Why
iBright™
?
Background
LED technology continues to develop rapidly as a general
light source, and more LED light fixtures, for example T8
LED replacement lamps, have been introduced on the
market. Recently, commercially available white LEDs
luminous efficacy have achieved over 90 lm/w, compared
with 80-100 lm/w of existing T8 fluorescent lamp. Existing
T8 fluorescent lamps work with troffers, whose efficiency
ranges from only 60% to 74%. In addition to having a high
efficacy, LEDs also have a longer life time, they save
energy and are mercury free.
Purpose
It is not always practical to replace existing T8 fluorescent lamps with T8 LED replacement lamps.
Not all T8 LED replacement lamps are good replacements for conventional T8’s.
This fact sheet makes describes a detailed comparison on performance of T8’s. The focus lies on
optical, electrical, thermal and reliability. The compared products are iBright™ T8 LED replacement
lamps, Philips T8 fluorescent lamps and commercially available T8 LED replacement lamps from
other suppliers.
[Link]
Introduction of iBright™
iBright™ T8 LED replacement lamps use LEDs technology to replace conventional fluorescent lamps.
They feature
1) Patented heat sink design, good thermal management;
2) Imported high quality SMD LEDs, around 90lm/w efficacy;
3) Less than 4% lumen depreciation within 5000hrs continuous burning;
4) 2-3 years warranty;
5) Truly CE certified, including EMC and LVD.
iBright™ vs Philips
Table 1 Specifications Comparison (iBright™ vs Philips)
iBright™ Philips
HFL-8060N-120602-H0, 1.2m/4ft ALTO T8 32W
Physical Specifications
Lamp Base G13 G13
Electrical Specifications
Power Consumption (W) 20±1 (incl. driver) 40±1 (incl. ballast)
Input Voltage (VAC) 100~240 VAC 100~240 VAC
Power Factor (%) >0.95 0.97
Optical Specifications
Luminous Flux (lm) 1500±100 2500±100
360@1m 362@1m
Illumination (lux) 114@2m 119@2m
58@3m 61@3m
Luminous Efficacy (lm/w) 85 (incl. driver) 68 (incl. ballast)
Luminaire Efficiency (%) 100 (troffer unneeded) 60-74 (troffer needed)
Color Temperature (K) 6000~6500 6500
Color Rendering Index >80 78
Beam Angle (°) 120 360
Life Time (Hrs) 50,000~60,000 10,000~20,000
Lumen Maintenance (%) >96@5,000hrs ≤80@5,000hrs
Thermal Specifications
Operating Temperature (℃) -20~40℃ -10~50℃
[Link]
iBright™ Payback and Saving Calculation
1
Table 2 iBright™ Payback and Saving Calculation
iBright™ Philips
HFL-8060N-120602-H0, 1.2m/4ft ALTO T8 32W
Lamp Power 20±1 (incl. driver) 40±1 (incl. ballast)
2
Lamp Cost US$50.00 US$24.75
3 4 5
Energy Cost US$219.00 US$438.00
6 7
Maintenance Cost US$8.00 US$40.00
8
Total Cost US$277.00 US$502.75
9
Total Savings US$225.75
1) The calculation conditions are based upon 24 hours per day, 365 days per year and 5 years
operating, and US$0.25/kWh for electricity rate.
2) The calculation conditions are based on $4.95 per lamp (data source [Link]), 1-year
life for each Philips T8 fluorescent lamp. $24.75=$4.95/lamp x 5 lamps.
3) Energy cost is based on 5 years operating; calculation formula is hours x lamp power x electricity
rate/1000.
4) $219.00=5 years x 365 days/year x 24 hrs/day x 20W x $0.25/kWh/1000.
5) $438.00=5 years x 365 days/year x 24hs/day x 40W x $0.25/kWh/1000.
6) Average $8 per lamp labor cost for maintenance.
7) $40.00=$8/lamp x 5 lamps.
8) Total cost=lamp cost + energy cost + maintenance cost.
9) $225.75=$502.75-$277.
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Additional Comparison
iBright™ Philips
Radiation RoHS compliant UV, IR
Toxic phosphor powders,
Toxicant RoHS compliant
Mercury (Hg), Lead (Pb)
CO2 emission Low High
Heat damage No High
Durable,
Fragile Fragile Glass
Aluminum Housing and PC Cover
Burn out failure No Yes
Flicker Never Frequently
Light wasted on reflector No High
Buzzing No Yes
No Yes
EMI emissions
friendly to electronic equipment harmful to electronic equipment
Recyclable Yes No
Low temperature working
Compatible Incompatible
environment
Ballast needed No Yes
Starter needed No Yes
Maintenance Fee Low High
[Link]
iBright™ vs Common T8 LED Replacement Lamps
temperature (for example, board, case, or solder
Overview
joint temperature) as low as possible.
Currently, the most efficacious white LEDs can - Optical specification from independent testing
perform similarly to fluorescent lamp. However, laboratory or manufacturer in-house testing.
LED efficacy doesn’t tell the whole story. Good - Warranty offered by the manufacturer should
T8 LED replacement lamps shall combine high be at least comparable to traditional fluorescent
efficacy and brand LEDs, excellent thermal lamp for the application under consideration.
management, and sophisticated optical design. - Any test data available about longer term
Conversely, poorly-designed T8 LED performance of T8 LED replacement lamp.
replacement lamps using even the best LEDs
Common T8 LED replacement lamp
may be no more efficient or no longer life over
existing T8 fluorescent lamps. Common T8 LED replacement lamp features a
One of the most basic decision factors for T8 linear array of 5mm DIP LEDs (suitable for
LED replacement lamp selection is longevity of indication applications, ranging from 60 to 400
the lamp. However, the lighting industry has LEDs per lamp), with airtight clear tubular plastic
very limited direct experience with long-term or glass covers as heat sink and diffuser, and
performance and reliability of T8 LED integrated driver (non-isolated constant voltage
replacement lamps. type). As plastic and glass are not good heat
In summary, T8 LED replacement lamp life is not conduction materials, this kind of design will
identical to estimated LED life. T8 LED cause heat buildup inside the tube, depreciate
replacement lamp life is also a function of the lumen quickly and shorten useful life of T8 LED
power supply, operating temperatures, thermal replacement lamp.
management, materials and electrical and In contrast, iBright™ T8 LED replacement lamp
material interfaces. How can T8 LED features a linear array of imported high quality
replacement lamp reliability be assessed? Some SMD LEDs (ranging from 30 to 88 LEDs per
things to look for: lamp), with patented design of aluminum
- Use of high quality LEDs from brand suppliers housing as heat sink, stripped PC cover as
who publish reliability data. diffuser and UL listed integrated driver (isolated
- Superior heat sink design to dissipate heat, constant current type).
minimizing T8 LED replacement lamp
[Link]
Critical Term Comparison, iBright™ vs. Common T8
LED Replacement Lamps
iBright™ Common LED
HFL-8060N-120602-H0, 1.2m/4ft Fluorescent Lamp 1.2m/4ft
Physical Specifications
Imported high quality
Lighting Source 5mm DIP LEDs
SMD LEDs
Life Time (Hrs) 50,000~60,000 5,000~10,000
Electrical Specifications
Power Consumption (W) 20±1 (incl. driver) 20±1 (incl. driver)
Power Factor >0.95 0.75
Optical Specifications
Lumen Maintenance (%) >96@10,000 Hrs <60@5000 Hrs
Thermal Specifications
1
Case Temperature (℃) 50 34.6
1
Solder Joint Temperature (℃) 52 >70
1
Junction Temperature (℃) <73 >110
1) These temperature numbers proves common T8 LED replacement lamp has much heat buildup
inside the tube, shortening the lamp life.
[Link]
Exploded Drawing Comparison
iBright™
Common T8 LED replacement lamp
Conclusion
[Link]
Section Drawing Comparison
iBright™ Common T8 LED replacement lamp
Conculsion
iBright™ vs Philips
iBright™ is using imported high quality SMD LEDs, of high luminous efficacy (typical 90lm/w). They have similar
light quality as Philips. Table 1 shows that illuminance (lux) of iBright™ is comparable with Philips’s.
iBright™ are 50% energy saving compared to Philips. The energy-efficient iBright™ keeps on burning for up to
50,000 hours significantly reducing the time spent on replacing defective lamps. Therefore, iBright™ not only
lowers energy bills, but also maintenance and replacement costs.
iBright™ are RoHS compliant and contain no toxic phosphor powders, mercury (Hg) or lead (Pb) which is always
seen in conventional fluorescent lamps.
iBright™ vs Common T8 LED replacement lamp
iBright™ are much more reliable than common T8 LED replacement lamps on the markets:
1) they are made of imported high quality SMD LEDs, with low lumen depreciation;
2) they are using specially designed aluminum housing with good heat dissipation, and have no heat buildup
inside;
3) they are using specially designed loop circuit, one LED fail won’t make the whole lamp fail.
[Link]
Appendix
iBright™ lumen maintenance data1
Date Lux@1m Date Lux@1m Date Lux@1m
2
2008/6/27 360 2008/8/15 380 2009/1/2 361
2008/6/30 360 2008/8/20 373 2009/1/16 361
2008/7/4 370 2008/8/25 375 2009/1/30 362
2008/7/7 370 2008/8/29 375 2009/2/13 358
2008/7/11 355 2008/9/4 370 2009/2/27 360
2008/7/14 358 2008/9/12 368 2009/3/14 356
2008/7/19 368 2008/9/18 373 2009/3/30 359
2008/7/23 375 2008/9/25 369 2009/4/14 354
2008/7/27 360 2008/10/6 370 2009/4/30 351
2008/7/30 372 2008/10/20 368 2009/5/14 350
2008/8/1 362 2008/11/5 364 2009/5/30 353
2008/8/4 370 2008/11/21 363 2009/6/14 358
2008/8/8 376 2008/12/5 361 2009/6/30 354
2008/8/12 382 2008/12/19 358
1) This test is implemented by ATG Electronics in-house testing engineers; test conditions are based on
iBright™ G2 IPS (Part Number HFL-8060N-120602-H2), 25℃ ambient temperature, 24Hrs per day 7
days per week running and illumination maintenance (lux) at 1m.
th
2) This test starts from June 27 , 2008.
[Link]
External Links
LED Basics
[Link]
Luminaire Efficacy
[Link]
Luminaire Reliability
[Link]
Energy Efficiency of White LEDs
[Link]
Lifetime of White LEDs
[Link]
DOE CALiPER 08-19 Replacement T8 Round 5
[Link]
DOE CALiPER 08-37 Replacement T8 Round 5
[Link]
Glossary Terms
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are based on inorganic (non-carbon based) materials. An LED is a
semi-conducting device that produces light when an electrical current flows through it. LEDs were first
developed in the 1960s but were used only in indicator applications until recently.
General illumination is a term used to distinguish between lighting that illuminates tasks, spaces, or
objects from lighting used in indicator or purely decorative applications. In most cases, general
illumination is provided by white light sources, including incandescent, fluorescent, high-intensity
discharge sources, and white LEDs. Lighting used for indication or decoration is often monochromatic, as
in traffic lights, exit signs, vehicle brake lights, signage, and holiday lights.
Luminous efficacy is the most commonly used measure of the energy efficiency of a light source. It
is stated in lumens per watt (lm/W), indicating the amount of light a light source produces for each watt of
electricity consumed. For white high-brightness LEDs, luminous efficacy published by LED
manufacturers typically refers to the LED chip only, and doesn't include driver losses. See more
information in the Energy Efficiency section.
Correlated color temperature (CCT) is the measure used to describe the relative color
appearance of a white light source. CCT indicates whether a light source appears more
yellow/gold/orange or more blue, in terms of the range of available shades of "white." CCT is given in
kelvins (unit of absolute temperature). See more information in the Color Quality section.
Color rendering index (CRI) indicates how well a light source renders colors of people and objects,
compared to a reference source. See more information in the Color Quality section.
[Link]
Phosphor conversion is a method used to generate white light with LEDs. A blue or near-ultraviolet
LED is coated with a yellow or multichromatic phosphor, resulting in white light. See more information in
the Color Quality section.
Lumen depreciation - the decrease in lumen output that occurs as a lamp is operated.
Rated lamp life – the life value assigned to a particular type lamp. This is commonly a statistically
determined estimate of average or median operational life. For certain lamp types other criteria than
failure to light can be used; for example, the life can be based on the average time until the lamp type
produces a given fraction of initial luminous flux.
Conduction – transfer of heat through matter by communication of kinetic energy from particle to
particle. An example is the use of a conductive metal such as copper to transfer heat.
Convection – heat transfer through the circulatory motion in a fluid (liquid or gas) at a non-uniform
temperature. Liquid or gas surrounding a heat source provides cooling by convection, such as air flow
over a car radiator.
Radiation – energy transmitted through electromagnetic waves. Examples are the heat radiated by
the sun and by incandescent lamps.
Junction temperature (Tj) – temperature within the LED device. Direct measurement of Tj is
impractical but can be calculated based on a known case or board temperature and the materials’
thermal resistance.
Heat sink – thermally conductive material attached to the printed circuit board on which the LED is
mounted. Myriad heat sink designs are possible; often a “finned” design is used to increase the surface
area available for heat transfer. For general illumination applications, heat sinks are often incorporated
into the functional and aesthetic design of the luminaire, effectively using the luminaire chassis as a heat
management device.
ATG Electronics Corp.
628 Zhangyang Road, Suite 1-21B, Shanghai 200122, CHINA
[Link] E-mail: sales@[Link]
Phone: +86-21-58350166 Fax: +86-21-58351977
