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hardworkinghippy

Joined: 01 Jan 2005
Posts: 1110
Location: Bourrou South West France

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 05 10:20 pm Post subject:

As someone who is off the grid, I'm always looking for energy saving things.

Look at the consumation figures for LEDs.

https://superbrightleds.com/led_prods.htm

https://www.rapidelectronics.co.uk/rkmain.asp?PAGEID=20671

I've been experimenting with cheap Christmas LEDs (almost blew myself up!) and a friend has told me how to put them into clusters with a resistor to make bright low energy 12v. (Which if you've got normal leccy you can use with a transformer.)

Have a look.

HWH

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45671
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Jan 07, 05 10:46 am Post subject:
LED is definitely the future but the white doesn't have a very natural light (apparently)

Mat S

Joined: 07 Nov 2004
Posts: 282
Location: Leicester

Posted: Tue Jan 11, 05 2:43 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

LED is definitely the future but the white doesn't have a very natural light (apparently)

From the evidence of my led bike lights and head-torch, they're very blue. Quite eye-catching though which is good on a bike.

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Tue Jan 11, 05 4:41 pm Post subject:
The colour temp is almost that of daylight bulbs (around 5200K), so LEDs would be ideal if you're doing anything that needed daylight - but maybe a bit cold and clinical otherwise.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45671
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Jan 11, 05 4:44 pm Post subject:
They're working on warming the white, I believe there'll be warm white ones available this year, not cheap though

hardworkinghippy

Joined: 01 Jan 2005
Posts: 1110
Location: Bourrou South West France

Posted: Tue Jan 11, 05 8:26 pm Post subject:
When you're doing solar on a budget every little helps! HWH

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45671
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Jan 11, 05 8:37 pm Post subject:

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 05 8:49 pm Post subject:
Another point of the mains powered halogens. My brother has these in his kitchen and there is a scroch mark in the ceiling above each bulb jema

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45671
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 05 6:46 pm Post subject:
Pure white LED's in 2008 apparently: https://tinyurl.com/4x8p8

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 05 6:52 pm Post subject:
Brilliant, I'll tell Mandy I'm waiting for them.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 05 7:44 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

Pure white LED's in 2008 apparently:

https://tinyurl.com/4x8p8

From the piccie they look really nice.

jema

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 05 9:29 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

Pure white LED's in 2008 apparently

Problem is that "pure white", on its own, is not technically meaningful.

The concept of "colour temperature" - Picture a blacksmith heating a horseshoe. Initially its a not glowing - in the range that the eye works in! When it starts glowing, its a dull red. The hotter it gets, the bluer the light given off - it gets "white hot". By measuring the 'colour', the temperature can be measured. Maplin will sell you a "non-contact" thermometer starting at about �20.
Note that the *colder* the source, the subjectively *warmer* the light!

Daylight is from a source at nearly 6000C (I know about K, but please recognise I'm simplifying!) No bulb can possibly run at such a temperature. Take a photograph (on a camera using ordinary colour *film*) by artificial light, and it will be a strange colour. Ordinary bulbs produce something that looks like candlelight!
Note that digital cameras typically try and adjust themselves to the colour of the light. Its because the eye and brain do this so well that we don't think we are living in candlelight!

However all fluorescent lights (inc "energy saving bulbs") don't give out a "continuous spectrum" - they give out a set of specific (pure) colours, which if well spread and carefully balanced give us the impression of 'white-ish' light... but it isn't!
To see what's missing look at a paint colour chart under different lights. The difference between halogen and "energy saving" bulbs is pretty dramatic.

Camera flashguns produce a simulation of daylight, good enough to satisfy ordinary film. Similarly "natural daylight" bulbs produce a simulation of daylight's blue/red balance - but this makes for a seemingly strangely "cold" light...

People doing colour critical work on computer screens not only need to "calibrate" their screens, but also to standardise their room lighting, (and be restrained in their decor), otherwise a 'real' colour that matches the screen colour at midday, will not match in late afternoon, let alone by artificial light in the evening!

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 05 9:45 pm Post subject:
Very clear explanation that. You need only to look at some of the optical illusions that fool you into thinking colour are different or the same to realise just how funky it all is. jema

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45671
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 05 5:35 pm Post subject:
Some LED light fittings: https://www.franklite.net/content/index.php?id=37

hardworkinghippy

Joined: 01 Jan 2005
Posts: 1110
Location: Bourrou South West France

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 05 1:08 pm Post subject:

An update to this thread...

I've been off-line a lot recently because I'm busy rearranging and increasing my solar capacity (DOUBLE the power

) to have lots more light and loads more hours on the web, watching DVDs, charging power tools etc.

I've ordered 6 of these lights. I know they're not cheap to buy, but they're the best I've seen so far.

https://cgi.ebay.fr/AMPOULE-80-LEDs-12V-AMBREE-SUPERBE-AMBIANCE_W0QQitemZ4417273483QQcategoryZ20548QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'll let you know how they do once they're installed.

Irene

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