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759

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[–] • 11 pts (edited )

Fucking (((big lightbulb))) strikes again.

We need a startup that creates 50 year bulbs, with power protection built in so dirty power doesn't hurt the LED's. Make them bombproof and put a fat warranty on them. Charge a premium, but undercut based on longevity and saved replacement costs. The goal of the startup should be to capture 100% of the addressable market 1x and then have a decline in business, including putting away money for warranties and repairs. Market it based on long-term savings, reducing waste, lowering energy costs, and less hassle.

[–] • 9 pts

White LEDs are a combination of a blue LED and phosphor. Due to the nature of the beast, they have a limited life because of the materials used.

[–] • 2 pts

That's bullshit. The phosphor can easily be applied to the lense and essentially make the LED part exactly the same as a blue LED.

[–] • 7 pts

Yeah, phosphor is applied to the cup or the surrounding area of the LED. Blue is emitted, absorbed, and the excited phosphor emits as white. YAG is the most common for the high-power lighting LEDs, it's what gives COB LEDs their distinctive piss-yellow color. Look at a white LED with a spectral analysis. You'll mostl likely see one in deeper blue and one in yellow-green. You see it as white.

Lower power whites used to just coat the cup with phosphor, that's why the old ones had a blue halo around the white light. I need to pick up some new 5mm units and see if they still do that.

The phosphor eventually changes over time and emits less light. I'd assume it has something to do with heat cycles and moisture and simple aging, but I have no idea. Never really studied the effect because I'm not going to be working in the field.

[–] • 4 pts

A prince in Dubai already did that. He had westinghouse, or some other manufacturer, build them bulbs that were the same as regular LED bulbs except they had more LED filaments in them. This meant that they could produce the same amount of light while being driven an lower voltages.

They essentially never burn out, which is exactly what LEDs were always supposed to be. But the way (((they))) get them to burn out is to drive them at a voltage that is too high.

[–] • 5 pts

except they had more LED filaments in them.

lol Wat.

LED bulbs don’t use filaments, they use LED arrays (in serial) and the reason why they fail is due to a dead LED in the array or a bad driver with cheap “made in China” capacitors.

It’s all about the price.

I’ve had 5 Watts Philips bulbs (obviously more expensive than cheap Chinese ones) for almost a decade and not a single one has failed and they keep running perfectly fine.

[–] • 3 pts

This is the type of bulb they were using.

[–] • 1 pt
[–] • 0 pt

the reason why they fail is due to a dead LED in the array or a bad driver

[–] • 0 pt

Yay, have the same LED bulbs for 50 fucking years.

I've gone through so many LED revelations and basically stopped using the previous kind I got, several times. The only failures were from ones I used for many hours daily, and a shitty brand (EarthTronics) that had multiple failures.

[–] • 10 pts (edited )

Hello investor,

I need capital to create a product everyone will want, it's a light bulb that lasts over 40 years.

Investor: so what is your reoccurring revenue model?

Inventor: none. You only need to buy 1 bulb for every room in your house once. That's why people will love them!

Investor: ah huh. Well it was great talking to you. Call me back after you figure out how to create a reoccurring revenue model.

A week later...

Hello, I've come up with a reoccurring revenue model. The bulb only lasts about 1 year. It's more expensive to make because there's flash memory and a cpu to check how old the bulb is. After a year, it randomly fails. Furthermore, in order to make it Alexa compatible, it requires a user account we use to sell customer usage data. We also sell upgrades that make the bulb last longer. Pay the cost of 75% of the original bulb price, we give you another year. Buy 5 years and we throw in an extra free year. Want more light? Pay a monthly fee and we give you 50% more lumens. Like us on Facebook and you get an extra month.

Investor: so how many millions were you looking for?

[–] • 3 pts

"reoccurring" is not a word.

It is "recurring".

Things occur or recur, they do not reoccur.

[–] • 4 pts (edited )

The early CREE bulbs last a long time - out of the 30 or so of those I bought, I've lost two. One to a combination of age and a severe cold snap last winter, and another to (for these bulbs) infant mortality. That was right as they came out better than a decade ago.

The newer ones are just shit grade. They don't last regardless.

This article seems to be more of a rant about IOT devices.

[–] • 1 pt

Except the older Cree bulbs have some flicker (maybe even newer ones).

[–] • 1 pt

I have noticed that on some of the gen1 units I have. Not going to complain, they're well over 10 years old.

[–] • 3 pts

The really long lasting bulbs put out less light and a hue many people didn't like. At least, AFAIK. Never seen anything to the contrary. Does anyone have evidence that there has ever been an incandescent bulb which lasts significantly longer and in the same hue with the same or close energy efficiency?

That super long lasting bulb (forget the name) is a night light and burns most of its energy in the IR spectrum. It's terribly power inefficient, has bad warmth, and puts out little light.

[–] • 3 pts

There are incandescents that have heavier filaments or are rated for higher voltages. These were designed for vibration areas and inaccessible areas. They do put out somewhat less light because of the higher resistance filament. As you said, more heat less light.

The long-life lightbulb is just a myth. You either have a light bulb or you have a resistor, they only meet one another at a certain point of usefulness.

[–] • 3 pts

That's what I thought. IIRC, there is tungsten inside and over time it ablates off and deposits on the inside of the bulb. That's the dark discoloration which occurs in the bulb. The more robust you make it the more it shifts the spectrum to IR, and so on...

[–] • 2 pts

Filament boil-off does decrease the light output as well. You're right, that's the dark-silvery coating on the inside of a bulb, that's metal that's boiled off the filament. It's a neat effect, but not a useful one if you want light bulbs.

Little high-output bulbs are more susceptible to it. I assume probably due to the high drive levels and size of the envelope.

[–] • 1 pt

I've always wondered if the small 12V halogens last longer because the filament is thicker (has to be due to lower voltage, i.e. higher current).

I think the main issue is evaporation of the filament. It will develop thinner spots, which get hotter and evaporate faster, thus get thinner faster.

[–] • 2 pts

Halogens (and xenons) are unique in that they constantly boil and re-absorb the filament material due to the gas in the bulb.

They're really quite amazing and energy efficient, as far as a resistor that lights up goes.

[–] • 1 pt

You're correct. Long lasting incandescent bulbs put out few lumens, and in subpar colors.

[–] • 1 pt

Lumens is a terrible way to find out how illuminated an area becomes. Having light on something does not mean it is illuminated. Hence how incandescent bulbs are preferred for reading.

[–] • 1 pt

Who has bought an led that actually lasted longer than the old bulbs? The light source might last a long time but circuit boards controlling the things are all shit. They overheat and die so fast that I find led lights to be a huge waste of money.

[–] • 0 pt

I have. Much longer lifespan than imcandescent.

[–] • 0 pt

Love to know the brand. The ones I have bought cost 10 times as much and break all the time.

[–] • 1 pt

Also has anyone actually seen the light bulbs that the industy supposedly colluded to make not last as long? The things are so dim they are almost worthless. The fact is you have to give up something to make it last longer because it still works within the physical laws of science.

[–] • 0 pt

I remember a story about someone doing a remodel of an old movie theater, and when they tore down part of the fascia or marquis there were light bulbs still lit from like 80 years ago. Just like Pyrex. The original Pyrex baking dishes didn’t break, no matter how hard you tried. They realized that people will only need to buy one, so they changed them to be breakable.

[–] • 0 pt

Those lightbulbs had comically low lumens, undesirable shades of light, and were kept continually on (on/off cycles drastically decrease lifespan).

[–] • 0 pt

Its already a thing or they are ubershit because the ones at work break more often and its the whole thing you have to uninstall instead of taking a lightbulb and changing and its usually not all of the leds that are out just some but that aint okay to ship to a customer so more work and money for shittier things. Surely we are in the end times because soon nothing will work it seems everyone is in a rush to the bottom