Types of LED Lights

Types of LED Lights: What to choose?

There are two main types of LED Lights, SMD and COB. Choose the LED lamp that is most appropriate for use. Within the LED lighting there are different types of lamps, such as SMD (surface mounted device) or COB (chip on board).We see the differences between SMD lamps and COB lamps.

Due to its construction, COB basically have a higher output and better dissipate heat than SMD. After reading characteristics of these LED lamps we may ask: if the LEDs do not emit heat, why it is necessary that this be dissipated? When we touch an LED lamp we do not burn fingers, however, LEDs that emit heat itself, but this is projected from the light direction. Consequently, the heat is poured into the back of the LED chip and to make this part from overheating, it is necessary to dissipate well.

Types of LED Lights

As for LED SMD (surface mount device), these are encapsulated in a semi-rigid resin is assembled superficially, and are usually the most suitable for installation in places where lighting step is not going to be on continuously or for when you need a dimmer light, since the LED chip can reach high temperatures. But then see the characteristics of both lamps.

COB LED Features:

·         Provides up to 120 lumen / watt, double light output provided by SMD LEDs.

·         Its opening angle can be up to 160 or the light intensity is increased without concentrating the beam so its manufacturing costs are lower than the SMD LEDS, about 20% less.

·         No need to run an electrical circuit, thereby hardly suffer devices.

·         Gives a multidirectional light and do not cause glare.

·         It withstands fluctuations of electric current.

SMD LED Features:

·         Emit a beam quality, while providing 60-70 lumens / watt, half the COB LED.

·         If an LED is damaged there is a device that makes up for the rest run smoothly.

·         They cannot be on continuously. At the meetings of the LED chip to the base of high temperatures that could damage the device occur.

·         Depending Of semiconductor material that can be manufactured more variety of colors. For the RGB model, the three primary color LEDs, you can develop up to 16 million colors with additive mixture.

·         They have a color rendering index (CRI) of 80% faithfully reproducing the colors.

·         The opening angle can be 360 or because the LEDs can be distributed throughout the body of the bulb.

·         They are very resistant to shocks since they have no filament.

·         Gives beam sensor only, so it is suitable for housing.

In addition to households, are used in aeronautical and automotive applications, traffic signals or to form numbers on digital clocks. The COB LED, however, by the way dissipate heat, are installed in places where one is required constant illumination. But regardless of the type of lamp you choose, it is important to look at the quality of it, because only then can we obtain greater efficiency offered by LED lighting. 

Innovation of LED Lighting

Almost we all know and are familiar with LEDs, we see in our daily routine LED televisions, cell phones, remote controls, digital watches and other LED appliances. 

Constant innovation and development allowed a Japanese scientist discovered some years ago that allowed gallium nitride create a blue LED. With all the elements at hand, researchers developed the first LED white light and in recent years the white LED has evolved by leaps and introduced new materials to create LEDs virtually the entire visible spectrum of colors and offering while light efficiency that exceeds that of incandescent lamps. These new LEDs, bright, efficient and colorful, are expanding their domain to a wide range of lighting applications, displacing its previous domain field was the mere indication, since today is the lighting technology most promising and which is likely to be the dominant source of light in the future.

LED Lighting

Among the many advantages of LEDs is that they operate at low voltages, between 1 and 4 volts, and drive currents between 10 and 40 milliamps, if higher values ​​apply to those indicated, the diode can be melted. Considering the particularity of low energy consumption and high brightness, and its undeniable advantage of outdoor use signs (e.g. traffic signs) will have the future of these small semiconductor devices is actually very promising, as indicated by the numbers current market growth worldwide.

The word LED is an acronym for " Light Emitting Diode ", or" Light Emitting Diode ", and refers to the light produced by a semiconductor (diode) to be within a solid and transparent capsule and works as a focus when a current is passed through its terminals. A lens that protects the LED emitting material and determines the light beam. Unlike traditional light emitters, LEDs have polarity (being the positive terminal anode and cathode negative terminal) so they work only to be polarized live.

Without going into more detail of its operation, we can say that when electricity passes through a diode, the atoms of one material (contained in a chip-reflector) are excited to a higher level. The atoms in the first material retained a lot of energy and require free. This energy releases electrons to the second reflector material within the chip and during this liberation light is produced.

 In other words, the electroluminescence occurs when stimulated by a voltage differential, the negative electric charges (electrons) and positively charged ions, to be combined, resulting in the release of energy as photons. This creates a much more efficient light energy conversion as occurs with much less loss as heat that as with traditional incandescent bulbs. The color of the light is on emitting semiconductor materials and processes of chip-reflector.

The color of the light from an LED is due to the amount of the photon energy. In turn, the amount of energy depends on the material used for the layers, so that LEDs, depending on the combination of the chemical elements present in the component material, can produce a wide range of wavelengths within the color spectrum, resulting in different colors.