LED Lighting Basics
LED Lighting Options Available
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As many of you already know, LED Lighting consumes far less power and lasts significantly longer than standard incandescent lighting. What you might not know, is that Vista Manufacturing can provide you with this type of lighting! |
If you are interested in adding LED Lighting in a new area, we have an endless variety of options available. There are numerous styles of tubing available for LEDs, and we also offer a multitude of options on LED color, spacing and voltage. All of our products are custom designed and manufactured to fit your specific needs.
Is the Future Of Lighting Moving Toward LEDs?
The short answer – YES! Incandescent bulbs have been around for more than 120 years, and you might be surprised to learn that the basic design hasn’t changed much since the late 1870’s. Incandescent light bulbs consist of a glass enclosure filled with an inert gas, such as argon. Inside the bulb is a thin filament of tungsten through which an electrical current is passed. The current heats the filament, and produces the visible light that we can see.
Incandescent bulbs require relatively large amounts of power to produce light. Because of this inefficiency, there are currently government laws and regulations designed to phase out their household usage.
What Are Some Benefits Of Using LEDs?
- LEDs use substantially less power than incandescent bulbs to produce light, which is especially useful in battery-powered devices. In fact, LED lights are so efficient that 3 or 4 LEDs together can pull as little as .02 amps!
- The life span of LED lights far surpasses standard incandescent lights. This longer life span results in a lower cost of operation for the user, as the LEDs will not require replacement as often as incandescent bulbs.
- LED lights can have a very narrow viewing angle, and can be aligned and focused to light small areas. They are also available with a wide viewing angle, which increases the spread of light. Incandescent bulbs require an external reflector to collect and focus light.
- Unlike regular incandescent bulbs, LED lights do not emit a sizeable amount of heat.
- LEDs emit light in specific colors, without the use of colored filters that incandescent lighting would require.
What Is An LED?
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An LED, also known as a Light Emitting Diode, is a special diode that uses a semiconductor chip to produce light when an electric current passes through it. The light may be infrared, ultraviolet or visible, depending on the composition and condition of the semiconducting material used.
LEDs are used is a multitude of applications, everything from remote controls and stop lights to water sterilization and interior lighting!
How Does An LED Operate?
As with other diodes, an LED requires correct polarity to properly operate, and therefore it must be wired accurately. Below the “bulb” of the LED are two wires, and it’s quite easy to determine which side is positive and which side is negative. The negative side is always the shorter of the two wires, and also has a flat edge on the bulb of the LED when viewed from the top down. If you look inside the bulb of the LED, you will also notice that the negative side is larger than the positive side.
The semiconductor chip located inside the bulb has two regions (“p” positive, and “n” negative) which are separated by a junction. The junction acts as a barrier to the flow of electrons between the two regions. However, when properly wired and the correct voltage is supplied, electrical current flows from the positive (anode) side to the negative (cathode) side. This results in a flow of electrons from the “n” to “p” region. The movement of electrons releases photons, which we view as light!
