New to LED Lighting?

If you are new to LED Lighting then the best way to educate yourself is to start with the basics of lighting. Here is a basic outline of lighting and then how LEDs will migrate into this general field.

Lighting basics:

1. Power source...need to apply electrical power to then convert the light source into radiant energy we can see.
2. Light source...there are many different light sources depending on the application (e.g. standard tungsten filament, fluorescent, arc, etc.). Study and understanding of these various light source technologies is a complete field for each.
3. Optics...as the main focus of this blog, the methods to bend and shape light will be discussed and this is also a field in its own.
4. Target...the light source could be made to be viewed directly (e.g. LCD display) or to illuminate an area (e.g. street light).

With these four main areas to understand in lighting, LEDs are simply another light source, which is poised to take over certain markets and will be used for general illumination eventually.