24 DC Lighting

24 DC Lighting

We believe that dc low voltage lighting plays an important

role in portable, off-grid, remote, commercial, industrial

and emergency power, survival systems.

This also applies to utility and emergency vehicle

applications.

In a portable system:

DC lighting helps to simplify the system by eliminating the need for

a d.c. to a.c. inverter.

It also reduces the system weight.

With less components the system reliability increases.

In many portable systems such as emergency, show, sign and work

work area lighting, the need for a generator is also removed.

In a stand-alone (off-grid) d.c. only system:

With a d.c. only system the power losses incurred by the

inverter are eliminated.

It is not necessary to run an inverter 24 hours a day to have

lights whenever they are needed.

Dependance on a complicated electronic device, the inverter,

is removed for increased reliability.

In a stand-alone (off-grid) a.c. and d.c. system:

Lighting is available whether the inverter is running or not.

In the case of an inverter failure, and the time it takes to get

it repaired or replaced, lighting is still available.

In a remote system:

System reliabilty and efficiency is increased due to reduced

component count.

In an inverter based system the addition of dc lighting aids in

maintenance and reduces down time.

In a utility or emergency vehicle:

Wiring is simple and there is a wide selection of types and

sizes available.

In a commercial system:

Utilizing low voltage d.c. components reduces the hazards of

electrical shock.

This helps keep liability exposure to a minimum.

Displays can be easily moved and setup without the need of

extension cords when the battery is integrated into the design.

In an industrial application:

Proper low voltage d.c. lighting helps keep down radio frequency

interference which can adversely affect sophisticated electronic

devices.

Low voltage dc lighting has many applications in the

tele-communications and machining center venues due to its

inherent benign nature.

The following link will take you to the directory of d.c. lighting

items that we carry:

8 Low Voltage DC Lights

Types of low voltage d.c. lighting:

Tungsten incandescent (recreational vehicle type) light bulbs.

These are similar to conventional household light bulbs but operate on

low voltage direct current.

By producting light through heating a tungsten filament this is the most

inefficient form of lighting.

These can easily be used with a dimmer switch.

They also have a limited life span.

Tungsten Quartz Halogen light bulbs.

These produce light by heating a thick tungsten filament using the "quartz

halogen cycle."

The filament is surrounded by a halogenated gas.

It operates at extremely high temperatures, which is why the bulb is made

of quartz.

The combination of a heavy filament and the halogen gas produce a much

more efficient and long lived light source.

The halogen gas returns tungsten atoms thrown off by the filament to itself.

Even though they are much more efficient than standard light bulbs much of

the energy used is wasted.

If you use a dimmer on these the cycle can be interrupted causing the life

span to be shortened.

Fluorescent Lamps:

For most applications these produce the most amount of light for the energy used.

The tubes are available in color temperatures such as 27K (warm white - light an

incandescent bulb), 41K (cool white) and 65K (very cool white - cooler than daylight.)

The ballast in a d.c. fluorescent light is actually an "inverter/ballast".

It inverts the d.c. voltage into an a.c. voltage and then steps up the voltage to fire and

run the fluorescent tube.

Unlike a regular incandescent light, a fluorescent light can not handle many on/off

cycles nor a low voltage condition.

Manufacturers of fluorescent tubes often show the expected life of their tubes at

10,000 hours.

The fine print reads "with a minimum run time of 3 hours."

In an application involving many short on and off cycles an incandescent or LED light

may be a better choice than a fluorescent.

With fluorescent lights you should make sure that the wire is heavy enough for the

length of wire running from the battery to the light.

LED Lighting:

Light Emitting Diodes are the most energy efficient light source currently available.

Many led lights use less than 1/10th. of a watt.

LED's, when operated at the proper internal voltage, can run up to 100,000 hours.

LED's are very directional, making them difficult to quantify and compare with either

a fluorescent or incandescent light.

For task and reading lighting they are hard to beat.

Ultra hight intensity led's can be used for some area lighting applications.

Due to the directional nature of led lighting it is always wise to purchase one, then try it

in each location.

Some applications are well served by led lighting and some are not.

copyright by John Drake Services, Inc.

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