LED Posted on May 25, 2021 By Phil Jones Back to Glossary LED light engines use inorganic LED light-sources in place of a consumable lamp. Like laser light sources, LED light engines are also highly reliable and can offer up to 20,000 hours of use with no maintenance needed resulting in lower-cost operations. LED light sources are mercury-free and can power off and on quickly, even compared to laser light engines. Using LED as a light source has been growing in popularity, mainly due to their small size, low heat, and affordability. Traditionally LED light engines are found in smaller, more portable projectors like a PICO projector. What PICO projectors lack in Lumens output is more than made up for in their size, power consumption, and portability. In some cases, PICO projectors can fit in a briefcase, purse, or even a pocket. Although historically LED’s light output was far less than lamp and laser-based projectors, things are changing. Developers of high-output LED lights, like OSRAM, Samsung, and others, have made remarkable strides in increasing the Lumens of the LED light engines. These next generation LED lights can generate up to 3500 lumens of light output. How an LED Light Engine Works Starting in 2019, high Lumen, discrete RGB LED light engines are finding their way into projectors. Discrete RGB LEDs create red, green, and blue light. High-speed LED switching takes the place of the color and phosphor-wheels commonly found in DLP projectors to display each color at a frequency impossible to achieve mechanically. Since a wheel is not required, the noise produced is reduced and reliability is increased. RGB LED produces deeper, richer colors than comparable technologies for pure white reproduction and less DLP “rainbowing” (color breakup). Business and education installations will value the performance and color accuracy of RGB LED-based light engines. These projectors are perfect for classroom and conference room type environments able to produce laser competitive colors, reliability, and, with the exception of brightness, do it at a lower price. Just like laser light engines, LED light engines can and do have alternate configurations just as listed in hybrid laser light engines. Back to Glossary
