Lumitronix.com - Your competent LED expert
We here at Lumitronix have known about LEDs very early on and accompanied their triumphant advance from the very beginning. In our LED online shop you will therefore find light emitting diodes from leading manufacturers in the best quality. But why should you choose LEDs and what does this abbreviation even mean? Here is a small summary of its history.
What are LEDs?
The word LED is an English acronym and stands for the words "light emitting diode".
The history of LEDs goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, when the English researcher Henry Joseph Round discovered in an experiment that inorganic substances can glow when electrical voltage is applied. Further research finally led to the first red luminescent diode (type GaAsP), developed by the American Nick Holonyak, being launched on the market in 1962. Thanks to the development of new, improved semiconductor materials, LEDs were already available in green, orange and yellow in 1971. At the same time, the performance and efficiency of the light emitting diodes have improved steadily. At that time, however, the use of the new light source was still limited to the use in the displays of electronic devices. This changed abruptly in 1995 when the Japanese chemical company Nichia succeeded for the first time in extracting white light from a specially developed blue LED by adding luminescent materials through luminescence conversion. These "white" LEDs were first introduced to the market by Nichia in 1997, enabling the use of LEDs for lighting purposes.
The development of tiny light-emitting diodes then proceeded rapidly. Already in 2006, LEDs achieved an efficiency of 100 lumens per watt for the first time. Much has also changed in recent years in terms of light quality (colour rendering), so that there are now LEDs that can emit light in daylight quality.
The luminaire industry has also made a clear commitment to LEDs and now produces a large number of luminaires with highly efficient LEDs that not only emit exceptionally bright and natural light but are also extremely energy-saving and therefore environmentally friendly.
One thing is undisputed: "LEDs are the light of the future!"
In addition to classic wired LEDs with pre-installed optics, our portfolio also includes SMD LEDs and COB LEDs.
SMD-LEDs
SMD-LEDs (SMD: Surface-mounted device) are light emitting diodes that were primarily developed for automatic, mechanical assembly. Due to their excellent technical characteristics and the large selection, they are also very popular in the hobby area. In order to be able to install SMD LEDs easily without an automatic placement machine, we offer the majority of these LEDs on PCBs (printed circuit boards, e.g. Stars or 10x10mm), which are convenient to install and, if necessary, to ensure proper cooling.
COB-LEDs
COB LEDs (COB: Chip-on-Board) are LEDs whose chips are mounted directly and without housing on a carrier board. There can be dozens of chips on one board, which together lead to an enormous luminance, but also place high demands on cooling. The missing housing also makes them more susceptible to mechanical damage.
5mm-LEDs and SuperFlux (Leaded LEDs)
5mm LEDs are probably the best-known and oldest light-emitting diode design. Later, smaller and larger leaded LEDs such as 3mm, 10mm or SuperFlux (also Piranha) were added. Wired light emitting diodes already have built-in optics and focus the light in a certain direction. In addition, they can easily be soldered manually with their wire legs.
Lenses & Optics
In addition to LEDs in various designs, our category LEDs & Components also offers the appropriate optics to bundle the powerful light of the diodes. The range extends from simple lenses in various shapes and beam angles to reflectors. But also lens holders, reflector covers or connection elements can be found here.
The right accessories
To make your LED lighting project a complete success, you also need the necessary accessories. Of course, in our category for LEDs & components we also offer passive components such as resistors or connectors in addition to products for assembly, connection or soldering. Not to be forgotten, of course, are circuit boards and printed circuit boards, which not only serve the LEDs as housings, but also have a cooling effect.