In the lighting world there are really two classifications of light bulbs from which all other light bulb classifications are derived:

Large Lamps (bulbs)
Miniature Lamps (bulbs)

For those who are unfamiliar with lighting lingo, in the lighting business we call a light bulb a lamp. A lamp is what you put in a fixture to produce light.

In the consumer world a lamp is called a light bulb (or bulb for short) and that is what you screw into a lamp to get light. For simplicity, we’ll just call them bulbs.

Large Bulbs are any light bulbs that are not classified as miniature bulbs. Large bulbs are generally what you would find in general purpose lighting applications in homes and at businesses.

Miniature Bulbs are by definition generally small in size and used for task or indicator lighting. Miniature bulbs are generally identified by a number between one and four digits and may or may not include letters as well. An example of this is a number 909. This miniature bulb would be noted as #909, and anywhere you go in the world a #909 miniature bulb is going to be a T5 wedge base bulb with a voltage of approximately 6.0 volts and an amperage of approximately .62 amperes.

While I can’t tell you exactly who came up with this system I can tell you that it works!

LEDs

LED is an anacronym for Light-emitting diode.

A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor diode that emits incoherent narrow-spectrum light when electrically biased in the forward direction of the p-n junction. This effect is a form of electroluminescence.

A LED is usually a small area source, often with extra optics added to the chip that shapes its radiation pattern. The color of the emitted light depends on the composition and condition of the semiconducting material used, and can be infrared, visible, or near-ultraviolet. An LED can be used as a regular household light source.

Advantages of using LEDs

• LEDs can emit light of an intended color without the use of color filters that traditional lighting methods require. This is more efficient and can lower initial costs.
• The solid package of an LED can be designed to focus its light. Incandescent and fluorescent sources often require an external reflector to collect light and direct it in a usable manner.
• When used in applications where dimming is required, LEDs do not change their color tint as the current passing through them is lowered, unlike incandescent lamps, which turn yellow.
• LEDs are ideal for use in applications that are subject to frequent on-off cycling, unlike fluorescent lamps that burn out more quickly when cycled frequently, or HID lamps that require a long time before restarting.
• LEDs, being solid state components, are difficult to damage with external shock. Fluorescent and incandescent bulbs are easily broken if dropped on the ground.
• LEDs have an extremely long life span. One manufacturer has calculated the ETTF (Estimated Time To Failure) for their LEDs to be between 100,000 and 1,000,000 hours. Fluorescent tubes typically are rated at about 30,000 hours, and incandescent light bulbs at 1,000-2,000 hours.
• LEDs mostly fail by dimming over time, rather than the abrupt burn-out of incandescent bulbs.
• LEDs light up very quickly. A typical red indicator LED will achieve full brightness in microseconds; LEDs used in communications devices can have even faster response times.
• LEDs can be very small and are easily populated onto printed circuit boards.
• LEDs do not contain mercury, while compact fluorescent lamps do.

Disadvantages of using LEDs

• LEDs are currently more expensive, price per lumen, on an initial capital cost basis, than more conventional lighting technologies. The additional expense partially stems from the relatively low lumen output and the drive circuitry and power supplies needed. However, when considering the total cost of ownership (including energy and maintenance costs), LEDs far surpass incandescent or halogen sources and begin to threaten compact fluorescent lamps.
• LED performance largely depends on the ambient temperature of the operating environment. Driving an LED hard in high ambient temperatures may result in overheating of the LED package, eventually leading to device failure. Adequate heat-sinking is required to maintain long life. This is especially important when considering automotive, medical, and military applications where the device must operate over a large range of temperatures, and are required to have a low failure rate.
• LEDs must be supplied with the correct current. This can involve shunt resistors or regulated power supplies.
• The spectrum of some white LEDs differs significantly from a black body radiator, such as the sun or an incandescent light. The spike at 460 nm and dip at 500 nm can cause the color of objects to be perceived differently under LED illumination than sunlight or incandescent sources, due to metamrism. However, it should be noted that color rendering properties of common fluorescent lamps are often inferior to what is now available in state-of-art white LEDs.
• LEDs cannot be used in applications that need a sharply directive and collimated beam of light. LEDs are not capable of providing directivity below a few degrees. In such cases LASERs (or amplified spontaneous emission devices) may be a better option.
• There is increasing concern that blue LEDs and white LEDs are now capable of exceeding safe limits of the so-called blue-light hazard as defined in eye safety specifications such as ANSI/IESNA RP-27.1-05: Recommended Practice for Photobiological Safety for Lamp and Lamp Systems.

There are hundreds and hundreds of miniature bulbs for almost any application. While we cannot possible catalog every application for these miniature bulbs, we can give you the most complete index/catalog of miniature bulbs to be found anywhere in the world.

Welcome to www.LEDMiniaturelamps.com!

www.ledminiaturelamps.com is wholly owned and operated by David Tyson Lighting, Inc. located in Jacksonville, Florida. They have been in business since 1992 supplying business around the United States and Globally with long lasting lighting products at the lowest possible prices.

5515 St. Augustine Road
Jacksonville, FL. 32207
PH: 800-413-9847
FAX: 800-385-3149
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