CFL Choice- Full or Semi Spiral or Linear ?

There are a number of different designs of compact fluorescent lamps CFL on the market which can make it quite confusing to decide which is design is the best one to go for. Here we will look at the major types and review the advantages and disadvantages of these energy saving light bulbs.


Linear Tube CFL

The majority of the early CFL bulbs introduced in to the UK market were of the linear tube design as shown in the picture. . The linear CFL is just a long thin fluorescent tube which goes up vertically and then is looped back and this pattern can be repeated several times for high wattage light bulbs. These light bulbs are the cheapest to manufacturer and work well as an energy saving light bulb. The disadvantages of the linear CFL are two fold. Firstly, the look of the light bulb is rather cumbersome and quite odd certainly when compared to the traditional incandescent GLS bulb. It is not that the bulb is inherently gross from an aesthetic point of view but I think it is more the fact that the light bulb looks very different to what people generally expect a light bulb to look like and for this reason it is not rated highly from a visual perspective. The second issue is that because the design is thin and tall the bulbs are quite long in length and for this reason can be difficult to physically fit into a number of light fittings where there is a height restriction.


Semi Spiral CFL

The semi spiral light bulb has always been fairly common in the US market and has recently been introduced to the UK. The design of the CFL is shown in this picture. Again the semi spiral CFL is simply a long thin fluorescent tube which is looped around in a spiral shape but the first portion of the fluorescent tube just goes up vertically. Accordingly the semi spiral name is derived because this CFL is half linear and half spiral and therfore designated as a semi spiral. The overall look of the bulb is more akin to the traditional bulb and because of the fact that the fluorescent tube swings outwards it has a larger diameter than the linear CFL and accordingly the overall height can be reduced and the bulb will still produce a similar level of lumens output.



Full Spiral CFL

The final choice considered here is the full spiral CFL which is shown in this picture.

With the full spiral CFL the fluorescent tube spiral starts right at the base of the bulb and continues in a tight spiral to the top of the bulb. The benefits of this design is that because the spiral design is inherently more compact and because of the fact that the spiral starts lower, the overall dimensions of the bulb are less than the semi spiral CFL which gives it an overall more compact design. This is invariably important for the fitment into a number of closed light fittings or lanterns where there is a bulb height restriction. The aesthetic angle is clearly subjective and dependent on peoples individual views but I think that the compact proportions and shaping of the full spiral CFL make its looks more appealing than the semi spiral of linear CFL.

So from our perspective the Full Spiral CFL is the clear winner.

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Color Characteristics of LEDS

There’s an array of different LEDs that are available in the lighting market today. The diverse LED characteristics comprise of light color or radiation wavelength and light intensity among other features. 

These color characteristics are as a result of an assortment of factors during the manufacturing process. Factors such as semiconductor make-up, fabrication technology used, and encapsulation are also important in determining the LED color appearances.

Understanding LED colors

Color is a fundamental feature of light emitting diodes (LEDs). Initially, there were a limited number of colors available for these fixtures. You could only find red LEDs.
However, as technology advanced, there have been significant improvements in LED materials and colors.

Color Characteristics of LEDs: Color Temperature

One important aspect of color appearance is color temperature, which exemplifies how cool/bluish or how warm/yellowish technically white light appears. CCT Correlated Color Temperature (abbreviated as CCT), is actually a metric correlating the source of light appearance to a pre-heated theoretic dark/black body appearance. As a black-hued body gets hotter, it becomes red, orange, white, and ultimately blue. The CCT value of a light source, provided in Kelvin (K), represents the temperature at which a hot black body closely matches the light source color under investigation. It symbolizes the color of emitted light and not that of illuminated objects.

What is Color Rendering Index (CRI)?

Metrics Color representation has numerous distinct forms, including reference based systems, gamut based systems, and systems which are built upon sophisticated color appearance models.
CRI refers to a measure of fidelity (that’s how ‘true’ a certain light source is when related to a reference source), but it doesn’t address the issue of color appeal and discrimination.

Chromaticity and LED Colors

Chromaticity refers to an objective interpretation of the quality of color irrespective of its luminance. It consists of two distinct parameters, often described as colorfulness (s) and hue (h). For a specified CCT, a light source with a positive Duv value has a chromaticity which falls above the locus of the blackbody (appearing slightly greenish), while a source featuring a negative Duv value has a chromaticity which falls below the locus the blackbody (appearing slightly pinkish).

The Influence of LED voltage drops

The LED voltage drop often lies between 2 and 4 volts. The actual voltage that occurs across the two terminals is highly dependent on the type of LED/materials used and influences the color of LED in question.

As expected, the voltage curve of an LED broadly resembles that of a forward diode characteristic. But once the diode is switched on, the voltage becomes relatively flat for various forward current levels.

LED Characteristics: The Summary

The following table gives a summarized insight concerning LED color characteristics.

Wavelength Range In NM	Color Of the LED	Voltage(V) at 20MA	The Type of Material
Blow 400	UV(Ultraviolent)	3.1 to 4.4	AIN, AlGaN, AlGalnP
400 to 450	Violet	2.8 to 4.0	GaP,AlGalnP
450 to 500	Blue	2.5 to 3.7	lnGaN
500 to 570	Green	1.9 to 4.0	GaP, AlGalnP
570 to 590	Yellow	2.1 to 2.2	GaAsP, AlGalnP
590 to 610	Orange or Amber	2.0 to 2.1	GaAsP, AlGalnP
610 to 760	Red	1.6 to 2.0	AlGaAs, GaAsP, AlGalnP

Below 760

Infrared

Below 1.9

GaAs, AlGaAs

Besides LED color, the following are other major LED specifications:

• Light intensity value( denoted as Iv)

• Current vs. voltage specification

• Reverse voltage

• Angle of view

LED Specifications for Operational Life

LED’s light intensity doesn’t diminish with time. What this implies is that LEDs have a specific operational life. This specification helps determine the application of different kinds of LEDs. LED specifications are determined by the following formulas.

L70% = The time taken for a 70 percent illumination (this is also known as lumen maintenance)

L50% = The time taken for a 50 percent illumination (also known as lumen maintenance)

Note: According to LED standards, your LEDs shouldn’t exhibit any major shift in chromaticity.
These figures’ rationale is that 70 percent lumen maintenance is equated to a 30 percent light output reduction. This’s an approximate threshold figure required to detect to gradual light output reductions.

LED CEILING LIGHTS: THEY WILL REDEFINE YOUR LIVING ROOM

LED lighting is one of today’s most efficient and rapidly-developing technologies. They last longer, offer better light quality and are more durable. Like any other diodes, they consist of a semiconductor material doped with certain impurities to create a p-n junction. Current flows smoothly from the anode (p-side) to the cathode (n-side) not in the opposite direction. When an electron collides with a hole, it automatically falls into the lower energy level and generates photon energy.

The benefits

LED ceiling lights exist in different sizes and shapes, with excellent fittings available for any room. Whether your home is stately or terraced, you can utilize these lamps to positive effect. The type of illumination you’ll get not only looks attractive, but it’s economical. They last much longer than traditional bulbs and consumes up to 90 percent less energy. The possibilities of LED ceiling lights are endless. It doesn’t matter how small or big your house is you’ll always find something that perfectly matches your needs.

Why You Should Consider Them

LED ceiling lights are ideally suitable for applications which are subject to recurrent on-off cycling, unlike traditional lamps that quickly burn out when cycled frequently.
• They can easily be turned down or dimmed
• Installation is quick and very simple. A common indicator will attain full brightness in microseconds.
• They don’t contain mercury, unlike fluorescent lamps
• They are relatively small in size and are easily fixed onto printed circuit boards.
• Being solid state devices, they are difficult to get damaged with external shock, unlike incandescent and fluorescent bulbs which are fragile.

Light emitting diodes are the latest and most sensational technological developments in the lighting industry. They are small, compact light bulbs which are exceptionally energy efficient and durable.

Amazingly Efficient and Energy-Saving

Additionally, LED lighting offers several other advantages, including longer life (60,000 hours), reduced maintenance cost, lower energy consumption, and increased safety. Currently, they are being used for numerous applications- automotive, residential lighting, broadcasting, industrial automation, aerospace, entertainment, and electronic instrumentation.

Also, they are extremely energy efficient and use only a small fraction of the energy consumed by fluorescent lamps; there’s dramatic reduction in power costs. Since they don’t incorporate delicate components like glass and filaments, they’re able to withstand vibrations, shock, and extreme temperature.

Safety and Color

LED ceiling lights produce virtually no heat hence they can be left on for several hours without harmful effect if touched. They generate 3.4 BTU’s/Hour and reduce the potential risks of burns and fires.Moreover, they are fabricated with non-toxic materials, unlike conventional lighting options that use mercury which may cause danger to the environment. Also, they are recyclable and earth friendly.

LED ceiling lights are available in a wide range of colors- red, blue, amber, and green. Since incandescent bulbs use filters to generate colors, they’re extremely inefficient. Note that they can be combined to create millions of colors that can bring more elegance to your kitchen, bedroom, or even bathroom.

RAKO WIRED VS WIRELESS SYSTEMS

Introduction

Rako is one the leading lighting control systems which performance admirably against the competition Lutron and Control 4 but does benefit by being of lower cost and it is easier to install. This makes it an ideal choice for high end residential and commercial properties.
One of the key benefits of Rako is the wireless solution which makes it a first choice for retrofits to existing properties where the lighting wiring is in place but there is no automation.
The key element of lighting control is to be able to select lighting scenes for a space which are set at the push of a button which will dim all the different lighting circuits to a prescribed level in the room. Rako allows you to have between 2 and 7 lighting scenes dependent on the selection of the control panel. For example a RCM-100 will allow 7 scenes to be programmed and a RCM-070 4 scenes.

Typically the scenes can light different areas of the space and allow for relaxation or for working by setting the light levels to the appropriate setting.

The Wireless Dimmers.

The RMT500 wireless dimmer is a trailing edge dimmer unit which has compact proportions and accordingly can be slipped up into the ceiling void through down-lighter holes. This means the converting a conventionally wired property to lighting control is straightforward and the existing wiring can normally be used. As the control panels are wireless these can then be positioned in place of the existing light switches or alternatively placed elsewhere in the room as no switch wiring is needed. The RMT500 is a very versatile dimmer which works very well on good quality LEDs anb depending on the back load of the LEDs can operate up to 500 watts of load. For larger loads the RMT1200 is a preferred choice as this can handle loads up to 1200w. There are leading edge dimmers available as well which are often better for incandescent or dimmable fluorescent loads. More details on the dimmer please take a look here RMT500.

Benefits if the Wireless System

• Good for retrofits and no switch wires needed
• Lower cost of control panels
• Extra control panels can be easily introduced at a late stage as no wiring needed

Wired Systems

For a wired system the RAK4 dimmers would normally be used, typically the RAK-4T which is a 4 channel trailing edge dimmer. These are normally located in a control room and all the lighting circuits would be run back to this room. The RAK-4T will take 4 channels but these can be linked together with a RAK-LINK to allow up to 8 RAK-4T dimmers to be connected together.

The other element of the wired system is the control panels. With the wired system then the control panels typically the WCM-070 would be daisy chained together with CAT5e cabling. If it is more convenient then a RAK-STAR can be used which means the control panels can be star wired from the control room.
However it is still possible to utilise the wireless control panels with the RAK system. This is done by introducing a RX-Link which allows wireless devices for instance control panels, to be connected into the Rako RAK dimmers.

Benefits of Wired System

• No batteries needed for control panels
• Control panels have back lit buttons for ease of viewing in the dark
• Programming easier where it is desired to control lighting is different rooms from certain control panels
• No limitation on RF signal strength and no distance limitations