Photo and TV Lighting? No Sweat!
Anyone who has ever been to a photo shoot, film set or TV set knows that things can get a little toasty under the lights. Sometimes it is so hot you can see the model or newscasters makeup melting right before your eyes. Or, you used to be able to, that is, until LED lights entered the picture. One of the wonderful side effects of LEDs’ incredible energy efficiency, you see, is that they generate much less heat than regular halogen bulbs. Halogens, which are what typically provided spotlighting on stage and sets, get very hot very quickly and are therefore difficult to handle and uncomfortable to work beneath.
LED spotlights, on the other hand, allow actors and models to keep their cool by, well, staying cool. Their temperature can remain as low as 3200k, which means they do not present any risk of fire hazard. For instance, Elemental LED’s High Power LED Spot uses a heat-sink design that greatly diminishes heat output, along with energy output—it lasts 20 times longer than its halogen equivalent, but only uses 3 watts of power while shining at a bright 120 lumens. This product has also received the prestigious RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) certificate, which ensures that no toxins or harmful materials were used to make it.
Actors, actresses and models are making it known that working under LED lights makes their job much easier and much more enjoyable. Apparently, the latest Ron Howard Movie, Angels and Demons, employed LED spotlights. These types of lights can have great at-home uses as well, lighting gardens and work projects, among other up-close applications.
Check out our High Powered Spot Light here:
Lighting a Wine Cellar with Flexible LED Light Strips
Setting a magical and romantic mood with flexible LED Lights
Did you know you can use flexible LED light strips like beautiful yet modern wine cellar lights? Due to both their flexibility and how easily they are concealed, Flexible LED light strips can be positioned in a variety of positions to create both direct and indirect cove lighting effects. In smaller wine cellars, flexible LED light strips can function as the primary light source, and in larger cellars where people gather for hidden, quiet getaways, flexible LED light strips can be used to create ambient wine cellar lighting that contributes a vital element to romance, mystery and complete relaxation.
How to Light a Wine Cellar with Flexible LED Light Strips
Ideally, wine cellars are intended for viewing, lighting them with standard overhead accent lighting fixtures can often dull the presentation of the wine bottles and kill the aesthetic beauty of wine racks filled with bottles and bottles of vino. Wine cellar lighting should completely hide its source and magnify the bottles, labels, and racks without giving away the source of illumination. Flexible LED light strips can be mounted on the rear interior of the doorway of the wine cellar. Light shines back into the room from the concealed strips, creating a luminance that appears to grow out of the corridor and intensify as it reaches the bottles.
In some wine cellars, lighting takes on a more subtle role to accent the atmosphere. Wine racks sometimes line the walls, making room for a table where people can enjoy wine and cheese and quiet conversation. Many wine cellars of this nature have low ceilings. Flexible LED light strips can be mounted on top of racks and cabinets for cove lighting. This has a very warm and romantic effect as the light appears to climb the wall and wrap itself around the ceiling, fading toward the center in a gentle glow - perfect for wine and romance!
Modern flexible LED lights, like Elemental LED lights, can help transform your wine cellar into the most magical and romantic place in your home.
The Flexibility of Flexible LED Light
Flexible LED light is durable, long-lasting and flexible enough to get creative.
Traditional rope lights have always been a staple when it comes to adding some creativity into lighting. Today, rope lights have evolved and flexible LED light is taking center stage. Flexible LED lights are made of tiny LED’s spaced at about an inch apart and covered with heavy duty plastic tubes. Flexible LED light lasts much longer than traditional rope lights and is much more durable, therefore they are quickly replacing traditional rope lights in many uses.
Flexible LED light strands are very versatile and can be fit to line almost any shape because they are so flexible. You can line buildings, signs and almost anything with flexible LED light to bring attention to it. This lighting is known as perimeter lighting. Buildings are lined with flexible LED lights more and more frequently for decorative purposes during the holidays or for special occasions.
Flexible LED light is also becoming popular for myriad residential uses. Flexible LED light can be used to light cabinets, shelves, cove lighting and special occasion lighting such as Christmas lights and Halloween lighting.
The high durability of flexible LED light makes it equally useful for both indoor and outdoor lighting needs. The robust build of flexible LED lights gives them enough strength to withstand the elements easily. Not only are flexible LED lights more durable, they last much longer than traditional lighting. Flexible LED can last up-to 100,000 hours. Since they have no filament in them, they consume far less energy. Their longer life and energy saving components convert into a huge savings for buyers.
Flexible LED lights also come in a variety of colors. What makes them different is that the colors are not produced by any optical or color sheathing like the incandescent lights, but LED lights are capable of producing the colored lights on their own. There are many colors available and if you do not get one of your choices you can buy the white flexible LED lights and use a plastic covering to get the color you want.
Flexible LED lights are creating a revolution in the decorative lighting world. They are quickly gaining popularity in commercial uses and for home usage. They are easy to install and handle, since they are solid and not fragile like the incandescent bulbs. Next time when you think of Holiday lighting or decorative lighting, think of Flexible LED lights!
Who says trade shows have to be boring? For our first official foyer into the tradeshow world, we here at Elemental LED decided to go big, bold, and a little bit different. We’re excited to announce we’ll be exhibiting at Maker Faire 2009 on May 30th and 31st at the San Mateo Expo Center in the beautiful Bay Area. Maker Faire isn’t your average trade show or craft exhibit—it’s the world’s largest DIY event and is dedicated to innovation and creation, to the inspiration that comes from “celebrating arts, crafts, engineering, food, music, science and technology.” This year’s 4th Annual Maker Faire Bay Area theme is Re-Make America. Taken from President Obama’s speech in which he addressed the country’s need to “begin again the work of remaking America,” this festival honors what Obama calls “the risk takers, the doers, and the makers of things.”
It’s our goal as a company to provide the most efficient and cost-effective lighting solutions to our customers, and in doing so, to help restore the health of the planet. We’re proud of the role we’ve had and will continue to have in “remaking America,” and therefore couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this event.
We’ve got a lot in store for Maker Faire; our booth will be full of interactive elements that illustrate not only the incredibly practical and efficient side of our products, but also the fun side! From soldering workshops in which participants will learn how to customize their own LED circuit boards to the Syncomasher, a collaborative instrument that gives visual feedback when played using-you guessed it! —Elemental brand LEDs, there will be something for everyone! We’ll also offer special discounts to anyone who stops by our booth, so be sure to visit us as you explore the event. We can’t wait to illuminate Maker Faire 2009 with you!
It’s a widely held belief that if you switch out your incandescent bulbs for LED bulbs, you’ll be sacrificing appealing mood and ambiance for big energy and money savings. One reason for this misconception is that LED bulbs aren’t typically dimmable using the existing dimming wall fixture that works for incandescent bulbs. Why? Well, traditional dimmers for incandescent lights work by cutting down the amount of voltage that reaches the filament. In LED lights, all of the extra circuitry gets in the way and does not allow the dimmer to have a direct effect on the amount of light emitted from the LED bulb.
However, there are other ways to dim LED lights, one of them being pulse width modulation (PWM). PWM causes the LED to flicker on and off at a rate undetectable to the human eye; the flickers are then staggered depending on the desired amount of light. PWM is difficult to achieve and requires special circuitry including microprocessors and oscillators. In addition, voltage reduction can also dim LEDs, but the dimming effect is not linear, meaning the illumination will abruptly shut off once the voltage drops below what is needed to power the light to begin with.
Neither of these dimming techniques is particularly desirable, and can be tricky to install. Luckily, Elemental LED has found a better way to set the mood, using our dimmable power supply, which is a multiple voltage transformer that can be used in all install situations. Using this product, you can install any low voltage LED product to work with your already existing dimmer. No rewiring will be necessary, you can simply tap into the power supply adjacent to your new LED product, and—voila!—you have dimmable LED lights!
Check out our dimmable power supply here
The Basics in LED Lights
It’s no secret that there is an energy crisis. But did you know that there is a secret solution that is making its way into the mainstream? LED lights are now being promoted as a main source of lighting for businesses and homes to help light up our world and still be kind to the planet. Everyone from the Department of Energy to environmental advocates are pushing the pace of LED general lighting development because of the dramatic savings in energy associated with their use, and the fact that LED lights use no environmentally harmful substances. LED lighting is a relatively new source of lighting. Here’s some information to get you up to speed on LED lights.
Although LED lights have been around since the 60’s, their use up until several years ago was confined to such as traffic lights. It wasn’t until the invention of white LED lights (in the late 1990’s) that people began to take a closer look at their ability to replace incandescent lighting in homes or businesses. The technology and design of LED lights improved at a rapid pace; today’s LED lights can achieve a life span of 50,000 hours while consuming 80% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb. LED lights that produce a warm white light which is suitable for homes and businesses were invented in 2005. This breakthrough allows LED lights to incandescent bulbs because they shine a light people are used to.
Why it’s important to buy quality LED lights.
Because LED lights are such a new technology for residential use, the standards are still being set. Unfortunately, there are a slew of products on the market that are not up to par. And while the current market is being flooded with LED lights, it’s important to make sure that you are buying a quality product. Beware of so-called bargains. Many cheaper LED lights on the market today are not produced up to specifications and will not last as long or burn as brightly as quality LED lights. Don’t be duped into saving a few bucks up front; it’s actually less expensive in the long run to buy quality LED lights as they last 50,000 hours or more. This means that if you left an LED light on for 6 years, 24 hours a day, it could still be burning brightly. The initial investment will pay for itself in lack of replacement cost and lower energy bills. Be a wise green consumer buy your LED lights from a trustworthy source like ElementalLED.com.
The good news is that the Department of Energy is using considerable resources to promote LED lighting and just recently announced the Energy Star specifications for residential LED usage. That means in the near future, you will have some assurance as a buyer that the product you are purchasing really will live up to your expectations.