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Lighting is a very technical universe. For strong lighting, we typically use incandescent bulbs (with a filament that burns) or discharge lamps (which are often seen in
street lighting). Light emitting diodes, or LEDs, are more discrete, making it possible to through a balcony or border into relief. Optic fibres can be seamlessly integrated into tiled surfaces or
even into liquids. And finally, induction lamps can run almost forever, with service lives reaching up to 100,000 hours!
LED lamps are a type of electric light which uses electroluminescent diodes.
They are most commonly used for signal lights because of their voltage requirements being particularly well suited to
electronic circuits and their extremely long service lives (offline or online signals for electrical appliances, indicators, etc.), but with recent technological innovations, they can now also be
used for general lighting.
A traditional incandescent bulb lights by heating a tungsten filament up to a high temperature. The illumination efficiency is particularly poor, though, as around
10% of the energy is converted into visible light with the rest dissipating as heat. In addition, the increase in temperature is made abruptly, with a consequently significant risk of destroying the
filament.
An LED powered lamp produces light by employing the electroluminescence of a semi-conductor, and the efficiency is much more interesting without having to endure the phenomena
experienced with fluorescence (fluorescent tubes, compact fluorescent bulbs). The expected lifespan of LEDs is significantly longer than either of those other two mechanisms with another particular
advantage, being that LEDs don't suffer in any way from repetitive switching on and off (note however, that this doesn't necessarily also apply to the electronics that power the bulb).
Using
electroluminescent diodes (without a filament), this lighting offers excellent stand-alone performance and diffuses a soft lighting effect.
Previously used only in vehicles and aviation, LED bulbs
consume very little energy, are resistant to extreme temperatures, don't heat up and offer life spans between 50,000 to 100,000 hours. Today they are making their first forays into home lighting and
are starting to be used for domestic usages, most frequently in conjunction with a piece of furniture or other object (mirrors, Plexiglass boxes).
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Used chiefly outside, this bulb emits an orange light but needs at least 5 minutes warming up before it does so. It does offer excellent performance, though. A life span
up to 24,000 hours for a choice in colour temperatures up to 4000° K.
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As opposed to traditional bulbs, this bulb doesn't have a filament; just as in a neon tube, it is an electric arc which is the source of the light. The colour temperature it offers (4,200°C) is close
to that of natural light (4,500°C), which therefore provides excellent colour and contrast rendition.
These bulbs are often used in city lighting and the automobile industry (headlights)
because of their long life spans (over 13,000 hours) and their insensitivity to climatic changes. Being very bright also makes them very practical for lighting plants (greenhouses, plantations,
crops, for example). But note that they give off a lot of heat and must be handled with extreme care.
Discharge bulbs are seldom used in domestic lighting because they generally take far too long
to light up (several minutes).
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