I have promised not to get into the physics of powering LEDs, but let me try a few simple principles that apply to LEDs. What follows doesn’t require advanced electronics knowledge, I will call this segment BOAT LED 101. All LED’s are semiconductor diodes. They create their light at the junction of their positive and negative sides. When power is applied to an LED, the electrons jump from one side to the other releasing light in the form of photons in the process.
Different types of semiconductors produce different wavelengths and consequently produce different light colors. The warm white lights that we prefer in yachts is produced by Indium Gallium Nitride (InGaN). Add other materials, like phosphors and you get a pleasing incandescent light color. Now, what happens when we apply voltage to this semiconductor is what we really need to look at. Apply the right voltage - in our application 12V - and the right amount of current will travel through the semiconductor and we get a beautiful, energy-efficient, bright light that will glow for thousands of hours. But, we need the right voltage, precisely 12V.
You and I know for a fact that boats do not offer lab quality power! Start the engine, the generator set or connect to shore power and your environment has suddenly become hostile to your LEDs. Why is that? Simple! When the generator, alternator or inverter kicks in, we often see the voltage reaching upwards of 15V or higher. The higher the voltage, the more current goes through the semiconductor, the more electrons jump from one side to the other, the more light is generated and MORE HEAT is generated. And, guess what is the enemy number one of LEDs? HEAT! We need to either control the heat produced or dissipate it.
Apply a lot of current to an LED and you will get a very bright light for a very short period of time. Apply to little and you get a dim, useless light. That’s what happened to you friends’ LEDs. In this application of semiconductor physics, we know that the current measured at junction of the materials is proportional to the voltage supplied. Controlling the voltage and consequently the current is paramount to the life expectancy of your LED. Most inexpensive 12V LED cluster bulbs IP66 Led street lights fixtures manufacturer being sold today use a ballast resistor which bleeds off energy to limit the current.
This ballast resistor limits current according to a simple formula: Voltage/Resistance = Current. In that world, one can reach the right amount of current for an LED by using a ballast of the right resistance for the Voltage provided. Problem is, on a boat, the voltage is not always the same, it fluctuates. Consequently, the resistance being fixed, when the voltage drops, the current drops, and vice-versa. Conclusion: low voltage = dim light and high voltage = fried LED!
https://www.geolide.com/product/
Different types of semiconductors produce different wavelengths and consequently produce different light colors. The warm white lights that we prefer in yachts is produced by Indium Gallium Nitride (InGaN). Add other materials, like phosphors and you get a pleasing incandescent light color. Now, what happens when we apply voltage to this semiconductor is what we really need to look at. Apply the right voltage - in our application 12V - and the right amount of current will travel through the semiconductor and we get a beautiful, energy-efficient, bright light that will glow for thousands of hours. But, we need the right voltage, precisely 12V.
You and I know for a fact that boats do not offer lab quality power! Start the engine, the generator set or connect to shore power and your environment has suddenly become hostile to your LEDs. Why is that? Simple! When the generator, alternator or inverter kicks in, we often see the voltage reaching upwards of 15V or higher. The higher the voltage, the more current goes through the semiconductor, the more electrons jump from one side to the other, the more light is generated and MORE HEAT is generated. And, guess what is the enemy number one of LEDs? HEAT! We need to either control the heat produced or dissipate it.
Apply a lot of current to an LED and you will get a very bright light for a very short period of time. Apply to little and you get a dim, useless light. That’s what happened to you friends’ LEDs. In this application of semiconductor physics, we know that the current measured at junction of the materials is proportional to the voltage supplied. Controlling the voltage and consequently the current is paramount to the life expectancy of your LED. Most inexpensive 12V LED cluster bulbs IP66 Led street lights fixtures manufacturer being sold today use a ballast resistor which bleeds off energy to limit the current.
This ballast resistor limits current according to a simple formula: Voltage/Resistance = Current. In that world, one can reach the right amount of current for an LED by using a ballast of the right resistance for the Voltage provided. Problem is, on a boat, the voltage is not always the same, it fluctuates. Consequently, the resistance being fixed, when the voltage drops, the current drops, and vice-versa. Conclusion: low voltage = dim light and high voltage = fried LED!
https://www.geolide.com/product/
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