Wednesday, February 24, 2021

The lamps we're not allowed to have. Exploring Dubai's lamps.

This is a fascinating look at LED lamps made and sold in Dubai (under a 5-year agreement) that makes our current generation look like power hungry monsters. The gist is that efficiency goes up as power goes down per element, so dropping the power and increasing the number of filaments makes the bulbs run cool and last for a very long time.

Just for fun, I tested the concept by touching the base of an LED bulb that burns while I work less than 3 feet away. It was hot enough to burn my finger, reminding me that heat is the enemy of efficiency and long life where electronics are concerned. Imagine a generation of cooler bulbs that last forever. Such a nightmare for manufacturers lol.

Anyway, it's a fun watch and the demo and explanation are fairly short, after which you can turn it off if you don't want to watch the disassembly and analysis of the circuit etc. Note that these bulbs come in only four shapes and do not dim, so they are no doubt a pita for architects.