What is Digg?95 Comments
- DrakeGTA, on 10/12/2007, -6/+44Awesome, too bad they'll be like $50 a pop for the first five years.
- blapierre, on 10/12/2007, -2/+35This is worthless without telling how many lumens it produces. I have a feeling the reason they don't specify the lumens anywhere on their site is because it doesn't produce many.
- Waterrat, on 10/12/2007, -2/+26 Looks like a real winner...Something to keep an eye on for sure.
- carpespasm, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23you enjoy the light from an incandecent bulb more because it's a "warmer" light closer to the red side of the light spectrum. flourecents ride more on the "cooler" blue side of the spectrum, and white leds are actually blue with a color filter on them, so they tend to have a very blue color to them as well. the warmer lights are more appealing to our eyes because the sun itself tends toward the warm side of the spectrum, making the incandecent's color feel more natural.
- asdfasdf, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23More and more people are experimenting growing Marijuana using LEDs because of their low heat output and low watt usage. This will make it extremely hard to detect grows, which are usually found (if you omit word-of-mouth and the smell) because of high power usage. The money spent on HPS lighting can now be used for an Ozone generator to hide the smell. This is a problem for law enforcement. Oh boy!
More information here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_(drug)_cultivation
and http://boards.cannabis.com/ - rm999, on 10/12/2007, -6/+25A 1 watt bulb will, at most, replace a 20 watt incadescent because incandescents have an efficiency of ~5%. Therefore, no technology will ever be able to beat this. In reality, LED and flourescent are closer to 20-40% efficiency than 100%, so I would guess a 1 watt bulb will replace a 5-10 watt incandescent at best.
source: wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led#Operational_parameters_and_efficiency
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incandescent_light_bulb#Efficiency_and_alternatives - fsapo, on 10/12/2007, -3/+18Talking about light bulbs.. i just remembered a joke..
Q: How many Microsoft programmers are needed to change a light bulb?
A: None, they change the standard to dark
:D - duality, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14I bet you're right. It seem like every new and interesting item these days is either marketed specifically as a cost-cutter or is sky-high expensive.....and occasionally there's something that's both.
- physdave, on 10/12/2007, -8/+21@blapierre: go take a look at the compact LED flashlights you can buy at any hardware store, Wal-Mart, Target, etc. etc. They're frickin' _bright_, and run on 2 AA's instead of 4 D's.
@all: LEDs are already now used in speciality appliations like interior lighting on new bizjets, where the use much less power and are more compact. They're also quite cheap, so I would expect regular light bulb-like LEDs to be sold competetively within a year or two. I'm amazed it's taken so long to see them appear at all. - Terc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13I predict a MAKE: article on how to do this yourself soon.
- carpespasm, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15sorry to recomment, but the light of an led light can be made warmer with some yellow leds mixed in with what is mostly a white led light
- Tiabin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12Damn! Cheaper pot! I know there's some diggers upset about that.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9At the moment ALL white LEDs are actualy blue ones with a yellow phosphor thingy (just look directly into the LED while its off and you can see the yellow).
Thats why they seem blueish, because they ARE blue! - blapierre, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12I'm not going to goto the store to look, it should just tell me. There is no reason not to specify it unless you don't want people to know.
- headzoo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I bought a 36 LED bulb, and the poor thing would hardly work as a night-light it was so dim.
- dacheetah, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7@rm999
Incandescent bulbs may have a quoted efficiency of ~5%, but this includes ALL EMR emitted by the light, if you take a look at the black-body radiation curve for a tungsten filament, you'll find there is ALOT of light there that we cannot see. An LEDs output is different, and covers a MUCH smaller range of wavelengths, and can quite easily be confined to cover only what can be seen. This is one of several factors that can contribute to the increased effective efficiency of an LED lamp.
Another is the fact that an incandescent bulb will show next to no resistance until the filament is hot, which means you get a spike in used power when you turn the bulbs on and off, and a reduced efficiency when the bulb is not used at full power, LEDs don't have this problem, however minor it is. There is also the fact that an LED is more directional than an incandescent bulb, so you don't have to spend as much money lighting (and heating) up the ceiling, etc. Although given the reflective sockets bulbs are generally put in, this is also a nearly negligible factor as well. The list of things that can improve the effective efficiency of LEDs goes on. Every technology has its advantages and disadvantages. IMHO LED lighting has MANY more advantages than disadvantages, and once the cost is driven down, will be great!. - Quactaur, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9I don't know why, but i have always preferred the light coming from incandescent fillament bulbs than to fluorescent or even energy efficient ones. I appreciate it's a waste of energy, and have a more modern light above, but istill prefer the glow of a fillament bulb in my desk lamp. Hopefully these led's light will be better.
- rm999, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7rolotomasi
That does not mean they are as inefficient as incadescent. - Rikkochet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6They have UV spectrum LEDs (I have a bunch I bought off eBay - they make corals fluoresce pretty awesomely), but I don't believe that UV radiation is required for plants to grow - I think photosynthesis just requires radiation in the visible spectrum, with better results towards the red side of the spectrum.
- C4RL, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5For light sources, lumen output isn't as important as efficacy, or lumens per watt.
Look at the statistic just mentioned:
600 lm / 60 W = 10 lm / W
30 lm / 1 W = 30 lm / W
High pressure sodium and ceramic metal halide sources can get between 80 and 120 lm / W.
The specification for 100,000 hour LED lifetime is purely theoretical. LED life is generally a function of heat exposure as the mechanism is akin to an electrical circuit and doesn't run into conventional light-loss factors such as filament depreciation or capsule leakage. Energy converted to heat in LEDs is mostly transmitted conductively through the source housing and wiring (as opposed to incandescent sources, which transmit nearly all heat radiatively). Thus, many LED sources will come with a lifetime-rated heat sink; the larger the sink, the more heat which can be conducted away from the source, the lower the temperature, the longer the life. I was recently at a seminar at Osram-Sylvania and 30,000 or 50,000 hour lifetimes appear more accurate.
Another issue with LEDs is color, both the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) and the Color Rendering Index (CRI). CCT is the equavaltent temperature of a blackbody radiator in Kelvins in order to match the color of the given source, and is the inverse of our perception of light ("warm white" is about 2900K, "cool white" is about 5000K). CRI is a measure on a scale of 100 of the bandwidth of a lamp's spectrum compared with an incandescent source (100-best, 0-worst).
Historically, "white" LEDs have either been a red-green-blue LED combination (which has poor CRI because the spectrum is essentially three dominant spikes) or a blue-LED backed with a yellow-phospor that would fluoresce at a longer wavelength (similar to the mechanics of a fluorescent source). The problem with the latter is that the "warm white" CCT is more difficult to reach since the phosphor must make up for all of the blue in the spectrum from the LED itself. Notice that if you look at the PDF on the website for these sources, you see that their "warm white" is 4500K. If you investigate other manufacturers' fluroescent sources, "warm white" will be about 2800K, and "cool white" will be about 4100K.
We still have a long way to go, but it's good to see excitement about new technologies. - SoCalDissident, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Here is one for $5:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=18-LED-CLR&cpc=SCH - Jams, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7If only they make UK (bayonet) type versions.
- koolaide, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Wow. Imagine if the entire U.S. switched to these. The energy savings would be incredible!
- NikoKun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I've already replaced all the lights in my house with the funny spiral energy savers...
I'll wait a while before trying these out... they dont even seem like they have enough all-direction light... all facing one way. =/ but they might be good... - noseeme, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I digg, but...
This article would be much better if it said something about the lumen or candlepower output of these bulbs. - rolfeman02, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I didn't think that LEDs put out any UV radiation...how do the plants get enough energy?
- Technopundit, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Fact is, compact fluorescents are available in many stores for about a buck. These LED units go for about $30-40, last I saw, and they are painfully dim.
- rm999, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5"LEDs are only marginally more efficient than incandescent bulbs."
I agree with you about everything except for this. I think LEDs are about as efficient as CFLs - Catchpen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3A typical 60 watt incandescent bulb is 600-800 lumens. These are only about 30-50 lumens.
- SGagnon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Question is, what's the TOTAL energy taken by the light bulb, INCLUDING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS of these light bulbs compared to an incadescent one?
- rolfeman02, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=MR16
here's a link to some led bulbs that fit in ES sockets.
pretty cheap - tibe, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I don't really know anything but more than likely I would imagine this is because Incandescent light bulbs produce black body radiation in the visible spectrum or continuous spectrum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_body
LED and Fluorescent blubs produce specific spectra of light.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectral_line
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_light#Phosphors_and_the_spectrum_of_emitted_light
Colour (the light reflected or absorbed by objects) from continuous spectrum lights have more faithful colour reproduction where things can look different under line spectra light.
Other reasons you may prefer incandecent over Fluorescent such as flicker are also discussed in the wikipedia article on Fluorescent_light - hankmt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The Efficiency of LED lights is approaching that of flourescent and with none of the mercury. They also last a heck of a lot longer than either flourescent or incandescent, and so save money and resources by not needed to be replaced as often.
These in particular are remarkably efficient LED lights, producing about as much light as a 20 watt incandescent with only one watt of power. - Rikkochet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2From TFA:
"LEDison lamps are being used to replace 10 to 60w incandescent bulbs in commercial applications (like shopping malls). "
Uh. What? Do these guys know what kind of lights go into shopping malls? A 10-60W light bulb is great for emergency lighting, but little else. In malls you typically see high pressure sodium of metal halide lights, much like street lights use. When you have high ceilings you need those 250-400W beasts running and heating the place up. - xr56n44, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2one watt? so what, my girfriend is has been using one watt lightbulbs for years... the cheap bitch. DOH! did i say that out loud?
- rolfeman02, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Interesting...I use them for my corals myself, (for nightime). Thanks for the info.
- griz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yes, expensive for now, but just like Compact Fluorescent bulbs they are now the more cost effective option. Not only do they use 1/4 of the electricity, but they last far longer than incandescents.
In 5 years LEDs will be making inroads in the same way, - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I tried to use the contact form on the company's website but it kept asking me to input a "valid email address." I'm pretty sure my email address is valid, I just got some email a few minutes ago.
Besides that, why do I need to request a qoute to buy light bulbs? It seems they could just setup an online shop. It's really easy. - dacheetah, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@tardmongerster
The sun is a cooler white than incandescents, sure, but it's still alot warmer than most fluro's, and at sunrise and sunset, the sunlight does get alot closer to the red/warm end of the spectrum. :P
@tibe
Steal my argument why don't you. Good job, you did alot better with wikipedia references than I did, and got it in 4 hours before mine. Two thumbs up. - karmakanic, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5I have tried them (I think I got them from http://www.thinkgeek.com), and found them to be comparatively dim. They also had a very distinct blue tint. I thought I'd get used to it, but it drove me crazy pretty quickly. I switched back to conventional bulbs after a couple of days.
Keep working on it, folks.....you'll get it right eventually. - OBKenobi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"@blapierre: go take a look at the compact LED flashlights you can buy at any hardware store, Wal-Mart, Target, etc. etc. They're frickin' _bright_, and run on 2 AA's instead of 4 D's."
Yes, they've made regular flashlights obsolete. Notice they aren't particulary expensive. If these LED bulbs turn out to cost $50, they're a rip.
Theoretically... you also could probably build your own?
EDIT: Oops, Terc, I see you've come to the same conclusion already.
[quote]Imagine if the entire U.S. switched to these.[/quote]
Maybe the whole world? - Spaz007, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4LEDs are cheap and everything about the light doesn't really cost that much. Its the fact they are new and can get away with charging more.
- OBKenobi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"I don't know why, but i have always preferred the light coming from incandescent fillament bulbs than to fluorescent or even energy efficient ones."
Ofcourse. No one in their right mind wants to have harsh flourescent lights in their home as their primary light source. But these LED lights could be colored, so they could have a warm tint to them. - OBKenobi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Why did you mod him down? That's a link to a store that sells LED bulbs.
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=MR16 - envy860, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2True, many LED's arn't that bright, but the high intensity ones are VERY bright. I have a LED desklamp from konceptech.com and it is very bright and produces white light. It also has very low energy consumption.
- Wavey, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I hadn't heard that one before. :)
The one I know is:
Q. How many programmers does it take to change a light bulb?
A. None. It's a hardware problem. - stripes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Nice! They omit the Lumens values for the 60W incandescent bulbs. According to http://www.ccrane.com/lights/led-light-bulbs/index.aspx that is typically in the 800 to 900 range, which makes me think the 20 to 200 or so the LEB "bulbs" squeak out will look a wee bit dim.
Pity, it would be nice to only have to climb the ladder to replace my kitchen and living rooms lights once more. Ever. Guess I'll have to hope they come out with something better before they start to burn out again. - ronjohnson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1LED light bulbs have at least another decade before they will be practical. Most LED products while brighter than years past, are still very dim.
- Twango, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@Sgagnon
"Question is, what's the TOTAL energy taken by the light bulb, INCLUDING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS ..."
Right on, and the DISPOSAL process as well. Cradle-to-grave. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The energy savings is even greater for those of us living in warm climates like Miami. My air conditioning is on constantly almost all year long. Any energy converted to heat is has to be countered by spending more energy to get rid of the heat.
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