Miniature Based LED Lamps

Once limited to simple status indicators, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) now play prominent roles in back lighting, panel indication, decorative illumination, emergency lighting, animated signage, etc.... The emergence of LEDs as a viable alternative to incandescent lighting can be attributed to new manufacturing technologies, packaging innovations and an increasing number of colors. These factors along with the growing awareness of the advantages of LEDs (e.g., a life span measured in years not hours, vivid sunlight-visible colors and low power requirements) have engineers, product designers, purchasing agents and component vendors viewing LEDs in a whole new light.

For many applications LED lamps are superior to incandescent lighting. So why is it that in tens of millions of switches, indicators, control panels, signs, annunciators, displays, decor lights and dozens of other applications, design engineers still specify incandescent technology? It might be that they’re just a few years behind what’s really happening in LED illumination.

Although advances made in LED technology in the past few years have dramatically broadened the applications for these rugged little light sources, it wasn’t that long ago that red was the only “daylight-visible” colored LED. And that wasn’t the only thing limiting their use!