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LED based 'flourescent' tubes

TyrantDesigner

TyrantDesigner

Art! Hot and fresh.
Expensive ... but it has 300 leds per light. might be worth it for some customers to do a quick replace for their light box signage.
 
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rfsign

New Member
I am working on a project converting some single sided signs from flourescent to LEDs. I am thinking of going with some 1.0 Watt super bright LED modules.
 
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RycckG

New Member
A large number of my customers have installed these from this supplier, but I do not know what price they paid. Most of them were entire factory re-fits, so I would imagine it was over 100 bulbs each.

Let me know if you find a price..
Rycck
 
S'N'S

S'N'S

New Member
Apparently you have to be careful with the el cheapo ones....
WARNING: Not All LED Tubes Are Safe!

A new batch of cheap, inferior LED TUBES which
are storming the marketplace threatening to stifle the rapid expansion of this break-through technology and place you at risk of litigation and expensive compensation claims.​
“As if the threat of litigation and rising compensation claims isn’t bad enough.!” In a catastrophic design over-sight, these newly introduced LED Tubes become live at BOTH ends of the tube as soon as just one end is secured into its mounting. Anyone handling the Tubes in the same manner they might a fluro - positioning one end before the other -could electrocute themselves or send a violent surge of electricity to any metal object the adjacent end might touch.
​
 
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andy

New Member
That sounds like a load of scaremongering b0llocks thought up by someone who sells expensive LED tubes.

T8 lamps of ALL kinds are designed to fit T8 housings... these housings are specifically designed so that it's impossible to fit one end into the terminals without the other end following in lockstep. Lift the tube...slot it into the terminals at both ends and then twist to turn the terminals onto the mains contacts, that's how it works.

If you somehow managed to connect one end of a T8 fluorescent tube to the mains contacts in the housing then guess what? The pins on the OTHER end will be live. This being the case I have no idea how it's even possible to fit a T8 led tube into a proper T8 housing without both ends being fully engaged at the SAME time.

The other point is pretty obvious.... only a RETARD works on ANY mains powered device with the power supply still live. If you change fluorescent tubes with the mains power still connected then you can't blame ANYONE else if you get a whack of live juice.... it's your responsibility to know what you're doing... you isolate the supply THEN you start work. If you're really on the ball you'll have a Fluke meter which you will use to double check that there really is NO power before you start work.

Anyone who doesn't understand this first rule of electrical safety shouldn't be allowed to even buy fluorescent OR led tubes.
 
kgirl

kgirl

New Member
we have runs some tests on these lamps.....T12's....T8's.....LED kits....their not as bright and it will take you a very longtime to make your money back....
 
TyrantDesigner

TyrantDesigner

Art! Hot and fresh.
kgirl said:
we have runs some tests on these lamps.....T12's....T8's.....LED kits....their not as bright and it will take you a very longtime to make your money back....
Click to expand...

I wouldn't expect them to be 100% as bright ... as it doesn't light up in all directions and as a result gives ambient light to the sign face. The real problem in this area ... it is well over 100 degrees here during the day ... and I've seen sign faces pop and shatter from having the inside of their light box be that hot or hotter at night still and then the lights come on .... so I figured might be a good alternative to a couple customers that are looking to switch. Or at the very least ... I get truckers in all the time who have those porchlights on their trailers and they are constantly looking for something to swap out the stock flourescents with.

I guess the real question becomes ... would you recommend a complete led replacement or just an led tube hot swap?
 
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BestBrightLED

New Member
LED TUBES VS FLUORESCENT TUBES
​
"LED fluorescent tube" is a misnomer. LED lights and fluorescent lights are completely different technologies. LEDs are very small bulbs illuminated by movement of electrons in a diode. Fluorescent bulbs use electrodes and a gas combination of argon and mercury to produce light. So the name "LED fluorescent tube" really refers to an LED tube that reminds us of traditional fluorescent tubes (likely above your head as you read this). LED lights should also not be confused with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. CFLs use the same technology as fluorescent tubes to produce light, but on a smaller scale.

They are a replacement for the incandescent bulbs commonly found in most home light fixtures. CFLs have garnered a lot of press because of their energy efficiency and environmental benefits (i.e. they use less power). An LED tube is made up of hundreds of individual LEDs. They come in a variety of sizes (2, 4, 6, and 8ft), different temperatures (i.e. different colors of light) and varying arrays of LEDs. They can be purchased with new fixtures, or used for retrofitting existing fixtures.

Replacement LED tubes do not require the use of ballast, thus allowing you to save even more energy, and if you’re used to hearing the ‘buzz’ or hum of your fluorescent lights, that will be eliminated when the ballast is no longer used.

To give recognition where it’s due, fluorescent tubes are a great invention. They have been lighting most of America ever since GE brought them to market back in 1938. They are four times more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs and are said to last 10 times longer. Of course there are disadvantages too. Fluorescent tubes contain mercury and phosphor which present health and environmental risks. Lights require ballasts which adds to the cost of the lamp and can cause a buzzing noise. Finally, they flicker and the light is often drab.

When comparing LEDs to fluorescent tubes, here are four key specifications you should review:

Lumens – This is the unit of measurement for strength of light. Look for tubes with 1500 lumens or more.

Watts – This is a unit of measurement for power consumption. Four foot LED tubes typically use 15 to 25 watts, while fluorescent tubes use more than 30 watts.

Lifespan – This is how long the bulb will last. It’s measured in hours. 50,000 hours is common for LED tubes.

Color temperature – The temperature of the light is the color of the light. It is measured in units of absolute temperature, or Kelvin (K). 3000K is considered warm (yellowish), 4100K is considered neutral, and 5800 K is cool (bluish).

One - 100 Watt Incandescent bulb costs approximately $42 dollars to run per year at 12 hours per day. But don't forget that since an incandescent bulb only lasts 1000 hours, chances are you would have bought at least 4 replacement bulbs over the course of the year, bringing your total cost for just one light fixture to $50.
Compare this to…
One - 10 Watt Replacement LED Bulb costs approximately $4.05 to run per year at 12 hours per day. Since it was on for approximately 4000 hours it still has nearly 10 years of life! Even throughout its entire 11 year life a Replacement LED Bulb will cost approximately $120 while a traditional fixture using an incandescent bulb will cost nearly $550!

Been in the LED business for years have a little bit of info!!!
Of anyone has any questions feel free to drop a line!!
 
Westcoast Sign Guy

Westcoast Sign Guy

New Member
First, welcome to the forum newby.

Let's cut through the "Green" BS. Fluor & CCFL lamps are 100% recyclable, LEDs are not, your LED lamps are made where? You're saying the normal use of fluor lamps cause health risks? Fluor lamps do not buzz unless they are magentic, I haven't seen a magentic ballast in a house in a long time, let alone in commecial use. Most everything is SST and you won't see a flicker either.

Lumens is really a joke factor, it's good for a lab but useless to a consumer who wants "Useable" light

Lifespan, heat dissipation is huge. Even with the best and depending the application you'll be lucky to reach 70% of the original light output past 12,000 hours.

Your comparison energy figures are probably true but what is not is equal light output products. We don't want to compare a pen light to spotlight and say you save.

Each light source, incand, fluor, LEDs all have their benefit and it's not all about energy efficiency or lamp life, their are too many other factors to take in account depending on their use
 
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