LED LED lamps: description, advantages and disadvantages

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 12:45

Electricity has been used to light rooms for a very long time. For a long time, only incandescent bulbs were used in apartments, offices, shops, houses, etc. These small devices are still valued mainly for a rather powerful stream of light, which, in addition, has a natural shade that is pleasant to the eye. However, incandescent bulbs have several significant drawbacks. First of all, these are high rates in terms of electricity consumption and a short service life. Therefore, recently other types of lighting devices have become more and more popular - economical and durable. The latter include the recently invented LED lamps.

A bit of history

The first LED was made by renowned engineer Nick Holonyak in 1962. The device he designed emitted visible red light. Shortly after the appearance of this interesting invention, the American company Monsanto put its production on stream. The first device of this type rolled off the assembly line in 1968. Light bulbs manufactured by Monsanto were intended for use in primarily digital watches and calculators. For the next few decades, LEDs were used only in industrial and consumer electronics.

LED-lamps 220V, emitting bright white light and designed for lighting rooms for various purposes, began to be produced only in 1997. The creator of the first such device was the American Fred Schubert. Nowadays, such devices are already used in many industrial and residential premises.

Main structural elements

Modern LED lamps are assembled using the following components:

• Socle. As in incandescent lamps, this element in this case is designed to screw the device into the lamp socket.
• Drivers in a plastic case with ventilation holes. This unit is designed to convert AC to DC. In addition, its design includes special capacitors needed to cool the lamp. Another element is a zener diode, which is used to equalize voltage drops in the network.
• Radiator. This knot is made of aluminum and has a very large number of ribs. It is also needed to cool the LED.
• Aluminum board. On the side that faces the radiator, a special thermal paste is applied. About 90% of the heat emitted by the LED is transferred to the board.
• Diffuser. LED lamps give a narrow beam of light. This element in their design is designed to diffuse it in order to evenly illuminate the room.
• The LED itself.

As you can see, compared to conventional incandescent lamps, the devices we are considering have a more complex design.

What is an LED

Of course, this is the main element in the lamp. Actually, the LED is a special semiconductor device that converts electrical energy into light. The main design elements of this device are:

• Substrate conducting current.
• LED crystal laid on it.
• Case containing both elements. Contacts come out on one side of it, and a lens is located on the other. Silicone is poured between the latter and the LED crystal.
• The aluminum base on which all the elements are fixed.

Working principle

The LED functions due to a special process of electron recombination between two contacts with different degrees of conductivity. In the places where the latter exit, the crystal, on the one hand, is doped with an acceptor impurity containing a small number of electrons, and on the other, with an increased amount. Recombination occurs immediately after the lamp is connected to the network. As a result, excess energy arises, which is converted into light.flow.

Key Features

The owners of houses, offices, shops and apartments, choosing LED LED lamps, first of all pay attention to three main parameters:

1. Degree of heat flow. Lamps of this type can give light of different shades. Devices emitting a cold stream are used mainly in public institutions. For apartments and houses, lamps with “warm” light are more often chosen. The most popular types are therefore 2700, 3000 and 3300 K models.
2. Plinth type. The standard option is the LED lamp E27. Models with such a base are suitable for all household lamps. On sale there are also minion LEDs marked E14.
3. The power of the device. As you know, the most popular are incandescent lamps of 60-100 watts. These indicators correspond to 7-13 W LEDs.

Which appliance to buy for an apartment?

Thus, the answer to the question of how to choose an LED light bulb for your home is not difficult. The best option for a residential area would be a device with an E27 base and a warm heat flux of 2700 K.

As for power, in this case the choice largely depends on the specific purpose for which the device is supposed to be used. So, for a living room or office, a thirteen-watt LED lamp E27 (analogous to a 100 W incandescent appliance) is best suited. For the bedroom, it is better to choose a model for 7-10 watts. The same lamps are suitable for the kitchen and a small hallway.

Benefitsappliances

So what exactly are the advantages of an LED lamp? Reviews about devices of this type are mostly good. According to consumers, they are:

1. Economical. A device of this variety consumes energy 20 times less than an incandescent lamp at the same light intensity.
2. Have a long service life. LEDs can be used without the need for replacement up to one hundred thousand hours.
3. Resistant to shock, vibration and low temperatures. Thanks to this, LED lamps can also be used for street lighting.
4. Environmentally friendly. Unlike conventional energy-saving lamps, LED lamps do not contain mercury. This improves lighting safety and makes recycling easier.
5. Do not emit UV radiation. When using lamps of this type, there is no fading of furniture upholstery, paint in paintings, etc.

Disadvantages of LEDs

Thus, the lamps of this variety have many advantages. But, of course, they also have certain drawbacks. The high cost is what primarily refers to the disadvantages of such a device as an LED lamp. The price of household LEDs can range from 600-3000 rubles. On sale, of course, there are cheaper options made in China. However, they should be purchased with caution. The fact is that the cheapness in this case can only be explained by savings on components.

The second significant disadvantage of LEDlamps are considered to be their sensitivity to voltage drops. Sometimes residents of megacities who own small plots of land are interested in how to choose an LED light bulb for a house outside the city. Unfortunately, in the country, such devices can not always be used, and all because of frequent voltage drops.

Another disadvantage of the lamps of this variety is that they cannot be screwed into closed lamps. With constant overheating, such devices very quickly become unusable. For the same reason, it is not recommended to use LED lamps in specialized rooms with too high air temperatures. After a few months of use under these conditions, the fixture will begin to produce an unacceptably dim light.

The fact that this type of lamp emits a narrow stream can also be attributed to their disadvantages. Using a diffuser increases the cost of the device. In addition, when it is used, the power of the light flux emitted by the lamp is significantly reduced.

Most Popular Manufacturers

There are many brands of devices of this type on the modern Russian market. Which manufacturer should be preferred when choosing a device such as an LED lamp? Feedback on devices of this type is generally positive. However, according to buyers, products of European brands have the greatest reliability. Chinese lighting fixtures, as already mentioned, can not always boast of quality. The same should be said about the products of domestic manufacturers.

FromEuropean brands, judging by the reviews, the most popular LED lamps are Artpole, ASD and Navigator. The most expensive at the same time are the products of the Artpole company. ASD and Navigator are cheaper, but give somewhat dimmer light output. Quite strongly, the lamps of these manufacturers differ in design. But in this case, the choice, of course, will depend on the personal taste preferences of the buyer.

Thus, the main advantages of LED lamps include, first of all, efficiency and long service life. Their undoubted advantage is also ecological cleanliness. And which LED bulbs are best for home or office? According to consumers, it is better to purchase models from a well-known manufacturer. The high cost will justify - due to efficiency - only a high-quality device. A cheap Chinese light bulb is likely to fail very quickly.