Re: new LED torch (flashlight) bulbs more efficient?

From: Anthony Matonak (res04ijs_at_gte.net)
Date: 03/21/05 

Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 10:17:01 GMT

ghbt wrote:
> Do the new LED torches (flashlights) actually give more value for money from
> the batteries ( in terms of illumination per cost of batteries) than the
> previously developed small and bright xeon bulbs or the older ordinary torch
> bulbs?

Yes. A White LED is about as efficient at turning electricity into
light as, say, a 60W 120V incandescent bulb. This is many times the
efficiency of the little incandescent bulbs used in flashlights.

A single color LED (Red, Amber, Green, etc) is even more efficient
and makes for great traffic signals or turn signals on cars but
that monochrome light makes for a lousy flashlight.

LEDs also have a characteristic that the more drained the batteries
become, the less they consume. This is opposite typical flashlight
bulbs that consume more the less power left in the batteries. This
means that with an LED the light slowly gets dimmer and dimmer but
it can take a long time to go out entirely. It's not uncommon for
some LED flashlights to still produce dim, but usable, light after
24 hours on a single set of batteries.

Anthony

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