours. They do provide in there present state a very focused beam from each diode element akin to but not as tight as a laser. I have used them in Autos, Motorcycles and probably will sneak them into my Marine Nav lights after I demonstrate to a few people that when they are configured correctly that they they provide superior visiablity. Since wide angle viewing is a requirement, we must design navigation led modules so that the elements within distribute light over the proper angle. That is just fine since multiple elements are required anyway. Several element are placed in series to get the operation we need at 12V or 24V. The reds, green, and yellows are usually about at 2.2V per element and The whites and blues need about 4.4V each. That means that a series circuit of six greens, reds, or yellows with a small 10 Ohm resistor, for protection, or 4 Whites or Blues working again with a small resistor of 10 Ohms works well in many applications. Each circuit uses about .030 Amp or 30 mils of current. Need more light, just add more circuits. Units will not need sockets as they will outlast the device they are being installed in. That is great news in marine and trailer applications since the socket is almost as unreliable as the bulb within. These devices should be permanently wired without a socket for maximum reliability. Replacement modules are now begining to flood the auto market and are avialable for bulb substitutes. The 1157 Subsitute for trailers and autos has three circuits and an extra resistor to allow two speed operation or about 10 MA, for tail, and the full .030 Ma for stop and turn for each circuit. The resistor between the two contacts is simply bypassed during stop and turn operations. The LED device obains full brightness in Micro seconds unlike a light bulb which takes almost a full quarter of a second. This loss of time is a significant safety consideration and IMHO justifies that there use become mandatory for stop lights in automobiles. I designed a module years ago, but many others did the same thing and THEY brought them to market. If you use these devices then I encourage you to get fimailar with the two terms of super bright and hyper bright. The technology of super bright allows about 12 red LEDs (three circuits) to meet or exceed the light of an ordinary turn signal and the hyper bright is well beyond it. Thats why on some of these devices being offered there is a disclaimer for off road use only. Yes I am excited and I want to pay tribute to the Guys at Bell Laboratories for another one of their great inventions of the twentyth century. Oh, by the way, chances are your 3rd llight in one of your autos uses leds all ready. Notice as you drive that on many of the cars in front of you the high mounted 3rd stop light fires at a much quicker rate than the 1157 or 3157 bulbs in the tail light assembly. Watch the market as the price falls on white(led)light and challenges floresent's long domination for cabin illumination.
