There has long been an issue in the construction of traditional LED fixtures that, while not entirely well-known at first, persists to this day across a variety of products, and serves as the main reason as to why many LED products fail within the first couple years of operation. The issue is that most LED bulbs come with the power supply built directly into them.
While a seemingly innocuous design choice meant to consolidate everything into as neat as package as possible, it has the adverse outcome of placing several very hot and delicate electrical components in proximity with one another. Heat is the enemy of LEDs and having the driver directly on top of the fixture generates heat which ultimately shortens the lifespan of the fixture and is why LED fixtures often fail. Drivers are also a common point of failure, and when one goes down, the entire fixture must be replaced.
In a smaller installation, such as a traditional single-family home, the prospect of having to reach up into the ceiling and replace an entire fixture is certainly less than ideal. Scale that up to something the size of a luxury villa or even a larger commercial space, however, and now, suddenly, you go from having a few failure points to having hundreds scattered across a property, sometimes in incredibly high, hard to reach locations.
It presents a massive challenge for lighting professionals that are dealing with large-scale lighting installations, notes Greg Higgins, Environmental Lights, whose company has worked to address the issue as to why LED fixtures commonly fail.
Their answer, referred to as the Remote Voltage Illumination system (or REVI), lies in adjusting where the power supply fits into the equation. Rather than having it crammed into the light fixture with the other materials, the REVI system instead opts for a remotely located power supply, often situated with other sensitive electronic equipment within and placed within a climate-controlled environment, to help prevent it from overheating.
Lightapalooza took place in late February, and the growth of the event has mirrored the rapid ascension lighting fixtures and controls.
Beyond the immediate benefit of a potentially longer-lasting LED, however, Higgins stresses that separating the power supply is by far a more beneficial move for integrators and their clients overall, leading to greater functionality of the LEDs themselves, while also allowing for the use of safer, low voltage wiring throughout the system.
In speaking with Lighting Designer Richard Heaton over at Paragon 360, Higgins goes into detail about how the REVI system can benefit professionals and their clients on projects. The full conversation can be viewed here by watching the attached video, and readers can learn more about the REVI system by visiting the REVI homepage, or speaking with an Environmental Lights professional.
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