LED FAQ

How do LEDs work?
Light emitting diodes perform dozens of different jobs and are found in a multitude of electronic devices. Among other things they have been used for in the past, they form the numbers on digital clocks, transmit information from remote controls, illuminate watches and signal that appliances are turned on. When placed together in clusters, LEDs can form images on a big-screen television or be bright enough to light traffic lights.

What’s the difference between and LED and a CFL?
LEDs are tiny light bulbs that fit easily into an electrical circuit, but unlike an incandescent bulb they don’t have a filament that will burn out and they don’t get hot during operation. They are lit solely by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor material and they last just as long as a standard transistor.

LEDs are specially constructed to release a large number of photons outward, and they are housed in a plastic bulb that concentrates the light in a particular direction. Most of the light from the diode bounces off the sides of the bulb, traveling on through the rounded end.

What’s the advantage of using an LED?
The main advantage for LEDs is energy efficiency, making them the darlings of the national media and the energy conservation movement. In a conventional incandescent bulb, the production of light generates a substantial amount of unproductive heat as the filament is warmed. This wasted energy isn’t being used to produce visible light. LEDs generate very little heat and use a much higher percentage of the electrical power provided to generate light. The result is a considerable reduction in the amount of energy used to produce light.