LED stands for ‘Light Emitting Diode’.  LED lights are the latest technology in energy efficient lighting and they are by far the most power saving and smart lighting option available.

What are the benefits of LED lighting?

Lower power consumption. LEDs use approximately 85% less energy than halogen or incandescent lights and about 5% less energy than compact fluorescent globes. A 9 watt LED can give the same result as a 50 watt halogen, which saves you money thanks to their energy saving properties.

Longer lifespan. LED lights have a much longer lifespan than other types of lighting – see the table below.

LED lights can also be switched on and off frequently without affecting the LED’s lifetime where traditional lighting’s operational life expectancy is drastically reduced by frequent on/off switching.

LEDs also differ from standard lighting as they do not burn out and stop working rather they emit lower output levels, becoming less bright over a period of time.

Ecologically friendly. LEDS are free of toxic chemicals and are 100% recyclable. Where most conventional fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury or lead that are dangerous for the environment.

Emit no UV rays or infrared radiation which makes LED lighting a suitable option for objects and materials that are sensitive to heat and UV.

Flexibility of design. LEDs can deliver light more efficiently to a desired location; they can also be dimmed to control the colour and light distribution. A combined LED system can create amazing lighting effects not just for the eye but also the mood and the mind.

Compact and durable design. LEDS are built with solid components which provide resistance to rough conditions such as exposure to extreme weather, vibrations and external impacts.

Instant lighting is achieved with LEDs as they reach full brightness instantly in comparison to traditional lighting which can take several seconds to reach full brightness.

Operational in cold temperatures such as outdoor winter settings or freezers without the extreme settings impacting on the operation of the light.

Safer alternative as they operate at a much lower temperatures, so they are cooler to touch making them a safer option than halogens.

A low-voltage power supply is amble for LED lighting which makes them a good choice for outdoor settings and is a big advantage in remote or rural areas. You can even connect to an external solar-energy source!

The long operational lifespan of one LED light bulb can save material and production of 25 incandescent light bulbs.

A big step towards a greener future.

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The Commissioner said Fair Trading investigators had recently removed from sale a number of unapproved and non-compliant USB style chargers, travel adaptors and power boards at a stall and mobile phone accessory shop in the Campsie area.

“These devices pose a serious risk of electrocution or fire,” he said.

The trader at Campsie faces possible prosecution.

Maximum penalties are $87,500 and/or two years imprisonment for an individual and $875,000 for a corporation.

The unapproved devices do not meet the essential safety requirements of Australian standards and are often made of inferior plastics and other insulation materials. Devices found by Fair Trading had no insulation on pins, or approval marks.

Consumers must avoid these products and retailers should not be selling them.

All electrical products sold in NSW must comply with the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2004and its regulations to ensure they are designed and manufactured to meet Australian Standards.

Do not purchase or use an electrical product that does not carry a recognised safety approval mark or insulation on the pins of the plug.

Consumers in possession of unapproved and non-compliant USB style chargers, typically used to charge phones and tablets, should bend the pins on the chargers and dispose of them immediately.

As a general safety rule, consumers should not use any devices while they are plugged in and charging.

Anyone with information about the purchase of any unapproved and non-compliant electrical or gas products should contact Fair Trading on 13 32 20.

To check electrical approval marks go to Fair Trading website.

Unapproved USB Chargers

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Below are some of the choice snippets from the paper (in no particular order), some of which are as relevant now as they were over a hundred years ago:

“When the student enters college he is not receptive to an intelligent understanding, for after a four years’ dose in the high school of the same vicious method of memorizing a large mass of half and even less understood matters, the student finds it far easier to memorize the contents of his textbooks than to use his intelligence to understand the subject matter. After graduation, years of practice do for the better class of students what the college should have done-teach them to understand things.”

“Fortunately, the better technical colleges realize that the first requirement of an electrical engineer is a thorough general education, and begin to realize that for this purpose it is not sufficient; to require general subjects for college entrance and relegate their study to the high school: for even if the average high school were what it should be and not what it actually is, much of the general knowledge required by an educated man cannot be taught in the high school, since during the high-school years the intelligence of the boy is not sufficiently ripened for its grasp, and a review in the college is necessary.”

“The glaring fault of the college curriculum is that quantity and not quality seems to be the object sought: the amount of instruction crowded into a four years’ course is far beyond that which even the better kind of student can possibly digest. Memorizing details largely takes the place of understanding principles, with the result that a year after graduation much of the matter which had been taught has passed out of the memory of the student, and even examinations given to the senior class on subjects taught during the freshman and sophomore years, reveal conditions which are startling and rather condemnatory to the present methods of teaching.”

“The great defect of the engineering college is the insufficient remuneration of the teaching staff: the salaries paid are far below those which the same class of men command in industrial work, and as a result the college cannot compete with the industry for its men, but most of the very best men are out of reach for the colleges.”

The post Steinmetz on Electrical Engineering Education in 1908 appeared first on TNT Electrical Group Pty Ltd.