LED power for lighting lamps: manufacturing features, technical characteristics and marking

LEDs are small luminous bulbs made from semiconductor materials. In the past, they were used as an indicator to indicate that the device was turned on. Now developers provide innovative devices that can be used in various fields. The power of the LED allows you to use them not only as a decoration, but also for lighting premises.

Manufacturing process

LEDs are small crystals grown from chemical components. Each of them is installed in a special case. By what process the crystal will be made depends on the type of LED. Work order:

• A substrate (plate) is placed in an airtight chamber to grow crystals. Artificial sapphire has a suitable crystal network. A plate is made on its basis.
• The chamber is filled with a chemical compound in the form of a gas. It is based on semiconductors and dopants. Thanks to these additives, the composition acquires special characteristics.
• The mixture inside the chamber is heated. In this case, the gaseous mixture precipitates and is fixed on the plate in multiple layers. Their total density is several microns. The process lasts several hours and it is impossible to distinguish by eye the difference between the initial and final states.
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• Gold contacts are applied to the finished plate. For this, a stencil is used.
• Then the plate is cut into small pieces. Each of the parts has contacts and is an independent LED.
• The case for the crystals is chosen depending on the planned use of the LED. One or more crystals are placed in a housing and covered with a phosphor.
• Finished products are sorted by color, external shape and power, since there are no identical devices, each of them has its own characteristics.

Before making LED lamps or other devices, LEDs are checked for serviceability. They are tested on special stands.

Variety of LEDs

Before purchasing a product, you need to figure out what kind of LEDs are, where they are used and how the indicated marking is deciphered. They are divided not only by the method of application, but also by their installation on a circuit board. They can be indicator, lighting and laser. Types of LEDs:

• Indicator. These models are used to indicate devices and instruments. Most often they belong to the DIP (Dual In - line Package) or DIL (Dual In - Line) types. For example, the indicator model is installed on the TV panel and shows whether it is on or not. The remote controls are equipped with LEDs with invisible infrared light. They can still be found in cars and traffic lights. OLED monitors and TVs are all organic diode powered.
• Laser. Laser diodes are created using a special technology, so they do not belong to indicator and lighting devices. These are semiconductor crystals that create a thin beam of light. The newer models are capable of delivering a beam in the range of 5 to 10 degrees. In this case, the beam can be visible or in the UV, IR range. They are used in DVD drives, laser pointers and optical mice.
• Lighting. White LEDs are used to illuminate rooms. They are divided into 3 colors: warm, simple and cold. Its own technology is used to create different color temperatures. According to the installation method, the devices are of the SMD and COB types. Models of the SMD type are mounted on a ceiling lamp, LED strip or lamp. And COB type products on the board. A large number of crystals are soldered to the board and covered with a phosphor - a solid LED is obtained. In the event of a burnout, the substrate on COB LEDs is completely replaced, and in SMD lamps, it is enough to replace one burned-out crystal.

It is impossible to count the number of LEDs in COB lamps. Because of this, its technical characteristics sometimes do not coincide, which is what unscrupulous manufacturers use when offering low-quality goods.

Main characteristics

Before choosing the right lamp for lighting, you need to know the basic characteristics of LEDs. This will help to achieve the necessary lighting in the room. The main characteristics include operating current, power and voltage, luminous flux level, color temperature, angle and range of luminescence. What these characteristics depend on:

• Current strength. This is the most important indicator on which the performance of the LED depends. With increasing current strength, the radiation becomes less intense, and the color temperature, on the contrary, increases. This threatens the destruction and burnout of the crystal. Resistors, drivers and capacitors installed in LED lamps and other devices send the required amount of current to the LED.
• Voltage. The operating voltage is influenced by the conductors and chemical elements that were used to create the LEDs. But the products do not have the "voltage" parameter. A significant feature is the magnitude of the voltage drop in the product. This value coincides with the parameters of the output voltage of the LED when the rated current passes through it. The power can be recognized by the color of the crystal. Yellow and red products have a voltage of 1.8-2.4 V, blue, green and white - 3 V. If the diodes are connected in parallel, then each element is carefully monitored. Due to a small voltage surge, the current will increase and the product will burn out.
• Power. To replace an incandescent lamp with an LED product, you need to correctly determine its power. To do this, use a coefficient equal to 8. So that when replacing a 100 W lamp, the illumination level is preserved, use an LED analogue with a power of at least 12.5 W (100 W / 8), and replace 25 W lamps with 3 W. Also, when replacing a product, an efficiency indicator is taken into account. For this, the luminous flux (Lm) is divided by the power (W). The average radius for incandescent lamps varies from 10 to 12 lm / W, LED products from 130 to 140 lm / W.
• Luminous flux and its return. The luminous flux and luminous efficiency of lighting LEDs is 2 times higher than that of incandescent lamps, fluorescent devices and other products. At the same time, they consume less electricity.
• Scattering angle. Unlike other radiation sources, the scattering angle of LEDs is less, it is 20-120 degrees. At the edges of the scattering angle, the illumination level decreases, but in the center it is much brighter. Thanks to this, only a certain place is illuminated, but less power is consumed. To make the illumination area wider, diffuse lenses are used.
• LED colors. The color temperature of the LEDs has a variety of shades. The color of DIP type models depends on the material from which they are made, and not on the color of the LED case. The body shows what the glow will be. Two-color and three-color products consist of several crystals and change their shade when the polarity of the power supply is changed. If you apply power to two sources at once, you get the third color. For example, you can get a yellow tint by mixing a red and a green LED. RGB diodes consist of a blue, green and red crystal. If you pass these three colors through a lens, they will blend into white light. Just it is used to illuminate rooms.

Advantages and disadvantages

LED lamps are a new and widely used technology. To determine whether such products are needed in the house, you need to know their advantages and disadvantages. Pros of diodes:

1. Long service life - from 6 to 10 years.
2. Low power consumption.
3. Great light output.
4. The lamp does not get very hot.
5. It is possible to choose any shade of light temperature.
6. Due to its compactness, it can be used as a decoration.
7. The plastic case is not afraid of mechanical damage.
8. They do not contain toxic substances, so LED lamps are completely safe to use.
9. Do not have UV radiation and do not flicker.

The biggest drawback of LED bulbs is their high cost. If we compare them with ordinary lamps, then their price is 2 times higher. But it pays off quickly.

Despite the fact that the manufacturer gives a 10-year warranty, this period can be much shorter. This is influenced by the manufacturing technology and the materials used. Another disadvantage of LED lamps is that they do not fit simple dimers and indicator switches. To eliminate this problem, special lamps are purchased.