Electronics & Smart Controls Collection

Technologies | Smart Lighting + IoT | Feb 06, 2018
Fraunhofer IIS IoT-Bus: The Secure Communication Bus - Not Just for Lighting
Fraunhofer IIS IoT-Bus: The Secure Communication Bus - Not Just for Lighting The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS is developing the IoT-Bus with IPv6 support and integrated security concept. It is a communication bus based on EIA/RS-485 and the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, which enables a secure and reliable data transmission of measured values and control commands and connectivity to the Internet of Things. The IoT-Bus forms a cross-media communication protocol and unites the two worlds of WPAN and fieldbuses without complex protocol conversion. The novel technology IoT-Bus is developed as part of the SEEDs project. Read more »
Technologies | Smart Lighting + IoT | Apr 05, 2016
The “Internet of Light” – the Key to the “Internet of Things”
The “Internet of Light” – the Key to the “Internet of Things” The Internet of Things is the next industrial revolution. As a specialist for innovative lighting components and systems, Tridonic is convinced that lighting will play a decisive role in the Internet of Things (IoT). Therefore, Tridonic developed the toolbox net4more which will not only connect luminaires with each other, but deliver an added value that goes far beyond lighting. Where do we stand today? Read more »
Technologies | Luminaires | Outdoor Applications | Nov 26, 2015
Gunshot Detection for Lighting Fixtures
Gunshot Detection for Lighting Fixtures Cities and their emergency responders will soon have a new way to deploy gunshot detection technology and be able to respond to incidents and react faster to protect their residents. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between GE Lighting and SST, Inc., developer of the ShotSpotter™ crime detection and location suite, lays ground to embedding sophisticated ShotSpotter technology into GE’s intelligent LED street lights. Read more »
Technologies | Electronics | May 27, 2015
Power Conversion Efficiency - Key for Stand-Alone Solar Powered Lighting in Nordic Regions
Power Conversion Efficiency - Key for Stand-Alone Solar Powered Lighting in Nordic Regions Stand-alone solar powered lighting solutions are made possible even in the Nordic region through a new, ground-breaking Danish project. An ideal collaboration between scientists from 4 different fields and private companies has succeeded in creating a system and a methodology that makes the impossible possible: Outdoor solar lighting which is not just a decoration. Read more »
Technology | May 04, 2015
Configuration Via the Mains: Simple, Reliable and Professional
Configuration Via the Mains: Simple, Reliable and Professional As the heart of any LED luminaire, the LED driver not only has to meet strict requirements in terms of quality and reliability but also be flexible enough to adapt to different conditions. ready2mains – a new technology from Tridonic – helps enormously. The article explains what is needed and how it works. Read more »
Technologies | Electronics | LiFi | Jan 14, 2014
Enhanced Data Transmission for Li-Fi Communications using LED Lighting
Enhanced Data Transmission for Li-Fi Communications using LED Lighting Despite continuous improvements in wireless communication technology, e.g. 3G, LTE, 4G etc., a looming crisis is anticipated due to a lack of sufficient radio frequency bandwidth to support the growth in demand for data transmission, in the so called “Spectrum Crunch”. Visible Light Communication (Li-Fi) offers an economical solution. LED lighting is now widely deployed and can, in parallel with its primary function, also be used for wireless communication. Li-Fi demonstrates significant improvements in security, safety and capacity over radio frequency communication, and ease of deployment as compared with fibre-optic cable. The LED link is untethered, enables links with many mobile devices, and is independent of any one host. Improvements to the data rate achievable using LEDs as the transmitter allows services based on Li-Fi concept to outperform other communication modes. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Aug 28, 2013
PI's New Reference Design, DER-350 for PAR38 LED Spotlight, Promises Excellent Dimming Performance with TRIAC Dimmers
PI's New Reference Design, DER-350 for PAR38 LED Spotlight, Promises Excellent Dimming Performance with TRIAC Dimmers Power Integrations, the leader in high-efficiency, high-reliability LED driver ICs, today announced a reference design for a dimmable PAR38 spotlight, developed in collaboration with Cree, Inc., a leading LED lighting company. The new reference design, described in DER-350, uses Power Integrations’ new LYT4317E, a member of the company’s LYTSwitchTM-4 family of single-stage drivers, along with Cree’s MT-G2 EasyWhite® LEDs. Read more »
Technology | Jul 18, 2013
LDS Process Allows for New LED Lighting Product Layouts
LDS Process Allows for New LED Lighting Product Layouts Due to technical progress with LEDs, ever more luminous semiconductors are coming onto the market. However, in order to replace the conventional light bulb, there are still some obstacles to be faced. One of them is now being overcome: MID technology and laser direct structuring are being presented with interesting new concepts at the “International LED professional Symposium.” Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Feb 27, 2013
PI's New LED-Downlight Reference Design Achieves High-Performance Dimming While Further Reducing Component Count
PI's New LED-Downlight Reference Design Achieves High-Performance Dimming While Further Reducing Component Count Power Integrations, a world leader in high-efficiency, high-reliability LED driver ICs, today announced RDR-347, an LED-downlight reference design. The new circuit demonstrates the capabilities of the recently launched LYTSwitch™ IC family, which offers the industry’s best high-end dimming performance from a single-stage LED driver– together with all the associated efficiency, space and cost benefits that the single-stage approach brings. Read more »
Technology | Jan 10, 2013
Dimming with Warmer, Cozier White Light - NXP Transforms LED Color Quality
Dimming with Warmer, Cozier White Light - NXP Transforms LED Color Quality When comparing LEDs to incandescent light bulbs, there is a noticeable difference in light quality: LED lamps when dimmed are perceived to be “colder” than incandescents. At CES 2013 this week, NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ: NXPI) is demonstrating a groundbreaking solution that allows LED lamps to closely mimic the traditional incandescent light bulb, to produce a warmer, cozier white light as they are dimmed. Featuring “sensorless sensing” technology, developed and patented by NXP, this solution also has the advantage of driving down LED system costs by eliminating external temperature sensors, reducing the size of the heat sinks required for LED system cooling, and significantly improving reliability. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Dec 05, 2012
Power Integrations Sets New Standard for Power Density in LED-Driver Reference Design for T8-Tube Replacement
Power Integrations Sets New Standard for Power Density in LED-Driver Reference Design for T8-Tube Replacement Power Integrations, the leader in high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion, today announced two new reference designs describing high-efficiency, non-isolated, high-power-factor (PF) LED drivers for T8 tubes. The designs feature low component count and leverage simple magnetics and single-sided boards yielding industry-leading power densities of 14.2 W/in³. Based on the LNK460KG LED driver from Power Integrations’ LinkSwitch-PL family of ICs, the circuits detailed in DER-337 (high-line) and DER-345 (low-line) use single-stage non-isolated topologies which result in a profile of only 8 mm - small enough to be mounted behind the LEDs in the T8 tube. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Aug 30, 2012
Power Integrations Unveils A19 LED Driver Reference Design Targeting 100 W Incandescent Bulb Replacements
Power Integrations Unveils A19 LED Driver Reference Design Targeting 100 W Incandescent Bulb Replacements Power Integrations (Nasdaq:POWI), maker of the most efficient, longest-lasting off-line LED driver ICs, today announced DER-323, a reference design for an 18W, 88%-efficient, non-isolated A19 LED driver based on LNK460VG, a low-profile IC from the company's LinkSwitch™-PL family. The design is suitable for a 100 W incandescent bulb replacement and is optimized for low-line (90 VAC to 135 VAC) operation. The circuit is low-cost, requiring only a simple single-sided board and 25 components. No potting is necessary and the transformer is replaced by a low-cost inductor. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Dec 01, 2011
New LED Driver Design from Power Integrations Maximizes Efficiency of Compact B10, GU10, E17 and A19 Bulbs
New LED Driver Design from Power Integrations Maximizes Efficiency of Compact B10, GU10, E17 and A19 Bulbs Power Integrations, maker of the world's most efficient, longest-lasting off-line LED driver ICs, today published a reference design (DER-297) describing a high-efficiency, ultra-compact driver for a B10-style LED light bulb. Based on Power Integrations' LinkSwitch-PL non-isolated, single-stage LED driver IC, the power supply is specifically tailored for use with high-voltage LEDs such as the recently announced XLamp XM-L and XLamp XT-E ranges from Cree. DER-297 provides the high-voltage output required by the LEDs, optimizing overall system efficiency by reducing power lost due to current flow in the driver inductor and output diode. Read more »
Technology | Jan 31, 2011
A Material to Revolutionize Electronics - Small Transistors, LEDs and Solar Cells
A Material to Revolutionize Electronics - Small Transistors, LEDs and Solar Cells A discovery made at EPFL could play an important role in electronics, allowing us to make transistors that are smaller and more energy efficient. Research carried out in the Laboratory of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures (LANES) has revealed that molybdenite, or MoS2, is a very effective semiconductor. This mineral, which is abundant in nature, is often used as an element in steel alloys or as an additive in lubricants. But it had not yet been extensively studied for use in electronics. Read more »
Technology | Dec 15, 2010
Power Integrations Introduces Reference Design for 5 W LED Lamps with PFC and Flicker-Free TRIAC Dimming
Power Integrations Introduces Reference Design for 5 W LED Lamps with PFC and Flicker-Free TRIAC Dimming Power Integrations, the leader in high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient solid-state lighting, today announced a new reference design (RDK-251) for a 5-watt offline LED driver that includes flicker-free TRIAC dimming and single-stage power factor correction (PFC). The reference design is based on Power Integrations' LNK457DG, a member of the innovative LinkSwitch-PL family of LED driver ICs optimized for compact, non-isolated installations. Read more »
Technology | Nov 22, 2010
MIT Study: Significant Energy Savings through User-Controlled Efficient Lighting Systems
MIT Study: Significant Energy Savings through User-Controlled Efficient Lighting Systems These days, in newer buildings it’s often hard even to find a plain old-fashioned light switch. Often, the only controls are automatic motion-detector switches that turn off lights when people have left a room — or when they sit too still — or else daunting control panels with arrays of sliders and buttons. But some researchers at the MIT Media Lab are aiming to put the controls back in people’s hands, in a way that provides sophisticated and continuous control and could slash lighting bills by more than half. Read more »
Technology | Dec 30, 1969
Off-Line LED Control Circuit
Off-Line LED Control Circuit Resonant mode topologies offer many benefits over traditional buck, boost and flyback solutions. These include soft-switching, higher operating frequencies, higher power density and higher efficiency. Electronic ballast designs for fluorescent lighting applications have already been taking advantage of these benefits for many decades. Much can be learned from electronic ballast circuits and applied to LED driver circuits. This article compares the load requirements for fluorescent lamps and LEDs, explains the functionality of a new dimming electronic ballast control IC, and describes a new resonant mode control circuit for LEDs that uses the new IC. Experimental results of the new circuit are also presented and summarized to show final performance. Read more »
Technology | Dec 30, 1969
Electrical Considerations of LED Bulbs
Electrical Considerations of LED Bulbs Governments all over the world regulated the future use of the inefficient incandescent lamps. For example, the member states of the European Union agreed to a phasing out of incandescent lamps by 2012. The initial European-wide ban applies the first step to “nondirectional” light bulbs. The first types of bulbs to be banned are frosted (non-clear) bulbs and clear bulbs over 100 W, which will be phased out completely by September 2009. The power limit will be moved down to lower wattages, and the efficiency levels raised by the end of 2012. Read more »
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