Here is an article about PC amber outdoor lighting, to replace high and low pressure sodium lights. Less lumens per watt than cool white, but less environmental impact (light pollution).
Added: Redirect Notice
Fritz t., can you try that link again? I’d like to see that article you mentioned.
(My city — despite more than a year trying to educate them about this — is installing very blue-white LEDs, and claiming they’re following dark sky guidelines; I don’t know if they’re lying intentionally, or trusted and got fooled by a clever salesdroid.
I know the broad spectrum of the ‘white’ emitters scatters more, and is worse for astronomy, than the filterable narrow spikes from sodium vapor amber lights.)
Where they got “PC” —
LUXEON® Rebel Phosphor-Converted (PC) ….
It’s a blue emitter, with each color type coated with a phosphor designed to emit that one specific band/color
(rather than with several phosphors selected to cover the spectrum and give ‘cool’ or ‘warm’ ‘white’
Sorry, I failed to copy the link when I made the post and I can’t find it now. It was about the Canary Islands, but mentioned regulations in other places.
I found it (“Rationale for the future change to led technology for outdoor light in La Palma”): Redirect Notice
This short article explains the choice of PC Amber LEDs to replace sodium vapor arc lights in outdoor lighting.
I put my PC Amber in a Light similar to a Yezl t9, with four 7135s. To deal with the hollow pill, I filed the tails side of a 1960 penny flat and then filed the outside till it is a slight interference fit in the pill and filed notches for the wires, then epoxied it to the back of the star, using the pill to locate them. I used a lot of of non-silicone heat sink compound. It is not as bright as my Lime one, probably because green light has more lumens per watt than yellow does.
Guys, I’m looking for the 3 color rebel’s that will give the widest wavelength. I’m thinking for sure Red-orange and Lime, what blue spectrum emitter is the best, plain blue, Royal blue or another?
I want to make white light that looks the most true possible without a dedicated white emitter / die, This will be in an S10 with Dr jones FW and a KL driver, should be a surprisingly cheap build (I did get the host for $25).
PC amber might give a flatter spectrum than red-orange and should still come out white with lime and blue. Not sure which blue would be better. Royal blue to be able to see things that are really royal blue colored if the lime fills in the greenish side of blue, or plain blue if that would leave too big a gap.
I have actually never used a “blue” emitter, in all my RGB builds (and a few blue only, all using Cree’s) I’ve always used royal blue for the near-UV qualities (making stuff glow).
I considered Amber, I wish I could fit a quad optic, but I absolutely need the real red. If lime wasnt so good I would think about red-orange, cyan and royal blue but I really want the two [red-orange and lime].
Whats the max driver current on a sinkpad? I’m thinking I’ll drive them around 500-700mA each unless thats the max, then maybe only 350mA each.
I don't think it matters much which blue you choose, there's some nice info on colour mixing in this Philips video (btw clearly promoting their lime led):
Another philips video I found even more interesting is how to combine a cool white led with a lime led and a red led to mix white light with a whole range of colour temperatures and high CRI:
If you build that into a flashlight and design the correct (very fancy) firmware for it, you can adjust the light to all colour temperatures white light in high CRI.
BTW, fish tank lovers are way ahead of us in colour mixing. One example, just follow this discussion :
It may not be a good source for you (EU-based) but I recently bought some colour leds here, and guess what: they aim at aquarium lovers:
Hmmm, anyone thought of a triple with three little thumbwheel/rheostat “volume” controls, one for each emitter?
Align the wheels along the length of the light, up against the head … heck, there are even ‘clickable’ wheels that have a clicky switch, like a middle-button for clicking/scrolling on a computer mouse.
There’s probably a touchscreen equivalent by now, or a way to do all the adjustments with a “joystick” button ….
I like it too, and I'm really pleased that CK is developing so many new things with colour leds. With the time, space and means that I have for this hobby there's no way I could even start doing the things that he does.
Mine are drawing 1.6 amps. in PC Amber, and about 1 amp. each in Lime and Deep Red. I don’t think that is pushing them hard. They are not on direct stars, as I don’t know where to get ones that fit. One has a flattened old penny behind the star, because it has a hollow pill. Did you find Sinkpads that fit or are you modifying them?
I have a lime Rebel and a Sinkpad for it, is there any interest in an output test?
BTW Fritz, in case you are interested, vestureofblood has recently obtained a batch of Rebel Sinkpads, I'm sure he has some left. And if he is out of them, I'd be happy to send you one or two of mine.
Luxeonstar has triple Rebel 20mm sinkpad’s for the carlco optic’s.
Thanks DJozz. To bad this quit being my hobby about 6 months ago… The full spectrum HCRI tint mixing sounds pretty cool, to bad I just spent hundreds of bucks developing a WW/CW highly advanced tint mixing FW & driver for a light I’m building based off the nitecore Cx6 series (because of their really good optic setup for mixing 2 emitters)
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