Archive for April, 2009
Inside an LED TV
Posted by LED Larry in LED, Other Technology on April 20th, 2009
Posted By: Michael J. Miller
Original Source: blogs.pcmag.com
Ever wonder what’s inside your TV? Yesterday afternoon, I went to a press event hosted by Samsung Electronics where the company not only showed its new line of TVs, but had all of the pieces on display.
The TV in question is one of Samsung’s new “LED TVs.” Technically, these are LCD televisions with what others call “LED-edgelighting” meaning that the display is lit from LEDs on the edge of the TVs rather than the display being lit from behind (as in most LCD TVs, which use fluorescent backlighting; or traditional LED-backlit displays in notebooks, etc.)
After the jump are pictures of all the components.
The part of the display in front is the bezel, and these LED TVs continue Samsung’s “Touch of Color” theme, with a reddish tint. The speakers and an IR receiver are built into the bezel.
Behind comes the LCD panel itself, the guts of any TV. Some of the LED TVs (the 6000 and 7000 series) have a 120 Hz refresh rate; the high-end 8000 series features a 240 Hz refresh rate. Samsung’s 240 Hz rate includes frame interpolation for all the missing frames, as opposed to inserting black frames in a strobe fashion.
What makes this TV different from most TVs is the lighting. It has LEDs on the edges of the panels, and the light is aimed at a “light guide” – a special sheet with tiny prisms that reflect the light toward the front of the set. There are more prisms towards the center (which is farther from the light source) than near the edges, creating a more consistent level of brightness.
The light guide is part of the overall backlight unit. In front of it are sheets of glass that diffuse, filter, and polarize the light; and in back of it goes a reflective panel so all the light stays in the set.
Behind the backlight goes the electronics that run the TV. In this case, they are separated into three distinct groups, including the main circuit board, TV tuner, and the power supply. I noticed how there were holes in the motherboard itself so some thicker pieces could be places within the holes, making the combined electronics a bit thinner.
This set has two USB ports (one powered), 4 HDMI ports, and the usual other assortment of ports.
Of course, at the end the TV is put together, with a back case as well. The LED lighting , along with other things such as the thinner electronics, help make this set very thin: just 1.2-inches deep. And Samsung has a mount that lets it attach to the wall in only 0.6-inches.
Samsung actually will have three lines of LED TVs – the 6000 series, which features a 120 Hz refresh rate; the 7000 series, which adds IPTV features that Samsung calls “Media 2.0″; and the 8000 series, which includes the Media 2.0 features and goes up to a 240 Hz refresh rate.
I thought this was a great display of the things that go into making a modern TV.
It’s not just a sign of the times, it is in our LED.
Posted by LED Larry in LED, Signs, Uncategorized on April 15th, 2009
It’s not just a sign of the times, it is in our LED. LEDs are a wonderful, energy efficient, and environmentally friendly solution to illuminated signs and accent lighting.
LED products are efficient, safe, low voltage, long-lasting and arguably better at using energy than other lighting technologies. LED technology converts energy straight to light, resulting in running cost savings over standard energy bills. They also last up to 10 times longer than traditional lighting for signage. Beware, not all LED companies pride themselves on energy efficiency. Some over-drive their LEDs, resulting in shorter product life spans and slim, if any, reduction in energy costs. If energy efficient lighting wasn’t your first choice
for your signage – that’s OK.
Eco Friendly Sign Lighting Solutions
LED environmentally friendly products offer:
• Significant energy cost savings
• Standardized low-voltage systems
In addition to offering an environmentally friendly product, USLP has taken the following steps to creating a better work place and planet:
• Recycle all box cardboard and paper products
• Employees are encouraged to use e-mail to reduce the need for paper copies being sent to our customers whenever possible
• Recycle all wooden products including skids
• Recycle printer and toner cartridges
We are committed to ensuring that our product and business activities take into consideration the impact on the environment, and to the continual review of these activities. In this manner we can develop, educate and improve to support the company’s environmental awareness practices.
Energy Resources and Incentive Programs
Energy Policy Act 2005 and Tax Credits
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 became available to homeowners, businesses, and manufacturers on
January 1, 2006. It provides a variety of tax credits for the purchase of energy efficient buildings and
improvements to existing buildings. More information can be found on the Building Energy Codes Resource Center
http://resourcecenter.pnl.gov/cocoon/morf/ResourceCenter/article/1529
Additional Resources
• Tax incentives for buildings and other efficiency improvements
www.energytaxincentives.org
• Commercial building provisions
www.efficientbuildings.org
• U.S. Department of Energy
www.energycodes.gov/comcheck/ez_download.stm
Incentive Programs
• DSIRE – Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.
www.dsireusa.org
• BC Hydro LED product incentive program
www.bchydro.com/business/incentive/incentive8823.html
• Pacific Gas and Electric Company lighting incentive program
www.pge.com/mybusiness/energysavingsrebates/rebatesincentives/ref/lighting/
LA looking at LED street lights, with help from Clinton Climate Initiative
Posted by LED Larry in Uncategorized on April 14th, 2009
| 19 Feb 2009 | |||
| Over a five-year period, the City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Street Lighting will replace 140,000 existing streetlight fixtures in the city with LED units. | |||
On February 16, former President Bill Clinton announced that the Outdoor Lighting Program of the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) is working with Los Angeles on the largest LED street lighting retrofit project ever undertaken by a city to date, said a report by the CCI.Over a five-year period, the City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Street Lighting will replace 140,000 existing streetlight fixtures in the city with LED units that not only will improve LA’s lighting quality and reduce its electricity use, but also will help the city to save money in the process. While typical streetlight lamps will last from four to six years, LED fixtures have a longer life span, estimated from 10 to 12 years. The new, white-light LED streetlight units are more durable and damage-resistant than other technologies. This not only will reduce the frequency and cost to repair streetlight fixtures, but also will provide LA with considerable savings in labor and material. The improved equipment life also means that fixtures will more reliably light streets and sidewalks for city residents. In addition, LA is committed to using LED fixtures that will ease what is known as sky glow – the artificial illumination of the night sky. “If you have ever been to Death Valley National Park and looked up on a clear night, you would see that the stars seem to be dimmer than they were when I was a child. But they are not getting dimmer, really – the rest of the sky is getting brighter because of all the lights from Los Angeles and Las Vegas and other surrounding cities and communities,” President Clinton said. “Now, thanks to the work of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting, and my Foundation’s Climate Initiative, the stars over Death Valley may again shine more brightly.” Once this overhaul is fully complete, LA will save electricity expended on street lighting in the city by a minimum of 40 percent and reduce carbon emissions by approximately 40,500 tons a year, which is the equivalent of taking 6,700 passenger vehicles off the road every year. Over a seven-year period, the city will save a total of $48 million and reduce carbon emissions by 197,000 tons. After the loan is repaid in seven years, LA will continue to save $10 million annually as a direct result of this lighting retrofit project. In addition, this loan will have no adverse impact on the city, as the loan payments will be covered in full by savings from current energy and maintenance costs. This LED retrofit project also will include the installation of remote monitoring units at all 140,000 streetlights replaced in the city. These devices will automatically report streetlight failures directly to the Bureau of Street Lighting for immediate repair, thus enabling its staff to optimize its maintenance services. “If every city followed the example of Los Angeles and reduced the electricity used by their streetlights by 50 percent, it would be equivalent to eliminating over 2.5 of those coal plants per year,” President Clinton said. “We would do that while saving taxpayers money. And by doing that, we would also reclaim our night sky.” CCI’s Outdoor Lighting Program works with partner cities to improve the energy efficiency of street and traffic light systems through a combination of technical, purchasing, and project assistance. |
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French R&D program to test LED lighting for indoor illumination
| 18 Feb 2009 | |
| The CITADEL program will develop measurement protocols and benchmarking analyses of LEDs, and methods to assess the aging and life expectancy of LED lighting products. | |
| The CITADEL program – an R&D initiative led by the CSTB (the French Center for Building Science and Technology), major French academic lighting laboratories and the French branch of Philips Lighting – has recently been formed to research and promote the optimal use of LEDs in buildings.The program’s goal is to fully characterize LED lighting products, as they apply to the specific needs of buildings and tenants. The program hopes to define new measures of visual comfort and color rendering specific to LEDs, said Christophe Martinsons, head of the Lighting, Electricity and Electromagnetism Division of the CSTB.
The three-year project (started Feb. 9) has a budget of 1.5 M Euro and is funded by the French Environmental Agency (ADEME). The project was partly inspired by the US DoE CALIPER initiative. “Like its American counterpart, CITADEL is intended to provide physical measurement protocols and benchmarking analyses. However, the scope of the CITADEL program goes beyond,” said Martinsons. The program will determine aging methods (climatic and endurance) to assess the real-life expectancy of LED lighting products. Durability will be studied together with life-cycle analyses and total cost-of-ownership. |
Philips targets education in Africa with LED-based lights
| 16 Feb 2009 | |||
| The solar-powered reading light will be available in a standard version and a slimmed down version with a target consumer price of < $15. | |||
Royal Philips Electronics will launch a new solar-powered reading light, which enables people to both read and write after dark, in autumn 2009. “My Reading Light” was developed specifically for the education sector in Africa and will allow school children to continue with their homework after sunset.For the estimated 500 million Africans who live without electricity, nightfall means either darkness or the flickering light of a candle or kerosene lamp. Since kerosene lanterns pose health and safety risks, are expensive, and have a low light output, LED-based lamps may be a solution. Offering these lights leads to a “triple-win: the lives of people in Africa will be generally improved, LEDs result in a very low carbon footprint, and companies offering the right solutions stand to gain,” says Rudy Provoost, executive VP and CEO of Philips Lighting. The reading light is extremely lightweight and can be hand-held or placed over the page of a book, allowing the user to read or write. There is a choice of high/middle/low dimming settings. It has a built-in rechargeable battery providing between 3.5 and 9 hours of light depending on the light level selected. The reading light will be available in two versions: a standard light and a slimmed down, low-cost version with a target consumer price of < $US15. This new development is part of Philips commitment both to developing sustainable lighting solutions for Africa and to its partnership with the Dutch government on the Sustainable Energy Solutions for Africa (SESA) project, which aims to provide 10 million people with affordable, appropriate and sustainable energy services across ten sub-Saharan African countries by 2015. SESA links with the existing UN Millennium Development Goals project. |
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Solar-powered LEDs to illuminate town halls, monuments and flags across Massachusetts
Posted by LED Larry in Uncategorized on April 14th, 2009
Solar-powered LEDs to illuminate town halls, monuments and flags across Massachusetts
Framingham, MA – To illuminate signs, flags, and monuments, 38 Massachusetts municipalities are installing solar powered outdoor lighting systems. With volunteers from the Massachusetts International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and funding from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust, SolarOne® Solutions is providing solar powered/LED lighting systems where accessing conventional power lines is prohibitive.
Each SolarOne® lighting system is powered by a photovoltaic panel and battery pack that powers two landscape light fixtures. The system is controlled by SolarOne’s proprietary SO-Bright™ Technology, which controls the solar panel and LED lamp operation with maximum efficiency, intelligently adapting to the changing seasons and weather patterns, to ensure that the flags and monuments will never be left in the dark, even in the darkest days of winter storms and during extended cloudy periods.
The systems are primarily lighting flags and monuments, paying tribute to war veterans’ service across the state from Barnstable on the Cape to West Stockbridge on the New York Border
The Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust awarded the grants to showcase and promote clean renewable solar energy while assisting municipal beautification efforts. The Trust seeks to maximize environmental and economic benefits for the Commonwealth’s citizens by pioneering and promoting clean energy technologies and fostering the emergence of sustainable markets for electricity generated from renewable sources.
“I commend the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 223 and SolarOne Solutions for partnering to bring this innovative solar lighting program to cities and towns around the Commonwealth,” Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles said. “By building local awareness about the importance of solar energy, this program is one more way we are expanding the reach of renewable power in Massachusetts.”
SolarOne Solutions, Framingham, MA, is the nation’s premier manufacturer of solar powered outdoor area lighting.
“This project has been transformative in that it moved us to a new platform from which to continue building the business in the Commonwealth and helping other businesses we work with grow as well. In fact, it has played an important role in growing our production capacity” says Moneer Azzam, President of SolarOne Solutions. “It was the impetus for our aggressive expansion activities in 2008,” says Azzam. “The program is really a model for how clean technology can integrate rapidly into the nation’s infrastructure.”
The Trust has sponsored the program because it offers significant benefits to help foster Massachusetts into the new green economy. While giving professional electricians with the IBEW experience in new technologies, such as LED lighting and solar electric power, the program also builds awareness at the municipal level about energy efficiency measures and alternative power sources.
The fixtures employ round strings of small LEDs, providing an attractive, uniform light. The LEDs themselves are housed inside a high quality commercial-grade Bronzelite® Landscape Lighting fixture. One of two types of lamps is used in each system. Wide beam flood lamps are used to illuminate signs and monuments at close distances, while spot lamps are used to illuminate flags 20 to 40 feet tall. The long-lasting LED lights significantly reduce maintenance, and perform well in cold temperatures.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Locals 7, 96, 103 and 223 provided not only their labor, at no charge, but also their considerable expertise in “best practices” for commercial-grade installations.
According to Marty Aikens, Business Agent for IBEW Local 103, the process allowed the IBEW workers to gain an understanding of the attributes of solar powered lighting, increasing their portfolio of capabilities, enabling them to serve a broader range of applications.
“Because solar power light fixtures require no trenching to connect to the electric power grid, siteing systems was easier and we were able to install more fixtures in the same period of time,” said Aikens.
Aikens went on to explain that the experience gained by those involved in this project will play an important role in establishing consistency across commercial lighting installations whether they are connected to the electrical grid or independently powered by solar energy; an important step in bringing solar energy into the mainstream.
“And, when the American flag is illuminated,” Aikens explained, “Ol’ Glory doesn’t need to be taken down in the evening anymore; American flags and veterans memorials will be seen at night across the Commonwealth.”
About SolarOne:
SolarOne® Solutions provides simple and effective autonomous solar powered solutions for high-value commercial applications. SolarOne® Solutions has consistently led the industry in innovation: it was the first solar powered lighting company to offer max power tracking and the first to use solar powered LED lighting for general illumination. In 2005, SolarOne® Solutions received recognition for Excellence in Design at LightFair, the most prestigious lighting exhibition in the U.S. Installations across the globe serving a wide range of applications and customers including major college campuses, government laboratories and municipalities, have fueled SolarOne’s rapid growth in this emerging industry. The company’s patent-pending SO-Bright™ Control Technology enables its HL (High Lumen) LED lamps to provide general outdoor illumination with unparalleled efficiency and reliability. The company is venture backed and supported in part by the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust.
View our line of Solar LED Products
Legislation: What You Should Know
Everyone has different motivators for lighting upgrades. For industrial users still living with T12 fluorescent and magnetic ballast technology, the government will soon be mandating your move to more efficient lighting.
Note: T12 fluorescents and their corresponding magnetic ballasts are largely considered antiquated technology. So much so, that effective June 30th of 2010, you’ll no longer be able to purchase replacement magnetic ballasts to support those T12 lamps. That means you have less than one full burn cycle in your existing T12 lamps to make the shift to electronic ballasts.
Linear FLourescent System Guide: Download for free!
Lighting 101: Why Lighting Should be Important to You
Did you know that electric powered lighting in commercial buildings accounts for over 15% of the total energy used in the US? And for some commercial or industrial facilities, lighting is over 37% of total demand!* It’s clear that when leveraged properly, lighting can have a huge impact on your bottom line.
With so much to think about, GE has prepared a “101″ on industrial lighting. Take a look at some basics every industrial user, facility owner, or distributor salesperson should know
Check out our line of GE products