FAQ

What does LED stand for?

LED is an acronym for “Light Emitting Diode”. These are solid-state semiconductor devices that concert electrical energy directly into light.

What are LEDs made out of?

LEDs are made from non-toxic materials, unlike florescent lights which contain mercury. LEDs also have no gases present.

What is LED power consumption in comparison to incandescent or fluorescent lighting?

LED lighting produces the same light output as your existing lights and does so while drawing much less power. In many cases, LED lighting uses a 1/5th or less of the power by an equivalent fluorescent tube. The savings are even greater when you consider that fluorescent lighting also requires ballast (more power draw) while LED technology does not. Up to 90% reduction in power and power tariffs are rising.

What does the IP Rating mean?

IP stands for Ingress Protection which is defined that it classifies the degree of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects, dust, accidental contact and water.

The first digit indicates the level of protections that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts and the ingress of solid foreign objects. (Dust, solid objects, accidental contact)

protection against objects and dust
Level	Protected Against	Details
1	>50mm	Any large surface of the body, such as the back of hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part.
2	>12.5mm	Fingers or similar objects
3	>2.5mm	Tools, thick wires, etc.
4	>1mm	Most wires, screws, etc.
5	Dust Protected	Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with satisfactory operation of the equipment; complete protection against contact.
6	Dust Tight	No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact.

The second digit indicates protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of water.

protection from water
Level	Protected Against	Details
1	Dripping water	Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect.
2	Dripping water when tilted up to 15°	Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15° from its normal position.
3	Spraying water	Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effects.
4	Splashing water	Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
5	Water jets	Water projected by a nozzle against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
6	Powerful water jets	Water projected in powerful jets against the enclosure from any directions shall have no harmful effects.
7	Immersion up to 1m	Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to one metre submersion).
8	Immersion beyond 1m	The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. Normally, this will mean that the equipment is hermetically sealed. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that produces no harmful effects.

What is a LED’s Lifespan?

Our LED lights are top quality and the technology is built to last. Our LED products have a rated life span between 50,000 hours – 100,000 hours. These LED lights will still be saving you money in years to come. In fact, you will save not only from power bills, but also from the reduced maintenance costs.

Do LEDs get hot like fluoresecent lighting?

For those working under halogen or high bay industrial lights, the heat from those lights can be a real issue. LED lighting is so efficient, that the output (wasted energy) is drastically less which means the heat is minimal.

Do I have to change my existing housing?

No, LED light bulbs have been designed to fit directly into your existing fittings; therefore you will not require an electrician to install them. It will only take you a few minutes and the savings are ongoing. (Excluding T8 tube lighting)

Do LEDs require warming up or take longer to turn on?

Nope, LEDs light up very quickly. A typical red indicator LED will achieve full brightness in under a microsecond. LEDs used in communication devices can have even faster response times. LEDs are ideal for use in applications that are subject to frequent on-off cycling, unlike fluorescent lamps that burn out more quickly when cycled frequently, or High Intensity Discharge lamps that require a long time before restarting.

There are health affects from using fluorescent and halogen lights, if you switch to led you won’t be at risk with the following health affects.

The health consequences are particularly significant of improperly matching the colour spectrum of sunlight when illuminating the workplace.

Migraine and Headaches: have been cited by some individuals being caused by excessive lights. 47% of respondents of a survey reported that bright lights such as fluorescent lights, is a principal trigger of their migraine.
Fatigue: is a common complaint from individuals exposed to over-illumination, especially with the fluorescent systems. Studies have shown that the flicker and over-illumination combined in fluorescent systems have a high fatigue rate. This is because the incorrect colour spectrum is used within fluorescent lights.
Stress and anxiety: is a frequent outcome from working in a setting of intense lights especially fluorescent. The learning process for children can be greatly affected if the lighting is over illuminated. Research has shown that annoyance from bright light can lead to bad stress or even medical stress.

Fluorescent lighting has also been linked to aggravating other psychological disorders such as agoraphobia (an anxiety disorder, traditionally thought to involve a fear of public places and open spaces. However, it is now believed that agoraphobia develops as a complication of panic attacks).

What are the different application-specific variations and colours?

LEDs can emit light of an intended colour without the use of the colour filters that traditional lighting methods require. This is more efficient and can lower initial costs.

Flashing LEDs: are used as attention seeking indicators without requiring external electronics. Flashing LEDs resemble standard LEDs but they contain an integrated multivibrator circuit which causes the LED to flash with a typical period of one second. In diffused lens LEDS, this can be visible as a small black dot. Most flashing LEDs emit light of a single colour, but more sophisticated devices can flash between multiple colours and even fade through a colour sequence using RGB(Red, Green, Blue) colour mixing.
Bi-colour LEDs: are actually two different LEDS in one case. They consist of two dies connected to the same two leads antiparallel to each other. Current flow in on direction produces one colour, and current in the opposite direction produces the other colour. Alternating the two colours with sufficient frequency causes the appearance of a blended third colour. For example, a green/red LED operated in this fashion will colour blend to produce a yellow appearance.
Tri-colour LEDs: are two LEDs in one case, but the two LEDs are connected to separate leads so that the two LEDs can be controlled independently and lit simultaneously. A three-leaded arrangement is typical with one common lead.
RGB LEDs: contain Red, Green and Blue emitters, generally using a four-wire connection with one common lead. These LEDs can have either common positive or common negative leads.
Alphanumeric LED displays: are available in seven-segment and starburst format. Seven-segment displays handle all numbers and a limited set of letters. Starburst displays can display all letters.

What is the difference between Cree, Luxeon, Bridgelux and Epistar LED types?

In our bulb replacement and par light section, the bulbs have been named and priced in accordance to their LED type. This is because different LED types are better quality, manufactured cheaper or have a higher CRI rating.

CRI stands for Colour Rendering Index, and is a measurement of the visual quality of light, or how something appears under a particular type of fluorescent lamp. The CRI of a lamp is based on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 as the best quality, signifying how an object appears under natural daylight conditions.

Below are the differences between the LED types.

Epistar: Taiwan’s largest LED chip manufacturer and are manufactured at a cheaper price. Epistar is classified as an average quality LED. The LEDs are available in standard brightness, only with CRI-70.
Cree: Cree’s are in their original factory packaging (are not changed through the process of being installed into a fitting). CRI 80-85. Cree is classified as a very high quality LED. Color temperatures are made in a larger range. Eg.Warm White comes in the range of 2650~3200K instead of the standard 2700-3000K.
Luxeon: Own by Philips, luxeon's are in their original factory packaging (are not changed through the process of being installed into a fitting). CRI 80-85. Luxeon LED chips are classified as very stable quality.
Bridgelux: Bridgelux are in their original factory packaging, and are classified a very stable quality LED. CRI vary between light types but range from 75-85.

Generally, if you are looking for cheaper price, EpiStar Chip will be the better choice. And if you are looking for brighter LED light with higher CRI, then you can choose from CREE, then Luxeon or Bridgelux.

FAQ