Extends Lighting-Class XLamp LED Performance With Multi-Chip PackageCree, Inc. (Nasdaq:CREE), a market leader in LED lighting, announces that it is demonstrating the newest addition to its industry-leading XLamp(r) LED family -- the XLamp MC-E LED -- at LIGHTFAIR International in Las Vegas, N.V., May 28-30, 2008.  

Four consumer electronics companies, including Sony and Sanyo Electric, have settled a complaint that they were infringing a patent on semiconductors related to LEDs and laser diodes used in products such as mobile phones, billboards, Blu-ray disc players and data storage devices, according to lawyers for the patent holder.  

Advanced Analogic Technologies has introduced a 2-MHz boost-converter IC that uses a supercapacitor to provide a large peak current to an LED-flash system. The 2A AAT1282 flash driver incorporates I2C control and accepts input voltages of 2.7 to 5.5V. Designers can use the device's two 1A current sinks to drive two LEDs and can parallel these outputs to drive one 2A LED. The IC allows designers to set 16 levels for movie, or "torch," mode and has a true-load-disconnection feature that guarantees a shutdown current of less than 1 μA.

The Harker Heights City Council will discuss regulations for digital signs in a public hearing today (May 27, 2008) at a 5 p.m. meeting. The City Council has been discussing placing regulations on LED billboards in Harker Heights for about a month after the Texas Transportation Commission adopted a rule that will take effect June 1.

Kim Lighting, a manufacturer of outdoor architectural lighting, announced that its Lightvault Series and Minivault in-grade up light series both now include new super bright white LED technology. Kim Lighting's LED Lightvault and Minivault lines assure rugged, high endurance performance for decades.

Lynk Labs Inc of Elgin, IL, USA has added Cree Inc of Durham, NC to its AC LED Technology Strategic Supplier Network as a second supplier of LEDs for its AC-driven light engines and system solutions, which are designed to provide OEMs with ‘bulb and ballast' simplicity for LED-powered luminaires.

NTE Electronics, Inc. has added LED tubing to its expansive line of optoelectronic devices. These new flexible tubes come in an assortment of colors including: blue, green, red, white, amber, and red/white/blue. Each tube contains 15 super bright LEDs that are encased in a flexible clear encapsulate. Measuring approximately one foot long, up to 15 individual tubes can easily be connected in series and powered by just one 12VDC power supply. NTE's LED tubing is easy to install and is ideal for a variety of applications:

Available in blue, green, red, white, amber, and red/white/blue colors, LED tubing contains 15 bright LEDs that are encased in flexible clear encapsulate. Measuring approximately 1 ft long, up to 15 individual tubes can be connected in series and powered by one 12 Vdc power supply. Available accessories include multi-strip surface mount connector, surface mount multi-strip L connector, rotatable mounting clip, multi-strip electrical connector, and power supply adapter.

Announcement of advanced direct replacement LED Light bulb that allows the user to dynamically control light output and energy conservation based on light needed with an innovative three stage dimming function called EvoDim. New pricing and form factors also announced for existing EvoLux LED Light Bulb lineup. Advanced Lumonics, LLC - An early innovator in the direct replacement LED light bulb market through its consumer oriented EarthLED brand announces its latest product, the EarthLED EvoLux R.

The latest wrinkle in LED lighting is a three-way bulb, much like might be used in a living room lamp. The EarthLED EvoLux R gets successively brighter as you hit the switch.It's not cheap, though, at $100 for a version that's as bright as a 100-watt incandescent bulb. A tiny fan in its base helps cool the LED light.

Triangle Digital INX Co. (TDI), a member of INX Digital, has stepped up the pace in global ink leadership, partnering with LED curing specialist Summit UV in developing EVOLVE™ UV — the first UV LED-curing ink to deliver eye-popping 4-color with single-pass through-cure at speeds of 80' per minute or higher, running with Xaar™ 1001 piezoelectric printheads. All with no inert curing atmosphere. DRUPA visitors can see the system in action at the INX Digital Exhibit CO2 in Hall 8b, from May 29 through June 11, 2008 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Inc. recently took the wraps off its first multicolor displays at the Society for Information Display conference, simultaneously revealing the first customer application for the displays.

All the properties that light sources need for backlighting medium-sized LCDs (5 to 20”)are combined in OSRAM’s new high-power Ceramos Reflector LED in its tiny package.Developed for injecting light into a light guide, it offers high brightness and impressiveefficiency. The LED also withstands temperatures as high as 150°C and is extremelydurable with a life of up to 50,000 hours.

Kim Lighting, a leading manufacturer of outdoor architectural lighting, announced today that its Lightvault Series and Minivault in-grade up light series both now include new super bright white LED technology.

With thermal management for compact electronic devices in mind, Molex Incorporated showcases its patent-pending LED socket technology at LIGHTFAIR International, Las Vegas, May 28-30. Molex LED socket technology reduces component count, permitting automated high-speed pick-and-placement of LEDs and resistors to greatly reduce cycle time and overall cost. Designed to support emerging solid state lighting (SSL) technologies, the new LED socket will be used to power Seoul Semiconductor's Acriche AC LED.

According to LIGHTimes, Osram Opto Semiconductors of Santa Clara, California USA, has introduced the Ceramos Reflector LED for backlighting mid-size (5''-20'') LCDs. According to the company, the Ceramos Reflector LED offers high brightness and power in a very small package.

Cree, Inc., a market leader in LED lighting, announces volume shipments in May of the LR4, a four-inch architectural recessed LED down light for new construction and renovation projects. The LR4 has been specified in a number of significant projects, including corporate campuses, full-service hotels, and global restaurant chains.  

It's reported that Renaissance Lighting, a specialist in LED architectural lighting, will introduce the world's highest-quality commercially available 4-inch solid-state LED downlight at LightFair International from May 28-30. The company unveiled a 6-inch prototype of the downlight last year at LightFair International. Now the downlight can come in a 4-inch and a much brighter 6-inch production model. Renaissance Lighting's recessed downlight, offers more than 16 million color combinations without glare or visible LEDs.

LEDtronics® introduces a new Micro High-Power LED Flashlight. While continuing the durability of its predecessors, the new Micro FlashLED is more powerful than most LED flashlights on the market today, the company says. It has a one-watt, 80-lumen LED chip that emits over 4,300 end foot-candles (4300cd) of bright Cool White (8000 Kelvin) light. Other LED light colors are available for qualified customers.

Some intriguing LED announcements this week: Molex is showing its LED socket technology for the Acriche high-brightness (HB) LED at LightFair in Las Vegas next week. This is apparently a mounting device for the Acriche LED that in turn goes into the socket that we as consumers are familiar with. The press release describes the Molex connector as conferring “[the] ability to connect with standard Edison-base, GU 24-base, or custom interface configurations.” The Acriche line of LEDs runs directly off the 110Vac mains.

Endicott Research Group (ERG) has released two high-efficiency, low-profile Smart Force LED driver boards as standard products for a wide range of industrial and medical LCDs. The SFDE (Economical) and SFDM (Mini) series provide full function power supplies with optimum power for high brightness as well as lower power consumption and lower cost in a compact size.

Architecturally inspired solid state lighting fixtures to be unveiled at LIGHTFAIR International   ilumisys, Inc. is unveiling a new line of five elegantly designed, contemporary LED lighting fixtures that exploit the unique characteristics of solid state lighting. Four of the Designer Series luminaire creations are pendant fixtures; the other is a table lamp.The ilumisys Designer Series meets the public next week at LIGHTFAIR International in Las Vegas (booth #2967).

OSRAM, together with its partners in the LED-Light-for-you (LLFY) network, is promoting LED technology for general lighting applications. The offered range of products, innovative technologies and services is showing the industry the way forward. The network is therefore ideally equipped to meet the demands of this fast-growing market segment.

OSTAR®-Projection LED modules from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, Inc. are backlighting a new ultra-wide curved display from Ostendo Technologies, Inc. Frontal view of Ostendo CRVD™-42 display with keyboard & mouse. OSTAR®-Projection 6-chip LED modules using Thinfilm and ThinGan® chip architecture backlight the CRVD™-42 display.

The new CERAMOS™ Reflector LED from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors provides unprecedented high brightness and power in a very small package, the ideal solution for backlighting mid-size (5"-20") LCDs. Specifically designed for light guide-based backlighting of displays in high ambient light conditions, such as those found in today's TFT displays, automotive dashboards and aircraft cockpits, the slim profile of the CERAMOS™ Reflector LED is well suited for in-coupling into light guides as thin as 2 mm.

The new RGB MicroSIDELED® from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors features an ultra-slim design and delivers high brightness for in-coupling into light guides designed for backlighting in space-sensitive applications.New RGB MicroSIDELED combines outstanding brightness with a slim profile for backlighting thin displays.

Santa Clara, Calif. & Duesseldorf, Germany—NEC Electronics America Inc. and NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH introduced an microcontroller (MCU), part number uPD78F8024, with a constant high-current driver (HCD). The HCD/LED MCU can be used in lighting applications that use more than one LED, in industrial control applications featuring stepping motor and solenoid drives, and in switching-mode power supplies. The uPD78F8024 has been developed in collaboration with LED solutions supplier Future Lighting Solutions (a division of Future Electronics).

Flowery Branch City Council Wednesday approved on first reading an amendment to the city sign ordinance to regulate LED billboards; the question was how long the electronic displays should last.Councilman Craig Lutz said the issue is safety; how distracting to interstate motorists passing by Flowery Branch are 10-second LED sign messages? He proposed at least 63 seconds.

It's reported that Microsemi Corp. and Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) have partnered in the design of an advanced TV backlit with RGB LEDs. The system is on display at this week's 2008 Society for Information Display Conference in Los Angeles.

Apple has been criticized by some environmental groups for not being a leader in removing toxic chemicals from its new products, but the company has pledged to mend its ways. It appears now that Apple will indeed live up to its promise as it is set to replace all the CCFL backlights in its MacBook range with energy-efficient LED systems by 2009.