How LEDs evolved

[RobertArthur]

Every piece of lighting these days, LEDs everywhere. We take it almost for granted. The history of the scientific research and first production steps goes back to the mid-sixties. Transistors replacing valves, many transistors in one package, the integrated circuits. Quad introducing the 33 pre-amp and the 303 power-amp with the power workhorse of those days: the 2N3055 transistor, special selects made by RCA. And Marconi still a triple A company.

On the other side of the Atlantic Hewlett Packard developed from a garage business to a scientific and industrial powerhouse. They started experimenting with LEDs. I bought a little red led for one of my DIY amps, staying away from the traditional little 6.3 V filament signal bulbs. Am I going to buy it or not? A first generation led made by Monsanto or HP, about 8 euros in those days, think twice before buying. Am I going to buy it, embrace this new technology, or not? Is it yes or no boy?

Yesterday I fired up my old HP counter 5300A, just to have a look at its early 7-segment display, an array of tiny single leds. Nice. Other figures also available.

Because HP has developed a tendency best described as "don't look back, let's forget our engineering past" several ex-employees created the HP memories website.

One of the guys involved in the development of the LED technology wrote an almost complete history book about what was once the "avant-garde" of the discovery of new frontiers. Where young eagles dare.

Bob Steward, the floor is yours.

[Hotrodder]

Thanks for the link. Very interesting.
I have been searching unsuccessfully for a replacement VFD panel for my Sony CD player for over three years now. Simple leds would have been easier to source.

[DaveW]

Thanks for that, as a retired HP employee it’s music.

They seem to have lost their way over the last few years, innovation has gone, bad management has taken over.

The lot of too many good companies.

[RobertArthur]

@ Hotrodder, not a replacement for your Sony cd player panel, nixie tubes. But rugged, built to last. Nice example this 1970 Fluke 8100A multimeter, ten years ago only a minor recalibration, today still within specs. For a totally different market of course. And also interesting design stories.

[RobertArthur]

To continue, multinational enterprises, scientific research, their corporate cultures, their marketing strategies. Beam us up to modern times, Mr. Philips. From the early HP laboratories brought to your ceilings and desks, the LED. Do you remember, the introduction of the light bulb ban? Next to me is an article from the Elsevier Magazine of 15 August 2009 entitled: "How the light bulb was declared war".

A key role in this was played by a factory in the south of the low countries behind dunes and dikes which this time - previous energy-efficient light bulbs had not exactly been a success - managed, with skilful political manoeuvring, to capture first the environmental movement and then the Dutch parliament and government in The Hague. After which, from there, the ball was tapped across the goal line in other capitals and finally in Brussels in one smooth move.

Not about French electrics or classic cars this time, just some passages (what's in quotes) from this article:

"In a peculiar clique, climate movement and bulb industry united to kill the incandescent bulb. Backed by remarkably swift European regulation, they succeeded, while the alternatives failed to convince. The incandescent lamp with its nice warm light became the symbol of man-made environmental damage."

Hardly any money was earned on the incandescent bulbs anymore so something new was needed that would bring in more money. Old technology provides a lot of low-cost competition at the end of the ride, when you introduce a new technology and have a market lead in the process, you can make a nice cash in the first few years. From 2005, Philips bought up several LED developers with hefty sums of money.

" Crystal clear about the state of affairs at Philips was Geert van Kuyck, the group's top marketing manager. He revealed to the Journal of Marketing at the end of March 2008 that the Philips strategy around sustainability, climate and the incandescent lamp ban came from his department. That strategy aims to 'map out' the energy-saving bulb and then to market the LED bulb."

" Van Kuyck: "All parties had a strong interest in switching to more energy-efficient bulbs. The strategy was a combination of business-to-business marketing, but also advertising and support for campaigns like Live Earth, to establish the energy-saving bulb as an icon of the new environmental awareness. According to Van Kuyck, the Philips message that the light bulb consumes a large part of household electricity went in like 'sweet cake'."

Governments under pressure from the environmental movement, how do we achieve our climate goals, and what is offered there on a silver platter?

Nothing but good things of course about LEDs with a long service life, low energy consumption, a pleasant colour temperature and no high-frequency interference. One personal note however: promised life of 10,000, 20,000 or even more hours for those leds. I'm going (or postponing?) to replace yet another ceiling light, bought seven years ago. A nice array of little leds made by Samsung. But you have to feed them with a little constant-current power supply, from AC to DC. I'm afraid these led promises don't live up to my high hopes, these little built-in power supplies are essential but in my case are the weakest part of the chain. Soldering iron again, component level repair? Not this time.

[Hotrodder]

Yes, longevity is the remaining issue for me. Like politicians' promises, thousands of hours? No way. I have had as little as a few weeks life out of a batch of "Cob" format lamps. For a while I was able to repair them by desoldering and swapping out individual strips and cannibalising from other failed one. Then I just got fed up with the game. I decided most of the problem is heat. All the bad ones had a clear plastic cover over the leds. After removing the cover this same type lives a lot longer. The rest of the problem might simply be because they are all made in China in factories where quality control is non-existant.

[RobertArthur]

@ Hotrodder, my short term solution, a work around, a mix of old and new. From the E-27
and 220 volt times: New Old Stock. Easy to replace and not too expensive: the led light bulbs (only one colour, not dimmable) go for about 5 euros in a double package. The integrated ceiling fixtures from 25 to over 100 euros (design....).