by

|   November 17, 2008 at 5:37 PM

Hmm, "rediculouis"? Is that some kind of hip slang I've yet to learn?

by

|   November 18, 2008 at 10:35 AM

Wayne-

Get with the times. (kidding!) Thanks for the catch.

by

|   February 10, 2009 at 5:33 PM

Picks or it didn't happen.

by

|   December 18, 2009 at 8:11 AM

1000 times as bright as a standard LED?

I'd be curious wheere those LEDs were sourced. The highest power LEDs I have ever seen in the "classic" form factor are 0.5 watt 5-chip LEDs rated at 100 mA forward current, and have the chips in a parallel configuration (i.e. 5 times the maximum forward current, but the same Vf).

Standard LEDs are typically rated at 20 mA forward current.

So even if the LEDs used here were 5-10 times more efficient than a standard LED (highly unlikely), they would at best have 25-50 times the luminosity of a standard LED of the same color. Given that their efficiency is probably similar to standard LEDs, they are likely only 5 times as bright.

by

|   February  7, 2010 at 3:49 PM

Entropy512, the three LEDs we're using here each have 5 embedded superbright LED dies and a relatively narrow beam angle. They are rated at a total of 445000 millicandela (mcd) if you take all three at maximum brightness. A standard indicator LED is about 50 mcd because of its wide beam angle and low flux. Thus, the Blaster is about 1000 times as bright, perceptually, as a standard indicator LED when looked at directly, which I would not advise.

Please see this excellent article on LED brightness for more info: http://www.gizmology.net/LEDs.htm

by

|   February  7, 2010 at 4:14 PM

Whoops, I didn't finish that note. 50mcd is typical (if somewhat dim) for LEDs in dot matrix displays. Most standalone SMD LEDs fall between 200mcd and 2000mcd, at which point the designation of superbright and ultrabright LEDs starts. When we said "standard LED" we looked around at what a "typical" SMD LED would put out, called it 500mcd and divided. In the end brightness is a very relative term, but we wanted to communicate the feeling of what it would be to look at one of these versus looking at a familiar, everyday LED.