Your Ultimate Guide to Lux, Lumens and Watts

FirstWhat’s LUX? What about lumen? How do LUX differ from, lumen? How are these parameters used in the lighting industry? Well, in this guide, you will understand the real meaning of LUX and Lumen. Plus, you will understand how these expressions affect energy consumption, lighting levels, etc. Keep reading to find out how these measurements relate to each other.

LUX

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe level of light intensity is measured in terms of LUX. Commonly referred to as illumination, illuminance, etc., LUX will tell you the intensity of any light you intend to install. One LUX represents an illumination covering one square meter. However, the surface should be a meter away from a candle.

The SI units for lux are 1m// m^2. This is the light density per square meter. Different sources have different LUX levels.  Here is a breakdown of different sources of lights and their respective LUX levels.

  • Ambient daylight: Ambient daylight has a typical lux of between 32,000 and 100,000.
  • Direct sunlight: Direct sunlight has a typical lux of 10,000 to 25,000.
  • Overcast daylight: Overcast daylight comes with a typical lux of 1000
  • Sunset and sunrise: The typical lux of sunset and sunrise is 400.
  • Full moon: Full moon and night come with a typical lux of 1 and less than 0.001 respectively.

Lighting Lumens

lumenExpressed in quantum, lumens represent the total light packets produced by a given source of light like LED, sunlight, etc. In certain circumstances, the total measured light can be referred to as luminous flux. However, engineers use this term in commercial and industrial settings.

How Do Lumens and Lux Relate

One Lux is equal to one lumen per one-meter square. Thus, if you have 10 LUX, it means that you have 10 lumens in 10 square meters (area). This means that you need larger measured lumens to light up a large area using the same lux. To do this, simply increase the fixtures. Large commercial and industrial settings like warehouses are characterized by larger open spaces. Here, you need more high-power light fixtures.

Efficacy

Ratted power is commonly associated with measuring the actual power required to operate a light fitting. Its measured om Wattage. The total amount of power consumed (i.e. when it comes to the creation of a light lumen) is known as rated power.  Here are a few examples to help you understand wattage:

  • The total amount of energy used to create visible light from a lamp.
  • The heat output from a lighting spectrum
  • Parasitic power losses

Watts to Lumen

In engineering, converting electrical power (which is measured in Watts) to light (measured in Lumens) is known as luminous efficacy. Luminous efficacy is normally expressed in terms of LPW—an expression that stands for Lumens per Watt.

The Bottom-Line

what is lumensThe above guide will help you understand LUX, Lumen, as well as Watts. You will learn how these measurements affect energy consumptions and lighting levels. Plus, you will understand how these facts affect LED lighting fixtures.

 

SMD, COB, and Filament LEDs Explained

Filament LEDsLED technology is making serious inroads into the lighting industry. Plus, several advancements have been witnessed since the first LEDs were introduced into the market. In particular, the invention of SMD and COBs have revolutionized the LED lighting industry. In this article, you are going to learn about SMD, COB, and how they differ from Filament LEDs.

COB LEDs: The Basics

chip on board (COB) LEDsAlso referred to as Chip-on-Board, COB referred to a process where a bare LED chip is mounted directly on a substrate to produce Light Emitting Diode arrays. The substrate can either be silicon carbide or even sapphire. COB LEDs come with numerous advantages. In particular, this technology is all about allowing you to enjoy improved lumen density.

Here is an example:

You are having a COB LED technology. You then decide to use it on a 10mm by 10mm square array. The results will be 38 times better than the DIP LED technology. Still more, it will be 8.5 times the SMD technology. In a nutshell, it will result in greater uniformity as well as higher intensity.

Still more, COB LED technology allows you to reduce energy consumption as well as footprint. However, this can only happen when the light output is kept constant. For instance, using a 500 lumen COB Light Emitting Diode Fixture is several times smaller and can consume considerably less amount lumen than its 500 lumens and DIP LED Array.

Simplicity

It’s important to note that COB LED technology is based on one circuit and two contacts. These fixtures are based on one chip. The number of diodes doesn’t affect the number of contacts or circuits. This means that the circuit is simple—which makes the LED device simple. In a nutshell, simplicity is what makes the COB LED technology highly attractive.

Compactness

LED CBO technology is based on a small-sized chip. This makes the design compact and easy to handle.

High Intensity

LED COB technology produces high-intensity lighting.

Higher Thermal Performance 

LED COBs technology comes with enhanced thermal performance—which improves the fixture’s life, stability, as well as reliability.

Running COB LEDs On Battery Power

High-quality lumen output, also known as brightness and runtime length, are key things that arise when designing battery-powered systems.  Normally, if you need more high-quality brightness, you should go for shorter runtime. However, you must use the same-sized battery. However, COB LED technology has changed the lighting landscape. In particular, low-wattage COB-based LEDs can be used to output high-quality bright light. This means that you can use a small lightweight lithium iron-based battery pack to power a COB LED system for longer periods of time. For instance, a 6-Watt COB LED light can run for around 14-15 hours with a small lightweight mobile power center.

The Bottom-Line

SMDWhat are SMDs and COBs? How do they differ from LEDs? Well, the above guide contains all things SMD and COB and how they differ from LEDs.