LED Basics: Choosing and Using the Magic Light

This book will save you hundreds of dollars every year. Because LEDs: * Use 90 per cent less power, * Last 20 to 30 times longer (Most will outlive you) * Don’t get hot, saving A/C costs, * Won’t break if you drop them. The book also shows: * How to avoid color clashes, * How the wrong dimmer can kill LEDS, * How to convert your car, boat or RV, * Why LEDs are good for the planet. The author is not an engineer. He’s a frugal, former investigative reporter who knows how to show – in plain language – how technical stuff works. And how to make the most of it. LEDs are an astounding new invention that will soon replace almost all other light sources on the planet. Because they’re unlike the light bulbs you’ve known, choosing and using them successfully requires a new set of skills and knowledge. Patented by a GE engineer in 1962, LEDs were such an astounding invention, other engineers in the company called them "the magic thing." Originally used as tiny red dots to indicate a device was turned on, it took another 20 years to figure out how to make LEDs in other colors. And more time to make them brighter. All those problems have been solved now. They use about one-tenth the electricity to produce the same brightness incandescent lights would. They don't get hot, so they don't increase air conditioning costs. And their life expectancy is 30 to 40 times longer than standard light bulbs. They have a few limitations, and you should know more about them before you start converting your lighting to LEDs. Unless the dimmer controlling them is fairly new, and designed specifically for LEDs, it can kill them. The arc of light LEDs transmit is much narrower than incandescents, so some LED bulbs have been designed to overcome that. Some LED fixtures have built-in LED modules rather than LED bulbs. They're sometimes called "linear" fixtures. If a module fails, it can't be replaced, and the entire fixture may have to be trashed. LEDs come in three or four different colors (depending on brand). Mixing colors can have terrible results. "Warm white" is the closest to incandescent bulbs. "Daylight" is close to most fluorescent tubes. Incandescents and "warm white" LEDs are at the orange end of the color scale. Fluorescents and "daylight" LEDs are at the blue end of the color spectrum. Before you buy LEDs read the label and instructions carefully.
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