Liquid-Filled LED Light Bulbs: HydraLux

I’ve been testing a new LED bulb called the HydraLux. These unique bulbs are filled with a clear liquid coolant (a non-toxic paraffin oil). Other LED bulbs use large metal fins or fans for cooling purposes. The advantage of using a liquid coolant is that the LED bulb can produce 360° light like a regular incandescent bulb. (more…)

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The World’s Smallest Lightbulb (photo: Regan Group, UCLA)

As LED lights and fluorescent bulbs become increasingly mainstream, scientists at UCLA’s Department of Physics and Astronomy have developed a groundbreaking new variation of Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb. But don’t expect to find this bulb in your local hardware store anytime soon – unless you normally bring an electron microscope along to do your shopping.

A single carbon nanotube forms the filament of the bulb, and at just 100 atoms wide, it’s invisible to the naked eye. The UCLA team, led by professor Chris Regan, utilized electron microscopes at the university’s California NanoSystems Institute to create the tiny bulb. But despite the filament’s tiny dimensions (just one one-hundred-trillionth the size of Edison’s invention, which interestingly used a carbon filament too), the bulb produces a pinpoint of light that is clearly visible to the unaided eye when illuminated.

So, other than representing some pretty impressive micro-engineering, what’s helpful about a carbon nanolight? To put it simply, the experiment could provide valuable insight to help understand everything from new energy-efficient lighting technologies, to the Big Bang and the origins of the universe. Because the carbon nanotube essentially functions like a large-scale device on a tiny atomic scale, it showcases both thermodynamics and quantum physics at work.

Last week’s UCLA press release describes this in a bit more detail:

“Thermodynamics, the crown jewel of 19th-century physics, concerns systems with many particles. Quantum mechanics, developed in the 20th century, works best when applied to just a few. The UCLA team is using their tiny lamp to study physicist Max Planck’s black-body radiation law, which was derived in 1900 using principles now understood to be native to both theories. Planck’s law describes radiation from large, hot objects, such as a toaster, the Sun or a light bulb. Some such radiation is of fundamental and current scientific interest; the thermal radiation left over from the Big Bang, for instance, which is called the cosmic microwave background, is described by Planck’s law.”

A product with the potential to clarify the Big Bang theory and provide keychain flashlights small enough to make an LED blush? Now that’s the kind of science anyone can get on board with.

(via UCLA press release)

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Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are a new type of LED where a thin film of organic compounds is used to produce electroluminescence.

This means that OLEDs can produce paper-thin lights and displays — even foldable ones.

They are, however, still in the early stages of development, so their reliability and energy efficiency needs works. But recently, a company called ODC demonstrated an OLED light that comes close to Energy Star standards.

Specifically, UDC reported data for a series of white PHOLEDs that span a range of white colors that were designed to satisfy the requirements of differing lighting applications. These research results range from warm to cool white with varied power efficacies of 54 to 102 lumens per watt (lm/W). Depending on the specific designs employed, the color rendering indices (CRI’s) varied from 70 to 88, and lifetimes varied from 4,000 to 17,000 hours (to 70% of initial luminance at 1,000 nits*).

Via: OLED Info and U.S. Department of Energy

Thanks to Ron for the tip.

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Review: The Best LED Reading Lamps

Nighttime can be prime reading time, and a small reading light is invaluable in a darkened room, or to avoid disturbing a roommate or spouse. The small size and directional light output of LEDs make them ideal for personal reading lights. Here are four of the best LED reading lamps, perfect for the bedroom, dorm rooms, or your favorite reading chair. All can be mounted on a table or bedframe – no more unclipping a book light at the turn of every page.

(more…)

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LED-based desk lamps have a lot going for them. Besides being energy efficient, LED lamps run much cooler than conventional desk lamps, and you can expect the LEDs to last for 10-15 years. Watch out for poorly made LED lamps though — I have an Adesso Lamp that lost 7 of its 20 LEDs in the first year. I see many other Amazon buyers had the same problem with this lamp.

(more…)

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Optimize your meta-techniques.

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Zetalux LED Light Bulb

Note: The long-awaited GeoBulb has been released — a 60W equivalent bulb available for $60.

I recently had the chance to test two state-of-the-art LED light bulbs from EarthLED. LED bulbs have many advantages over incandescents and compact fluorescent: they use very little power, they last 10 years or more, and they contain no hazardous substances. They are also tough: they can be dropped and turned off and on repeated without damage, they can operate in very cold or warm temperatures. (more…)

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Sharp is introducing a new range of solar-powered LED streetlights. These self-contained lights charge during the day, and switch on automatically when darkness falls. They can operate for 10 years straight without maintenance. They make use of new, high-intensity LED spotlights, which are ideal for public parks. The LEDs illuminate with a directed light and don’t send light into the sky (thus causing light pollution). The streetlights also feature a Seismic Motion Sensor that detects the occurrence of a major earthquake. If an earthquake is detected, the light turns on at full brightness during the night, to assist during possible power interruptions.

Via: Sharp Press Release

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