What type of illumination is best for transportation applications?
LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes), composed of a DC diode chip and connections encased in plastic and epoxy which protects against shock and vibration, are considered the ideal illumination choice for the transportation industry. At 100,000+ hours, LED lamp life is ten times that of incandescent lamps. Unlike incandescent lamps, heat rise is not a factor for LED life cycle; LED’s generate only a 6 degree temperature rise above ambient, as compared to the 51 degree temperature rise of incandescent lamps. Because LED’s are absent of fragile filaments, they are also not susceptible to breakage or DC notching. LED’s offer focused beam brightness (measured in millicandellas) which is able to match or exceed the light intensity of incandescent lamps. LED’s are available in a wide range of colors and intensities including the standard 8 millicandella LED, 60-100 millicandella super bright LED, 750 millicandella high intensitry green LED, and the 8000-9300 millicandella megabright amber/red LED. C
