Still getting used to LED lights

[daveamkrayoguy]

Where these new-fangled LED’s DO have their place:

The heavy, bulky, obsolete mercury vapors in the parking lot at the Walmart I used to work at were falling apart, fragments and pieces were falling down, almost on people and cars, so here’s where smaller, lighter LED’s were just the thing...

When I started working there, and I was sitting in my car on a break during a rain shower, I saw a huge ball of orangish-yellowish light in the airacross the roadway, just for a day later to see a broken street light with a huge black mark on the concrete at the foot of it, and a few broken pieces of what would be from the fixture and glass lens from overhead—a lightning bolt probably lit it up, and then blew it out...

— Dave

 

[tolivac]

The mercury lights here at the worksite parking lot have been replaced by LED-215W the mercury lights were 250 and 400W.The fixtures here were in great shape when replaced.When the LEDs came in I was able to take some of the old mercury lights home and light them just for fun sometimes.Mercury does have an advantage in that the lamps and ballasts can run for YEARS without degrading or color change.Already the few year old GE Evolve LED lights at the WalMart here have changed in color-from blue-white to Green-white.Some of the lights strobe.The neighboring Food Lion MH lights run steady and constant.The Food Lion did replace the inside 400W MH lights with LED-these are doing very well.With LEd you can get the bad or the good.Now if fixtures are coming apart-yes,they should be replaced.For overall life we really don't know how long the LEDs will last.It still is infant technology-HID has been around for many decades.So the HID is proven technology.I wouldn't be so fast in replacements just yet.

 

[lordkenmore]

>How many folks are reading from & posting to AW.org using a phone, tablet, or computer that has a screen lit with LED technology?

Good point. Although it's entirely possible LED detractors here are using older LCD or even CRT screens! One day, there may even be a post about how much better CRT computer screens are.

 

[lordkenmore]

>The irony is palpable. I remember that up to the early 90's or so, only people in universities and rich companies could even pay for the internet, and even at that, not everyone was allowed to have email access.

I remember working for one place around 2001, and, back then, people had to have a position above a certain level to get an e-mail address. I can't remember the exact position one had to be at (or above), but I'm thinking that most employees did not have e-mail, even though most positions required at least some light computer use.

I no longer work there, but based on what people whom I knew back then say, I think today everyone has an e-mail address, regardless of position. Times change.

As for universities... I recall one local university doing some building in the 80s, and I seem to recall hearing about wiring for the future (computers). I've sometimes wondered if that wiring was ever used--by the time it was probably needed, the technology was probably outdated.

 

[DADoES]

 
<blockquote>LordKenmore: Although it's entirely possible LED detractors here are using older LCD or even CRT screens! One day, there may even be a post about how much better CRT computer screens are.</blockquote> I don't know the curve for when the balance tipped to LCD and/or LED computer monitors over CRT but I can say I got my first LCD (two, both of which I'm still using) in May 2009. No need to replace for an LED until they go kablooey.

My TVs are a 42" plasma panel (Sept 2002) in the living room and a 27" CRT (Oct 1987) in the bedroom. The plasma will stay until it goes kablooey. The CRT is used ~daily for General Hospital, *rarely* for anything else.  Also have a 24" CRT (2005) inherited from the grandmother 5 years ago (have not used it), and a 20" CRT (1986) that needs to be trashed (picture is bad last time I tried it).

 

[lordkenmore]

>I don't know the curve for when the balance tipped to LCD and/or LED computer monitors over CRT but I can say I got my first LCD (two, both of which I'm still using) in May 2009.

I'm pretty sure I heard some people in one computer Facebook group talk about preferring CRT since 2009. BUT they had specialized needs. Graphics IIRC.

I have to say, though, I was really happy to make the transition to LCD monitors. My first LCD monitor was old, and didn't have good picture quality--it was easily bettered by a CRT monitor--but the text clarity was so good compared to all the CRT monitors I had experience with. I really missed the text clarity when that monitor died, and I had to go back to a CRT for a period, even though that CRT was a pretty good CRT. Eventually, I was able to find a good, used LCD monitor, and that was it for my use of CRT monitors, at least on a day-to-day basis.

I have no idea LCD computer monitors improved to a tipping point for me...but I definitely used (but didn't own) a monitor made no later than 2007 that was good enough that I doubt I'd have ever missed CRT. I have, as a toy, a 1996 or so Apple PowerBook 1400CS. Based on limited experience, I could not live with that PowerBook's monitor as my one and only...and I'm not sure I could live it as a secondary screen. Color isn't good, but the big thing is that when typing fast it takes too long for letters to appear, and there is too much "ghosting" with the mouse pointer. BUT the screen technology wasn't optimal, even by 1996 standards--it was the "cheap" approach. I remember reading of people who bought high end PowerBooks just to get a better screen. But I've also read people who had that level of screen technology in some PowerBook, and were happy at the time. "Your mileage may vary" and all that.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Here is my bathroom light fixture showing a fluorescent lighting-like "afterglow" when it's turned off:

Quite jarringly stark just as when these bulbs go on, to see this happen for a bit, a split-second after they're turned off...

-- Dave

 

[tolivac]

I have some Lowes utility workshop LED lights that give the same afterglow.Figure it must be charges left in capacitors after the light was turned off and bleeding down thru the LEDS.

 

[sudsmaster]

I replaced all my incandescent bulbs (other than in appliances) with CFL's back in the 2000's. In the past five years I've replaced the CFL's with LED's. The Circline fluorescent ceiling fixtures will take longer.

Where LED's make great sense is inside fridges and freezers; that's a no brainer, and who cares about CRI in that capacity?

Speaking of CRI, I am a fan of Feit's "Tru Color" series with CRI's above 90. Very nice, and you can generally get them in warm white, bright white, or daylight. In the past couple of years the high CRI 100 watt equivalent bulbs have become available, and they are nice.

One drawback of LED's (as well as older CFL's) is the radio static they can cause. Oh well.

Early LED bulbs did have atrocious color rendition. Think: gray light. But with the new high CRI bulbs, much better. I find I really like the "bright white", 3000 K lamps.

The street light in the cul-de-sac here was converted to LED a couple years ago. At the time, I noticed it has horrible color balance. That "gray light". It burnt out a few weeks ago, and the replacement seems better.

As for melting snow off traffic lights... I suppose signal light fixtures could have thermostatically controlled snow melting heaters built in... but it's not a problem in this part of California.

 

[iowabear]

I just have two LED bulbs that I specifically bought for a hard-to-reach fixture. 

 

The rest of my bulbs are CFLs and this batch really seems to be holding out a long time.

 

Electricity here is expensive but I live alone and only keep the lights on in the room I'm occupying.  It doesn't make any financial sense to change the CFLs until they burn out.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Well, here is an LED desk lamp that seemed to be the only kind Walmart sells (there was a One Regular Incandescent there, but the store refused to sell it, prompting me to wonder why & when the last time that it COULD!)

The Kama flashed, flickered and arc'd at first, and the diodes even lit up unevenly, as in incompletely, but the inherent defects fixed themselves, so it operates normally, replacing a couple incandescents which I had before, one secured with a clamp, but the gooseneck son them were seemingly breaking...

Again, I wish I could have stuck with the Conventional Incandescent design, but I grew to like it, or get used to it, and I'm praying it giving me a long life--I really don't recall having to change light bulbs in the former units that frequently, and I don't mind it being left on or squawk about it being left on as the halogen (that somehow lost its glass lens) that is in the last picture, I'd briefly on that desk, employed...

-- Dave

 

[luxflairguy]

After moving into my 500 sq. ft. apartment in Dec '17, the first several bills( including heat) were in the $70.00 range.  I soon learned about that all afternoon DIRECT heat streamed in.  I have 8 free-standing lamps all  with LED's in them from various brands including WalMart, Lowes and HD.   All with "soft white" tones.  Like them all!  3 lamps are on 24/7--smaller wattages.  I use my full size oven rarely and bill now runs about $54.00 month.  My h2o is also electric but not having Washer/Dryer is a plus.  A/C season is starting and now I'm ready to keep it as low as I can!!    I Sumas, WA where I was before here, 1200 sq. ft.  was similar in price but had gas fired heat!  G

 

[iej]

I absolutely hate them. They need to be filtered to a much softer colour. The councils here seem to be opting for a white temperature that's just unpleasantly blue.

I can't imagine it's good for wildlife either. I'm hearing birds singing at night since the sodium lamp heads in my area were changed.

 

[dylanmitchell]

LED streetlights are harsh and blue

I hate LED streetlights. The only ones that I'd be willing to put up with are the smart dimming ones that have motion sensors and go to full light when a person or vehicle and sometimes the neighbors' cats go by.

What tech has the best light quality sodium vapor, mercury vapor or other? And are any of those dimmable or tolerant of motion sensor on-off cycles?

The best LED lights I have are the first ones Cree came out with that had the dope on the glass. Some of the first LED's Cree had that were $15 or $20 but I got several for a close out price when they were switching to the easier to manufacture but less vibrant LED's.

 

[tolivac]

HID lamps can be dimmed in steps-this does sacrifice life of the HID lamp.And the color quality can change.For the most part LED can be dimmed and their color quality changes very little.But-NO I prefer mercury and HPS streetlights.Most LED streetlights have TOO MUCH GLARE!And just don't light the way as well in rain or snow.LED tech needs to mature more-and it needs to have ANSI standards for drivers and LED "bulbs" or LED panels-as in the "waffle" style LED streetlights.If there is ANSI standards for LED lights-than they can be more easily repaired.At present if a LED streetlight goes out its replaced with a WHOLE NEW fixture-ANSI lights and HID lights could be repaired because of the ANSI wattage and voltage standards for ballasts and bulbs.

 

[cfz2882]

I hate LED street lighting for many of the reasons given above in reply 44-HPS,LPS are far superior for street lighting tasks than LEDs.. Funny when the goofy things go bad and start to strobe-those get fixed right away! LEDs do good for gas station canopy use though.

 

[sudsmaster]

Well, it went outside the other night to check on our streetlight, and it's the same old ugly "gray light" it had before the bulb was replaced.

I don't see why a better color balance couldn't be installed... they may save a few watts with the gray light, but the quality of life would be improved.

I might pen a letter to the City asking that the next time they replace our street lamp, they use a higher quality LED bulb. Or thingie.

And I confess even though the light is ugly, I was relieved in the middle of winter to see that bulb replaced. Adequate street lighting has been shown, I believe, to be crime-fighting.

The previous street lighting was low pressure sodium. An awful orange light. So the LED was an improvement over that.

 

[dylanmitchell]

Strobe I call those disco lights

Still a few CFL fluorescent pathway lights around here I call them disco lights when they start to flicker out.

There are some excellent LED lights my favorites is the 2014 era TW Series Cree LED Bulb with Neodymium that bluish covering that filtered the light and the Cree Surface LS series in my garage the LS4-40L-40K-10V. I think Neodymium that bluish covering is expensive but would make street lights less harsh and blinding. My garage is beautifully lit but I wouldn't want that light anywhere near my when trying to sleep!

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Well, the outer diodes in my LED desk lamp aren’t giving off any light, only the inner and center, and contrary to hard it is to notice in the pictures here, the light it gives off is noticeable dim...

— Dave

 

[sudsmaster]

There are a number of good choices in standard screw in bulbs with LED's instead of incandescent or CFL. Warm white, Bright, Daylight, Cool. Many are also dimmable. A simple goose neck lamp will hold most any of them.

 

And, if and when the bulb fails, just screw in a new one.

 

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

I know, I have to go out shopping for a screw-in desk lamp, I got screwed out of one from left from a Walmart's remaining inventory that it wouldn't selll me...

Otherwise, there's the halogen bulb one that gives off plenty of light but I don't like it left on, which I don't mind this one being (or even an ordinary incandescent Bulb)...

-- Dave