Stupid questions get stupid answers

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
Looks like a neutral white(4000-5000°k). LED's needs a AC to DC driver to drive the diodes with constant current. Sometime they use a CV/CC driver. So, yes one could say there is something like a balast.

In streetlights most of the times they use PCB's(printed circuit boards) with lots of diodes in series/parallel circuits. If you like it, have a look at horticulture lightning groups website, they offer so called Quantumboards using one of the most efficient diodes on the market(Samsung LM561c, up to 200lm/w).
They have a new series of QB's in the pipeline with LM301b and up to 220lm/w. Should not take much longer...
 

Moflow

Well-Known Member
So my city upgraded to led for street lights. My question is does anyone know the spectrum because the spread is insane. And if they are ballest based? View attachment 4134150 View attachment 4134151
Spectrum of the street lights are usually on the blue side. 4000k ish.
Although Dunedin in NZ have gone for a lower k in their street lights, more amber coloured. There's somewhere in the US adopting a more amber colour too.

You'd need to find out the manufacturer of the lights to find their spectrum.
Some use osram, some luxeon Phillips and some use rubbish I'd imagine.
The street lights I've looked at have pretty ordinary, average l/w, around 110 - 115 l/w
Here's an example: 5000k

https://britektechnologies.com/product-detail/led-street-light-200w

I hope that is a stupid enough answer for you.
:blsmoke::bigjoint:
 

planko

Well-Known Member
Yea they are tearing all the hps and mh bulbs and replacing them with these. And everything I'm seeing online looks like 4,000k
 

OneHitDone

Well-Known Member
a lot of cities are using the lower K lights in an effort not to disturb plants and wildlife as much. there are many places where a lot of local flora and fauna either die or leave the area when they use the higher k lights all night
:clap:
Not to mention issues with glare that are happening all over the place.

So my city upgraded to led for street lights. My question is does anyone know the spectrum because the spread is insane. And if they are ballest based? View attachment 4134150 View attachment 4134151
"Spread" would be more a function of fixture design than just being led. They must have some very wide lenses
 

skoomd

Well-Known Member
All the areas around me still use LPS lamps. Dont see many, if any LEDs. The occasional HPS ill see too.

The glare is a huge thing though. HPS actually causes a lot more glare than LPS, but a LPS honestly is not glaring at all to me (this is because the arc in an HPS burns way hotter and brighter than a LPS arc). LEDs are plagued with glare issues. So proper optics and diffusion panels are very important. Point light sources, yeeeet
 

nfhiggs

Well-Known Member
All the areas around me still use LPS lamps. Dont see many, if any LEDs. The occasional HPS ill see too.

The glare is a huge thing though. HPS actually causes a lot more glare than LPS, but a LPS honestly is not glaring at all to me (this is because the arc in an HPS burns way hotter and brighter than a LPS arc). LEDs are plagued with glare issues. So proper optics and diffusion panels are very important. Point light sources, yeeeet
LPS?? in the US? That's a rare bird.
 

planko

Well-Known Member
:clap:
Not to mention issues with glare that are happening all over the place.


"Spread" would be more a function of fixture design than just being led. They must have some very wide lenses
Yea they are rather large almost 1.5 2in wide
 

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
We've got small LED Streetlight's in the park around the corner, dimming down when there's no one on the street. They have a motion sensor and gets brighter when someone enters the detection area. Unfortunately, they can not differentiate if it's an animal or a human. But that's one way to reduce light polution. I would like to see them completely switching off the light and using only a "stand-by" LED in far-red. Just bright enough for the human eye, so one can see where it stands, even if not in the detection area.
Insect populations have lost up to 30-50% in recent years as they are irritated by the nocturnal light. If insect killing is to stop, we have to do it without light where ever its possible. And I don't mean shitty mosquitos but alternative pollinators such as butterflies or bumblebees are becoming less and lesser. And that's a real problem for mother nature.
 
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