It’s reported that Cooper Industries has acquired Illumination Management Solutions, Inc. (IMS) of Irvine, California that specializes in optics and system design for LED fixtures. Cooper did not reveal the purchase price or other details. Optics are critical to improving the energy efficiency of LED fixtures and creating lighting patterns that improve safety and customer comfort, according to Ron Holder, IMS president.

Recently, LED giant Cree, Inc. has launched the Product Characterization Tool (PCT), an interactive LED design tool that simplifies the task of translating nominal LED performance to real-world conditions. The online tool, accessible via cree’s website, Cree notes PCT allows users to easily characterize any XLamp® LED over a wide range of operating conditions, including drive current, flux bin, price and junction temperature. It also calculates metrics such as lumen output, lumens per watt, lumens per dollar and more.

Bright Green Technology introduces an LED backlight system - Bright Green Matrix™. The company says it is designed to illuminate large format signs and billboards in retail, commercial and advertising environments and it is equally suited to retrofitting into existing boxes or incorporating into new designs.

Thanks to the success of its LED landscape products, Kichler has added 26 new products including 12 LED path and spread lights, four well lights, three accent lights and new long LED cowls to its popular Design Pro LED landscape offerings. Kichler now offers homeowners a complete line of energy-saving LED products that all offer a bright, white, even flow of light.

The researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York of the US announced the development of a new type of blue LED in collaboration with Samsung Electro-Mechanics. The researches said the blue LED that improves light output by 18%, and the amount of electricity the LED converts into light by 22%.

It’s reported that The Schenectady Museum & Suits-Bueche Planetarium has added new LED bulbs from Marktech LED Lighting of Lathem, New York in the Museum's Broughton Gallery. In order to improve its energy consumption and to enhance the appearance of exhibits in the gallery the Museum has installed fifty new 12W LED Bulbs. The new solid-state PAR30 LED Bulbs were used to replace outdated incandescent track lighting that had been previously used to light the section of the Museum.

Recently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a safety alert for operators (SAFO) called “Night Vision Goggle (NVG) Advisory Pertaining to Certain Red Color LEDs.” This SAFO advises operators using NVGs that certain LED lighting systems fall outside the combined visible and near-infrared spectrum of NVGs, and thus will not be visible to them.

The OLED lighting market will reach $6 billion by 2018, according to a recent report. The report notes that the OLED market will start to pick up in 2011, with Philips, GE, Konica Minolta, Lumiotec, and OSRAM entering mass production.

ANC Sports Enterprises released new versions of two of the company's state-of-the-art software applications, the Data Interface Solution (DIS) and VisionSOFT 3D interface. The Wachovia Center, home to the Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers is the first venue to feature DIS 3.0 and VisionSOFT 6.5. The newest features of ANC’s revolutionary platforms include animated statistical imagery, automated font resizing, and an immediate, seamless transition to a backup server function.

LED lamps were compared to other technologies in a recent issue of National Geographic magazine, and LED lighting was also discussed in the House of Commons, the UK’s legislative chamber, on March 5 as part of a debate on energy and climate change. Joan Ruddock, Under-Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, was asked if there had been discussions between her department and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on the effect on electricity consumption and CO2 emissions of the installation and use of LED lighting.

AIXTRON AG of Aachen, Germany, worldwide leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry, announced financial results for fiscal year 2008, ended December 31, 2008. Key Financials

Recently, Advanced LEDs Ltd of UK announced that it has completed two LED projects in Dubai. The projects include the Dubai Mall, with more than 1,200 stores, and the 360m-high Burj Dubai Lake Tower Hotel next door.

It’s reported that Samsung Group's LED business unit will begin operation in June with an initial target production of 120,000 LED panels. However, Samsung indicated that this production target is not big enough to challenge leading foreign makers in terms of market share. They expect the production capacity will be tripled by 2010.

Spring is slowly emerging and people are dreaming of outdoor barbecues and parties on the deck. The following solar lights from Ikea look pretty darn nice, they're exactly what you need to brighten your outdoor spaces this summer.

LED market will experience robust growth, over the next five years, fueled by increasingly more-powerful and energy-efficient offerings that will help businesses and consumers lower their Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), accelerate Return on Investment (ROI) and be more environmentally friendly, according to a recent report.  

It’s reported that Gertrude Neumark Rothschild, professor emerita of Materials Science and Engineering at Columbia University in New York, filed a complaint with the U.S.

In cooperation with the Meyer Werft Lighting Group, OSRAM has developed a highly efficient lighting system specially designed for the ship. Thanks to their excellent light quality and efficiency, they are the first choice for effect lighting on board the new luxury cruise ship, Celebrity Solstice, owned by US shipping company Celebrity Cruises. Ships of this class are built by Meyer Werft. In the casino, the disco, and even the dining area, along with many other places, OSRAM’s LED modules in its Linearlight range produce striking effects.

Taiwan LED chip maker Epistar is reportedly to launch AC-LED products in Q209, the company says it expects to be “the first company in the world to ship AC-LED chips.

The shipments of notebook PCs with LED backlights reached 3.7 million in the final quarter of 2008 – a 62% rise on the preceding quarter. 13.4% of notebooks shipped in the closing quarter of the year featured LED backlighting technology, compared with a market share of only 6.3% in the third quarter, according to a recent report.

Mircon, based in Boise, Idaho, is asking for $20 to $100 million of the more than $1 billion of stimulus money the Gem State will be receiving. The company is proposing to start manufacturing solar panels and high efficiency lighting components at it's now idle factories in Nampa and Boise, employing hundreds of people.

Macroblock introduces a new step-down DC/DC converter, MBI6651, to drive 1A output current with efficiency up to 93%. With merely 0.45ohm of switch ON resistance, MBI6651 reduces the power consumption on IC at rated voltage. Additionally, the internal start-up scheme eliminates the inrush current and limits it within 1.15 times of preset current. Besides, MBI6651 features constant current and provides uniform brightness with excellent output current accuracy up to ±5%(Max.).

Group III-nitride materials have been widely used for visible and ultraviolet LEDs and blue, violet laser diodes in the past decade. Most of these optoelectronic devices are typically fabricated on the conventional polar (0001) c-plane oriented substrate materials. Devices grown on the polar substrate orientation suffer undesirable spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization resulting in significant band bending in the quantum well. This reduces radiative recombination efficiency and lowers device performance.

AIXTRON AG reported that in the fourth quarter 2008 the National Taiwan University (NTU) of Taiwan ordered one Close Coupled Showerhead 3x2" wafer Research Platform MOCVD system for research and development on GaN and related materials and devices and it will be delivered in the third quarter 2009.  

Lei Yueh Enterprises announced its latest LED lighting product series, “Streamline”. This series of LED lighting products are specially design for home living environment. The design concept of this product series is to be simple but yet delicate.  The product series comprises LED Down Light, LED Wall Scone, LED Table Light and LED Floor Light, as it offer the consumer to have an diverse LED product to fulfill various of application of their home living environment.

The Cromobox LED shower door is an innovative evolution of Antonio Lupi’s amazing decorative shower doors design. It is designed to change colors across a spectrum in order to promote relaxation. The Cromobox LED shower features a full spectrum of cool shades that impact you from the inside out. Lift your spirits every morning with invigorating green; turn up the heat with vivid red; soothe your soul at night with the calming effects of a true blue hue. These vibrant colors splash the doors, illuminating the modern Mosaico pattern on the Duroglass enclosures.

Avolux Europe of Romania has designed and manufactured a new LED luminaire - Nordica 3 architectural flood light IP 67. The company says it is ideal for up lighting or down lighting applications, also suitable for lighting facades, buildings, bridges and architectural.

It’s reported that PosterGarden will unveil a unique and earth-friendly LED light for its portable displays at EXHIBITOR2009 in Las Vegas, March 23-25, 2009. PosterGarden notes that the new light, which will fit on its banner stands and popup displays, features its stylish design accents and the latest in LED technology, which is much friendlier to the environment than standard light bulbs and halogen lights.

It’s reported that Albeo Technologies’s C-Series High Bay is recognized as a product that significantly contributes to a sustainable economy. The Colorado CleanTech Initiative in coordination with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and CORE Colorado will present Albeo Technologies with a Sustainable Business Medal of Honor at the Sustainable Opportunities Summit March 17th in recognition of Albeo’s “C-Series” white-LED High Bay Light Fixture.

Recently, AsianSignals has released its most powerful and efficient copper-clad LED array emitter board - the Rebel Spot 36. The company says the Rebel Spot 36 is their continuing exploration into leveraging FR-4 copper laminate techniques in achieving a low cost, easy to use, and effective mounting solution for the Luxeon Rebel LED.

If you're photographing jewelry, small parts, or anything where you need shadow-free macro photography, a handy accessory is SR Electronics' new Digi-Slave Flex-Ring 6400.