Look here for helpful hints and lighting related info that you might find useful or at least interesting.
The most efficient and brightest LEDs and where to get them! (updated 11/26/2008)
The most efficient colored LEDs have overal luminous efficacy of approx. 53-60 lumens/watt. The most efficient white LEDs get around 64-96 lumens/watt. Many really good ones still only achieve about 25-45 lumens/watt.
For comparison:
USA usual 100W "A19" incandescent - 17.1 lumens/watt.
Compact fluorescents - mostly 45-60 lumens/watt including ballast losses.
32 watt T8 fluorescent in "average condition" - typically around 80
lumens/watt including ballast losses.
My LED top page, with links to manufacturers, etc. Updated 11/11/2008.
My page explaining where some big claims of LED efficiency come from, including applications where they actually are a lot more efficient than incandescent lamps despite most (but now not all) white LEDs having efficiency not really greatly greater than that of better incandescent lamps. (updated 7/22/2008)
The Great Internet Light Bulb Book, Part I -
Incandescent and Halogen Lamps
An FAQ style "encyclopedia" with answers to most of your questions and
other interesting and possibly helpful information.
(Last major change April 1996, minor change 5/29/2006)
Compact Fluorescent Lamps - RESTRUCTURED 1/3/2004 - please see my Compact Fluorescent "Top Page" for links to my compact fluorescent pages. A new page (in addition to the "top page") was added 11/19/2007, linked from a link here, and no pages were removed. Updated 8/18/2008.
The upcoming USA federal incandescent lightbulb ban of 2012/2014-
Including the vast wide range of exemptions.
(New file 8/24/2008)
Colors and spectral characteristics of fluorescent lamps.
Includes descriptions of colored, specialty, actinic, aquarium, and
ultraviolet fluorescent lamps, as well as white and nearly-white ones.
(updated slightly 12/6/2006, link therefrom known to be updated 12/16/2006
and expected to have some further updating shortly after that time.)
The Discharge Lamp Article (Great Internet
Light Bulb Book, Part II - Discharge Lamps, Volume I - Basic Info) is now here.
Lots of useful information about mercury, sodium, and metal halide lamps as
well as "neon" signs and tubing is already here.
(update 12/28/99 V. 1.34) (long, 54K)
Some more technical discharge lamp info including references
is here! (Possibly A.K.A. The G.I.L.B.B, Part II, Volume II.) First written
May 23, 1996 and nowhere nearly complete. Check this out every few months.
(Expanded slightly 8/19/2002)(28K)
Some bits of data and facts on some lamps and lighting, mostly but not entirely moderately technical, such as incandescent lightbulbs lasting a century, where to buy these, lower energy efficiency of longlife incandescents, and why higher wattage incandescents are more efficient and why lower wattage incandescents are often made to last longer. New file 12/24/2006, updated 7/10/2008.
Some bits of data and facts on some lamps and lighting, more technical, such as bulb surface temperatures, fixture heating, and number of lumens in a watt of white light. New file 12/21/2006.
The Sulfur Lamp Document
Much of the knowledge of these amazing lamps that you will find anywhere
on the web. Please drop me a line
if you wish to add anything or you think anything needs changing.
(Updated 3/24/98) (25K)
Lots of fluorescent lamp stuff by Sam Goldwasser
and myself. Includes some info on fluorescent blacklight and other UV
lamps, even fluorescent-style germicidal lamps.
(slight update V. 1.90 12/26/99) (long, 99K)
Dimming Fluorescent Lamps! Why it's easy to dim them
a little, and why it takes a lot to dim them a lot, especially in a way that
is not hard on the bulb. Also a few loopholes.
(slight update 6/67/2001)
Electronic ballasts! Lots of links, especially for powering fluorescent lamps from low voltage DC. A bit on-site, including a way to power mercury lamps from low voltage DC (built and tested). Links include electronic ballast stuff in general including line powered ballasts. (updated 12/11/2006)
Now, a UV and UV lamp document! Includes EPROM
erasing lamps and (roughly) effectiveness of alternatives. Also includes
notes on blacklights, sunlamps, and other UV lamps.
(Updated slightly 5/29/2006.)
Carbon arcs for fun and danger!
Some basic info about carbon arcs. For information and your web reading
pleasure! These have hazards, and you might not want to try this at home.
(Last change 9/24/96)
Short Arc Lamps - you're wondering about these?
They have a small, very intense arc in mercury and/or xenon. Due to high cost,
short life expectancy, hazards and often fussy operating requirements, they don't
make good toys for casual experimenters. Some of the messy details are here!
WITH MANUFACTURERS (I hope most of you don't buy!) slight update 1/18/2006
Xenon flashlight lamps / bulbs and others that are actually incandescent ones with a xenon gas fill. NEW FILE 10/4/2000, slight update 10/5/2000.
Some odd lamps desribed here including how to make them work. Green "neon" lamps, multicolor "neon" tubing, electroluminescent lights, and spectrum tubes are mentioned here in great detail. Look for more here in the future! (last changed slightly 4/26/2008)
I have tested some night lights and lower wattage energy saving odd sorts of lights - and at times I was disappointed. Go to my Night Light Test Results Page to find out how some are less than they lead you to think that they are. (Updated 5/19/2008)
Where to get lamps / lightbulbs!
Get decent plain ones for less, get UV lamps and specialty ones. Info on
retail chains in the USA and a few suppliers with web sites.
(MAJOR UPDATE 11/9/99 - compact fluorescent torchiere lamps! Minor
update 7/31/2005)
Troubleshooting things that go wrong! Lightbulbs burn out too quickly? Fluorescent lamps acting up? Look here! (slight update 11/20/2006)
My top page for all my xenon stuff such as strobes, flashes, xenon arc lamps, strobe hacking, etc. (updated 11/13/2000)
Automotive HID lamps, AKA xenon headlights, etc. New file 2/15/2000 updated 10/1/2000.
Electrical characteristics of HID lamps for experimenters, hackers, ballast homebrewers and basement bombers. Includes normal operating arc voltage, minimum arc voltage during warmup, starting voltages, and allowable warmup currents for many popular HID lamps.
My discussion of low wattage HID lamps - why there is no 5 watt or 1 watt HID lamp. (updated 10/1/2000)
How long can a lightbulb last? How easily can they be made to last longer? Why they don't? (new file 8/30/2001)
Performance of incandescent lamps at various voltages. So far, current and light output as a function of voltage for the 100 watt 120V 750 hour 1750 lumen A19 as well as current as a function of voltage for vacuum T12 and gas filled A19 25 watt 120V lamps. New file 1/2/2006, major update 12/29/2006, minor update 12/30/2006.
UPDATED PLANT-GROWING LIGHTING:
New file 7/8/2008.
Meanwhile, I suggest that lamps based on lithium (metal halide variations or otherwise) might be superior, since chlorophyll A utilizes the 670.8 nanometer deep red main emission of lithium very well. In general plants primarily utilize red wavelengths in general, but you may not want to have more than half your red content much longer than 655 nm since only one of the two variants of chlorophyll utilize the longer red wavelengths (660 to 675 nm or so). Plants have a secondary requirement for blue - not absolutely needed to utilize for energy, but blue can be utilized fairly well for energy - many plants also just don't grow right unless there is some blue light.
Please read my Copyright Info and my Disclaimers.
A notable piece of light bulb history online at the notable Kilocat's Antique Light Bulb Site, which now even has a forum!
James Hooker's Online Museum of Historic Discharge Lamps
Daniel Stern's automotive headlight site.
JKL Lamps, a maker of miniature cold cathode fluorescent lamps and other miniature lamps.
Tomi Engdahl's Lights and Electronics Page.
Philip G. has lots of stuff, much is interesting! NOTE - This site is supposedly being decommissioned and most of the info there is now available at http://www.repairfaq.org/
The Lighting Resource has some interesting and maybe useful information, including a large list of links to lighting related manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and other lighting related sites.
Another good site with lots of links! Lots of basic and moderately advanced info.
Peter Baum's incandescent and arc lamp page.
The site of Ioannis Galidakis, with spectra stuff!
The Lightbulb section of Jim Evan's home repair site.
Electric Lights - the site of a fellow light bulb nut, Chris Millinship in England.
Sylvania's lighting site. Great site, with an online catalog and brief sheets of probably thousands of lamps.
Philips Lighting, with an online catalog.
American Light, which supplies many kinds of specialty and custom fluorescent, mercury, and metal halide lamps
The Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Chris Hedemark's energy conservation page, in his rural living site.
Another list of links, at Mayotte Mobile Stage Lighting.
Another large list of mostly entertainment-related lighting links, in Australia.
An interesting web page by the Lamptech.co.uk largely-an-online-museum that in that page appears to me to promote and to be somewhat biased towards low pressure sodium lamps. There is an interesting graph showing current and historic maximum commercially successful lamp luminous efficacy over the years for several different lamp technologies.
The "Links" section of Steve Saunder's "Goldwing" site, a new site for motorcycle fans and may be a good place to find motorcycle lighting stuff.
As for references for lighting related stuff, I learned a good portion of what I know from books with Library of Congress call numbers around TK4000.
I appreciate feedback. Go ahead and drop me a line! I read all non-"SPAM" e-mails, but sorry I can't reply to all legitimate e-mails!
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