Chinese factories have begun producing line voltage (120VAC) COB tape light after a couple years of promises that it was coming. AC COB tape light has all of the benefits of COB tape (no pixilated dots) and no separate brick driver/power supply to hide. U.S. manufacturers have been promising it is in the works, [...]

The ALA Engineering Committee recently released a guidance document designed to assist residential consumers in understanding the differences between socketed and integrated LED light fixtures. The document, created by members of the ALA Engineering Committee, is designed to assist consumers in navigating the purchase process, by explaining which factors are important to consider in socketed and integrated LED [...]

  The only product at LightFair that caught my eye from over 30 yards away was a self-cleaning solar street light from a Chinese factory called Sresky. The product family is named Thermos, and it is available in a variety of sizes, wattages, and outputs (4,000 – 12,000 lumens). This product family is also part [...]

  At LightFair, last week, I was part of a panel presenting the impacts of electrification on the lighting industry. This article is Part 2 about EV chargers and other electrification products being sold by the lighting industry. One of the widely seen impacts of electrification on the lighting industry has been the selling of [...]

An interesting find at LightFair, last week, was the new Stealth Framing Projector added to the WAC-STRUT power, light, and control uninterrupted busway system. LightNOW first wrote about the WAC-STRUT system back in August, 2020, here. At LightFair, the new Stealth Framing Projector was featured as a option for lighting art and collectibles. The Projector [...]

  Battery technology is evolving from Nickel Metal Hydride and Nickel Cadmium to a variety of Lithium-Ion battery chemistries. One of the most promising lithium-ion-derived chemistries is the Lithium Iron Phosphate battery (LiFePO4). The two categories of lighting that most employ batteries are emergency lighting and solar lighting. Both of these categories are gradually transitioning [...]

  MetroSpec Technology has won a BrightStar Award from LEDs Magazine for its spot light module, FlexRad BoardOnCoil Minnie. It’s innovative thermal management consists of direct bonding of a copper coil and easy air flow through the center of the assembly. The FlexRad BOC Minnie can be used for pendant downlights, spot lights, sconces, acrylic [...]

In late April, Acuity Brands announced the discontinuation of all fluorescent and HID luminaires by December 31st, 2023. This isn’t terribly surprising given the recent laws to ban fluorescent and in some cases, HID lamps by Vermont, California, Canada, the EU, and the UK. More U.S. states are proposing to pass mercury lamp bans. This [...]

By Clifton Stanley Lemon How many designers does it take to change a lightbulb? Answer: Does it have to be a light bulb? While this old joke lampoons the legendary persnickety design thinking personified by Steve Jobs and others, the response is quite valid. Who in the lighting industry today is asking this question or [...]