Lifespan LED
We often see written on LED packages that they would last for at least 30,000-50,000 hours. But is that really true? It is indeed possible that a well-designed LED lamp should last 10 years. However, you will need a very good lamp design. It is of crucial importance in an LED lamp that the heat is properly dissipated. If this does not happen, the life of the LED will deteriorate considerably. The quality of the electronics is also important. But how do you know if you are dealing with a good lamp that lasts a long time? To get more insight into this, OliNo has started a new service, endurance tests of lamps.
The standard measurement already provides some information
A warm-up measurement is already being done in the OliNo standard measurement. The lamp is located in an area of about 25 degrees and is then turned on. During the warm-up period continuous measurements are made and the possible decay in luminous intensity in% can be clearly seen. If you know the LED chip, you can check with the supplier how many degrees the LED chip in junction has risen because you know the light drop. And now that we know the junction temperature, we can use the data from the LED manufacturer to check whether we are within specification or not and what it may have for an effect on the lifetime.
So it is a good idea to check the above. As OliNo we also provide the service of duration test measurements. These are explained below. Not only the illuminance is measured but also the effect on radiation diagram, color temperature and color point, power consumption and power factor.
Test plan
The plan is to start each month with a new batch of lamps that will be lit for a long time. The lamps from different manufacturers are all in the same room. We will keep track of the temperature of the room and the number of hours that each lamp has actually burned. Once in the 1000 burning hours, we then go through each individual lamp. Each batch of lamps we will test for 6000 hours (this according to the spirit of the method proposed by ASSIST: LED Life for General Lighting: Definition of Life (PDF)). The document states that L70 (returning from 30% light to the light after 1000 burning hours) is the moment that the lamp is end of life. If we do not find that moment in the 6000 hours, we extrapolate.
Endurance Test Setup
Testing does not take place in a conditioned environment. The tests are done in a room where changes in temperature occur. This temperature is stored and made known to the measurement report. Every day the lamp will burn for 23 hours and 1 hour off. This is done to stress the lamp (cooling and reheating).
See here for more information about the test setup.
Lamp measurements
We start with a full measurement of the lamp. Here is an example of such a measurement report.
In the meantime we do the following measurements once every 1000 hours:
- The illuminance (converted to 1 m distance)
- The color temperature
- The power consumption and the power factor
- The CRI value
- The number of burning hours at the time of the test
After the endurance test we do a full measurement again. The possible course of the mentioned parameters is shown in a clear trend graph. All this is processed in a clear final report.
Comparison
In order to make a fair comparison between the different lamps, we will all hang them in the same test room where the same conditions apply. We will also include a halogen lamp as a comparison in this test.
Interim progress
We offer distributors / manufacturers the opportunity to keep track of what exactly happens to their bulb over time. This information is only accessible to them.
Results
At the end of the test, the distributors / manufacturers who participated in the test will receive a private link that will show the results. If publication option has been chosen, the measuring article will actually be placed publicly for 10 days after sending the link. Within these 10 days the client can give a small textual change to the article title or decide not to publish. In the event of non-publication, however, the normal rates without bonus apply (see below). Opting for no publication is typically used for prototype lamps that are still under development.
We will encourage to publicize so many measurements so that the public becomes well informed about the actual longer-term performance of sustainable light bulbs.
Prices
| Met publication on OliNo.org | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lamp type | Period | Euro |
| E27, GU10, MR16 | 8.2 months | 400 |
| TL / LED-TL 60 cm | 8.2 months | 800 |
| TL / LED-TL 120 cm | 8.2 months | 850 |
| TL / LED-TL 150 cm | 8.2 months | 900 |
| No publication | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lamp type | Period | Euro |
| E27, GU10, MR16 | 8.2 month | 800 |
| TL / LED-TL 60 cm | 8.2 month | 1600 |
| TL / LED-TL 120 cm | 8.2 month | 1700 |
| TL / LED-TL 150 cm | 8.2 month | 1800 |
Extra options
We also offer distributors / manufacturers the following additional options:
- Multiple lamps of the same type. This can be important if you want to have more statistics on a certain series of lamps.
- Longer than 6000 hours, the price is adjusted according to the ratio
- In the case of interim measurements, perform a complete measurement instead of the subset of parameters. Our normal rates apply to these complete measurements.
Unique opportunity
This is a unique opportunity for distributors / manufacturers to have their lamps tested for a long time and to inform the public about this. Be quick because we only have a limited number of places per batch.
Interested in participating? Send a lamp measurement request and clearly state that you are interested in the endurance test. Also indicate which lamps it is exactly. If the measurement requirement differs from the standard route indicated, please indicate what is desired.