See How Easily You Can Make Your Store Better With LED Open Sign

With the Holidays coming, we all want to make things look better for our business. From the store interior to product display to the store front and window display, we go the extra mile to sure that everything will be pleasing to our customers this season. To further ensure that we drive enough traffic to our store, we have to give more emphasis to improving our window display and store exterior designs.

One way to make your store better this Holiday season, is by installing an attractive open sign for your business. It’s the perfect tool to help you make your store more noticeable to anyone who’s going to pass by your store. Here are some other reasons why you should use the latest LED technology in your store.

1. Open Sign illuminates your spaces

Unlike traditional business signs, LED open sign is available in bright and colorful designs that can help brighten up your store space. It is also available in scrolling or blinking function so you can easily capture the eyes of your costumers at first glance.

2. Open Sign makes customers feel welcome

If you own a high class salon or restaurant, it’s easy for some of your customers to become intimidated by the looks of your store. Putting a prominent LED Open sign breaks the barrier between your business and the pedestrian. When they see the way an electronic business signage blinks attractively on your store front, they will feel less hesitant to walk through the door to experience your services.

3. Open Sign help modernize your store

If you’ve been stocked with traditional business signs, it’s time to upgrade your marketing tools for greater efficiency and effectiveness. Blinking open sign easily makes your store space more sophisticated and updated that it can help boost the popularity of your brand more efficiently. If your store needs a little make over, you can definitely install a high quality LED open sign to reach more customers effectively.

Purchasing a high quality LED open sign may mean spending extra money on your marketing tool but it is surely worth your every cent. Buy a blinking open sign for your business and experience a dramatic boost in your sales this Holiday season.

Dow Corning's Newest Moldable Optical Silicone Further Expands Options for More Energy Efficient and Reliable LED Lighting Designs

"Dow Corning is committed to driving new innovations in current and next-generation LED lighting designs and expanding opportunities for solid-state sources to compete with traditional illumination sources in more demanding high-intensity lighting applications," said Hugo da Silva, global industry director, LED Lighting at Dow Corning. "Our advanced new Dow Corning MS-2002 Silicone extends the valuable design, processing and performance benefits of our Moldable Silicone portfolio beyond transparent LED lens elements to include the reflective elements of LED lamp and luminaire applications. With the launch of this new product, customers can now maximize the benefits of silicone chemistry to develop more affordable LED lighting."



Like other products in Dow Corning's line of high-performance LED silicones, its advanced new Dow Corning MS-2002 Silicone delivers outstanding mechanical, thermal and optical stability at temperatures exceeding 150° C. That means, unlike epoxies, polycarbonate, acrylic and other conventional LED materials, Dow Corning MS-2002 Moldable White Reflector Silicone retains superb color, reflectance and mechanical performance over the lifetime of an LED lamp or luminaire without yellowing or physical degradation. As the market demands LED sources to deliver more intense light from comparatively smaller package sizes, these qualities are highly desirable for reflective LED materials.



The easy processability and high moldability of Dow Corning MS-2002 Moldable White Reflector Silicone also greatly expands design latitudes for LED lamp and luminaire applications. With its high reflectivity and bright white color, this new high-performance silicone product does not require the additional mixture of liquid silicone rubber or color pigmentation. Its extreme thermal and optical stability enables development of parts with direct contact with LED dies without air gaps between the die and optics, avoiding design limits common with organic LED materials.



Dow Corning MS-2002 Moldable White Reflector Silicone also exhibits excellent feature reproduction, which allows mold undercuts or co-molding with Dow Corning® transparent materials. It is a high viscosity, high 84 Shore A hardness, fast-curing material able to produce fine details and deliver good resistance to environmental aging.



About Dow Corning:

Dow Corning (dowcorning.com) provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, Dow Corning offers more than 7,000 products and services via the company's Dow Corning® and XIAMETER® brands. Dow Corning is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning's annual sales are outside the United States. Dow Corning's global operations adhere to the American Chemistry Council's Responsible Care® initiative, a stringent set of standards designed to advance the safe and secure management of chemical products and processes.

LED Engin Combines Its Compact LZ4-Plus Emitter with Gaggione's 8° to 45° Zoom Optics

When driving each die to 1.5A reliability and operating life are not compromised because LED Engin's proprietary, multi-layer, thermally efficient substrate dissipates heat very effectively.



Precise color control is achieved via the ability to individually address each die, in conjunction with in-source color mixing and without the added complexity and cost of attaching color filters to lamps. Based on LED Engin's proprietary LuxiGenTM platform, the compact LZ4 emitters, capped with flat glass primary lenses, are used with secondary optics, including zoom lenses and imaging optics. The die are mounted close together to create a very small light source. This has two benefits: it maximizes in-source mixing to produce uniform color across the beam and it enables very narrow beam angles to be created. Precisely controlled narrow beam angles, down to 8 degrees or less, can only be produced when a very compact light source is employed.



The total internal reflection (TIR) zoom lens developed by Gaggione is one of the most efficient in the market, maximizing candelas per lumen (cd/lm) in the beam. Gaggione also offers fixed, high precision TIR lenses with narrow, medium, wide or elliptical beam angle profiles.



LZ4-Plus emitters are offered in single flux bins per color, reducing the need to mix multiple bins.

The products are being unveiled for the first time on Booth 2341 at LDI -the annual entertainment lighting show held in Las Vegas, opening today.



For more information, please visit www.ledengin.com/files/products/LZ4/LZ4-04MDCA.pdf and www.lednlight.com.



About LED Engin:

LED Engin, based in California's Silicon Valley, specializes in ultra-bright, ultra-compact solid state lighting solutions that allow designers and engineers the freedom to create uncompromised yet energy efficient lighting experiences. The company's LuxiGen™ Platform - an emitter and lens combination or integrated module, delivers superior flexibility in light output, ranging from 3W to 90W, a wide spectrum of available colors, including whites, multi-color and UV, and the ability to deliver upwards of 5,000 high quality lumens to a target. The small size combined with powerful output allows for a previously unobtainable freedom of design wherever high flux density, directional light is required.

LED Engin products are sold directly through LED Engin sales channels and its distributors. They are available for immediate sampling. For additional information, or to find a sales representative, please visit: www.LEDEngin.com.



About Gaggione:

Gaggione has developed and manufactured standard and custom optical components in injection moulded plastics for over 40 years using PMMA and PC polymers. Gaggione recently expanded its capabilities, introducing liquid optical silicone injection services for optical components. The company's advanced lenses feature homogeneous light distribution, high on-axis efficiency (34cd/lm), and effective mixing of all colors. The lenses are available in a 5x range from narrow to wide beam and more than 80% light output ration (LOR) is achieved in all zoom positions. Gaggione's services include optical design, tool development, injection moulding, peripheral processes and test. More information is available at www.gaggione.com.

Slimmed Down Chubby TV to Become Mainstream Model in 2014

Direct-view type LED TV aka chubby TV with its cost advantages and has been a market highlight in 2013. Chubby TV has been using secondary optic lens to continually improve its features. By increasing beam angle, the LED TV has successfully met the challenge of shortening OD to 15 mm without adding LEDs. The chubby TV not only has cost advantages, it has also shed off its thick appearance and now holds the same advantages as the thin edge-view type LED TV. The industry predicts 15 mm OD TV model will become the next major industry spec in 2014.

Direct-type LED TV cost advantages have spurred market penetration rate performances. In 2013, direct-type LED TV penetration rate quickly rose to 40 to 50 percent level, and accompanying secondary optic lens technological advancements direct-type LED TV is likely to rid its fatty appearance. LED manufacturers currently have achieved the target of slimming down the TV without adding LEDs, which maintains its original price advantages. Direct-type LED TV penetration rates are expected to reach 70 percent in 2014.

According to sources, Japanese optoelectronic component manufacturer Enplas secondary optic lens beam angle has reached 160 to 165 degrees. Initially, it will only be supplied to a small number of clients. To reach the chubby TV’s “weight loss goal,” a Taiwanese manufacturer has begun working with Enplas. By using first and second generation optic lens technology to reach the 15 mm OD target, while keeping the same number of LEDs at the same time.

Observations from direct-type LED TV specs show, as optic lens beam angle reaches 160 degrees, mid-class direct-type LED TV OD is 20 mm and LED chip usage is controlled at below 40 pieces. Low class direct-type LED TV is paired with optical lenses with 160 degree beam angle. When OD is at 35 mm, about 20 LED chips are required.

In 2H13, LED manufacturers have been actively entering slimmed down chubby TV R&D including LED package manufacturers Everlight, Unity Opto, leading manufacturers Lextar and others. All these companies are hoping to make direct-view type LED TVs with shorter OD. Lextar has declared its direct-type view LED TV has reached the 15mm OD mark by using its special optical design.

Monday Roundup: Buffalo Billion

This week: a building control Rosetta stone, a bike jacket for the SSL set, and Soraa's fab expansion in Buffalo.

Soraa to build out semiconductor fab in Buffalo, N.Y.

The vertically integrated GaN-on-GaN LED and SSL lighting company will be one of two smart-energy outfits to take advantage of New York governor Andrew Cuomo's billion-dollar plan to expand industry and jobs in the western part of that state. (Soraa's partner company in this first round is Silevo, a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of solar photovoltaic cells with manufacturing facilities in China.) Here is coverage on Optics.org and Soraa's press release.

3D model of the proposed Buffalo development project, called RiverBend.

(Source: BuffaloNews.com)

The two companies will each invest $750 million, leveraging $225 million from New York State. New York's investment will go to building two (out of a planned six) buildings on a brownfield site formerly used by Republic Steel, and to the purchase of high-tech manufacturing equipment for the two tenants. Cuomo wants to make the Buffalo region a hub for high-tech research, manufacturing, workforce training, and clean-and-green energy research.

Soraa said it hopes to employ 375 people in Buffalo after construction of its new semiconductor fabrication facility is complete in 18 months. Soraa has received a total of around $100 million in outside investment to date. Looks like the company is in for some serious fundraising.

Balboa Capital to finance projects for LEDtronics customers

The two companies announced that Balboa will become the go-to source for financing SSL projects for LEDtronics's distributors, contractors, and their customers. A joint press release claims a simple application process: "One-page applications for up to $150,000 in financing can be submitted online, and credit decisions are made within one hour." The financing option now has a top-level link in LEDtronics's site navigation. We've been writing about the growing trend of financing SSL upgrade projects; see the related posts below.

Hubbell offers building control Rosetta stone

Until there is shakeout and consolidation in the crowded field of standards, both open and proprietary, for controlling lighting and other building functions, there will be multi-protocol gateways to translate among them all.

Hubble Lighting's latest announcement, for the wiHUBB Building Automation System Gateway Interface, is a case in point. It speaks the proprietary wiHUBB protocol to control lighting, and interfaces with other building control networks that may be present using protocols named BACnet, Metasys, N2 by JCI, and Modbus.

LEDs Eclaireur Jacket

Johnson Controls offers a gateway that speaks even more protocols, though it looks to my untrained eye as if they are all about building automation and not lighting.

A bike jacket for the SSL set

Is it too early to think about Christmas gifts? (Yes, probably.) Here is the LEDs Eclaireur Jacket, a really quite stylish bike jacket with lots of features (as demonstrated in this video), including forward-pointing white LEDs at the shoulders and a string of five red LEDs across the back. The jacket's maker, Esthete Intelligent Cycle Clothing in France, claims the lights can be seen for 100 meters. It will set you back €600, or €480 without the LEDs. It ships free within the EU. US shipping is not mentioned on the site.

Related posts:

• Financing LED Retrofits


• Lighting-as-a-Service

— Keith Dawson , Editor-in-Chief, All LED Lighting

Recent Patents: Deep Dimming

Here's a simple way to defeat flicker during extreme dimming. I like this patent a lot.

In my most recent patent blog, I wrote about a patent for which I couldn't see any practical use. As a counterweight, today I'm writing about a patent I like. It solves a rather challenging problem, and it does so without using a microprocessor or lots of circuitry -- just two transistors. It's the sort of design I like to do for my clients: simple and cheap. My motto is "You can fix almost anything with a resistor."

The title of patent No. 8492992 is "LED lighting device and illumination apparatus." (As an aside, I have noticed that "LED lighting device" is a real popular phrase in patents these days.) The patent was issued to H. Otake and K. Asami and assigned to Toshiba Lighting. As usual, we are going to look at what problem the patent is addressing, how the invention works, and where we might expect to see LED lighting embodying this patent.

The problem

This patent involves what it calls "deep dimming" of LEDs, which is dimming to very low light levels. It says that when an LED is deeply dimmed, "the visual sensation of a person tends to sense flickering of the LED more clearly." It's a surprise to people who are just entering the field that, even though an LED is rated at 350 mA, it's still quite noticeably on at 1 mA or less. That's because of the logarithmic response of our eyes.

Figure 1

The patent gives a really interesting reasoning for why the LED flickers. It says that at very low current, the LED is close to the knee of its I-V curve. At that point, even tiny amounts of variation in current result in significant variation in voltage, which turns off the driver. In short, the driver hiccups because even a single switching cycle of current changes its operating point.

On a dimmer, it's even worse, since the holding current of the triac is so high that the dimmer oscillates. One way this is handled in conventional circuitry is to add a dummy load at the front of the driver. It turns on when the LED load is light, and it pulls enough current to keep the triac happy. But the circuitry is rather complicated and expensive. It's usually done by using an IC with such a control built in.

Figure 2

The method

If you look at Figure 1 (part of which is seen up close in Figure 2), the inventors use the base-emitter junction of a transistor (Q5) across a resistor (R5) sensing LED current. When the current is down below some level, the BJT turns off. That turns on the other BJT (Q4), which starts pulling current from the driver in parallel with the LEDs. The inventors arrange it so that the amount of current it pulls is enough that the converter can deliver a full inductor's worth of current in each cycle, and thus the fluctuations are gone.

I like this. These devices can use an ordinary, inexpensive driver IC. The whole circuit that has been added takes two bipolars and three resistors. It doesn't save any energy compared with the dummy load method, but it's cheap and it's simple -- the whole patent has only two claims.

Likely applications

Since this was assigned to Toshiba Lighting, I'm betting that Toshiba bulbs have had a problem with flicker during deep dimming in the past. So I expect to see this technique used in new Toshiba bulbs, probably A19s -- if it's not already there.

Related posts:

• Recent Patents: Modulating the Light Emission of a Lighting Device


• Recent Patents: Lumped Color


• Recent Patents: 'LED Lighting Lamp'


• Recent Patents: Direct AC-to-DC Converter

DOE publishes a Caliper report and subjective study on LED PAR38 lamps

The US Department of Energy concluded that all 38 models of PAR38 lamps tested surpass halogen lamps in terms of energy efficiency. Subjective testing of some models by IES members determined that single emitters performed best. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has published two reports on LED-based PAR38 retrofit lamps including an updated quantitative Caliper report on the lamps and a subjective report on light quality in which lighting designers rated various products. The Caliper report is an addendum to Report 20 in the DOE Caliper series that was initially issued in 2012, and the addendum covers six additional lamps and three additional benchmarks focused on the performance characteristics of the LEDs. The subjective report has been called Caliper 20.1 and covers the evaluation of beam quality, shadow quality, and color quality by lighting professionals.