In the world of lighting, nothing shows less appreciation than the magnificent LED light. From basic lighting to powering up entire displays with cutting-edge colors, LED lights can work in situations where traditional lightings would be too costly, too hot, or unfeasible to work with. From unlimited colors to waterproofing abilities, LED lights provide so many amazing features that conventional lighting equipment did not seem to provide. This is all on top of the fact it is also the cheapest and the most reliable source of lighting to ever exist commercially. Read on to find out more about what an LED light is made of and how it works.
Concept
LED stands for Light Emitting Diode, and a diode is a semiconductor device in its most basic form. Semiconductors are materials that can hold an electric charge to a varying degree, depending on their build. When you talk about LEDs, the material you find in them typically for conducting electricity is aluminum-gallium-arsenide (AIGaSa). And to make the led lights work, the electrons in an atom need to shift from a higher orbit around the nucleus to a lower one. When that happens, the electrons release photons which are the basic light unit. While a typical semiconductor would absorb these photons and therefore the light, LED lights are made in such a way that they release photons outward.
Difference between LED and CFL bulbs
There is a lot of difference between a CFL bulb and an LED bulb. The biggest difference that is also used as a factor for promoting LED bulbs is its power consumption. When compared to CFL bulbs, LEDs can produce the same amount of light while using much lower wattage. Unlike CFLs and incandescent lights, LED lights fire lights in a specific direction since they are soldered to some sort of a board. Compared to the other two, this allows LEDs to do an amazing job of spreading light as no light is getting wasted. If anyone asks you how do led lights work, this definition should be enough to not only educate them but also satisfy them regarding the efficiency of LED bulbs.
Life Span
We cannot talk about LEDs without talking about how long they last. It is one thing to pay a ridiculous bill simply because you have been used to fluorescent or incandescent bulbs which consume an incredibly large amount of electricity. And even when you do that, these bulbs do not seem to want to go beyond a couple of years maximum. LEDs on the other hand are extremely stable and can last 2-3 decades at the very least. This kind of lifespan with power consumption that is not even a small part of what you spend using conventional bulbs.
Heat Production
With such bright light coming off some incredible LED modules, one does get quite curious about how they manage their heat, this is the answer. LEDs produce incredible amounts of heat when they are fully bright. To dissipate all that heat, they need something to absorb it as well. typically, LEDs come built on platforms that can take in that heat or they can have large-sized heatsinks attached to it for dissipating that heat. It is quite difficult to get used to that heat on the first try and people who do not know about that can even get their hands burnt.
Conclusion
LEDs are one of the greatest inventions that we have ever had in the world of electronics. They have completely changed how we look at lighting and power consumption, and they are constantly improving in performance while reducing their power consumption. If you have not installed LED lights in your house, we highly recommend that you switch immediately.