:-) White LED bulk-buy #2 progress update and a few ideas... [Long]

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Greetings TB2K!

 

OddOne here again (as if the post style and subject weren't a giveaway) with more information on white LEDs in general and the second white-LED bulk buy in particular...

I'm posting this as a new thread as I'm going to let loose a bunch of information, distilled into categories. This post will thus be a touch long.

 

Quick jump to...

...The latest on White LED Bulk-Buy #2;

...Ideas for white LED products I (and you? let me know!) would love to see on the market;

...White-LED products I've found in my brief searches;

...A synopsis on the pros and cons of white LEDs as light sources;

...The required link to my white LED info website. Gotta have that. ;-)

 

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The latest on White LED Bulk-Buy #2

So you want to get a few white LEDs to tinker with, huh? My second shot at coordinating a bulk-buy directly from the manufacturer is underway. As of now (midnight US Central time, Wednesday, 04 August, 1999) I have a total of 435 LEDs listed, not including my part, which will depend upon how many I need to order for my own white-LED products. If that total, ncluding my part, tops 1,000, we'll each be able to purchase them at the $1.60-per-LED rate. If enough people get on the bandwagon to top 5,000 the price per LED drops to $1.20.

Nichia can drop-ship orders for up to 2,000 from their US offices, but anything larger gets shipped from Japan and that takes a couple weeks. (Also, Y2K and present global conditions being what they are, it might be hard to get these in the coming months, so gettign them now might be prudent.)

 

If you would like to get some of these or have questions about the bulk-buy, please let me know who you are and how many you want, and do so before August 15th. Check this post for the basics on how it works.

 

If you're interested in information regarding the terms of this bulk-buy, which mirrors the first one, or info on the first bulk-buy and how it went, try these posts (listed in reverse order, newest to oldest):

= W h i t e L E D B u l k - B u y # 2 =

The end of the first white-LED bulk-buy...

White LEDs, bulk-purchases, and a webpage of drivers...

White LEDS and buying in bulk. Pooling orders together...

 

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Ideas for white LED products I'd love to see come to market

So far what I have in my little brain is that I'd love to see ready-made flashlights sporting them that could be found at Small-Mart or other retailers instead of strictly mail-order. Barring that, a retrofit kit would be nice. I've hand-refitted a Mini MagLite (the 2-'AA' variety) to sport six LEDs and use four 6-volt batteries to fuel it, but it'd be a WHOLE lot easier to go buy something and convert the flashlight. If I didn't have years of electronics expertise to help out I'd be clueless about doing a conversion myself, and I suspect that the populace that lacks the requisite skills might like a simple conversion kit.

Think I should create and offer a kit? If so, for what lights in particular? Better still, what white-LED products would actually be useful to you? Post here or E-mail me.

 

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White LED Products I've found in my brief searches

This is FAR from complete, so if you find something let me know via post or E-mail and I'll check into it.

BTW... These links, like all the others I post, will appear in new broswer windows.

Jade Mountain, Inc.
Their LED lighting products - They have a LOT of LED-based products. I've built better in some cases and am humbled in others, but there's a lot here.
 
Alternative Energy Engineering
Their lighting products - They offer a handful of white-LED products, including a novel outdoor unit that looks like a lamp on a gooseneck.
 
HDS Systems
Their Action Light - This is the best LED flashlight design I've seen yet, but at $299 it'll truly cost you.
OddOne's White LED Products
PWM Driver and LED Arrays - I like these. But hey, what can I say, I'm biased. ;-)

 

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A synopsis on the pros and cons of white LEDs as light sources

This is a modified version of a post I made on TB2K and refined for possible inclusion on a future WRP if Cory wants to add it...

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With Y2K coming at the expected one-second-closer-every-second rate, those that are prepared to do so mentally are preparing for problems in a more physical sense. Some folks are going or will soon go off-grid, severing ties to the power grid in favor of electrical independence. As a result, white LEDs have become objects of interest from both the Y2K prep crowd and the off-grid folks for extremely low-power lighting. This article will discuss the pros and cons of white LEDs in lighting applications.

My information is derived form real-world use of my own white LEDs. I also have a website up that is devoted to white LEDs, their uses, and information. References to this website might appear in the article, so I'll give you the URL now:

OddOne's White LED Information: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Bay/4397/

 

First, the positives...

 

Now, the negatives...

 

Hope all that info helps out everyone that wanted to know! If you would like more detailed info, want to buy or build a driver, or want to know a few sources for the lights, E-mail me. I have PLENTY of info.

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The required link to my white LED info website. Gotta have that.

Here's the URL: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Bay/4397/

I'm always looking for new info to post there, so if you have or find any, or have this killer LED project you made and want to share info on, or whatever relates, please drop me a note about it.

 

Well, this concludes this bout of long-windedness... If you have anything (constructive please, there's been too much hostility on the forum lately) to add that might be useful to the rest of us, please tack on your notes below. If you've got questions or concerns or info of interest that warrants a more direct discussion, drop me a note.

 

The ever crazed OddOne...



-- OddOne (mocklamer_1999@yahoo.com), August 04, 1999

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