Lighting modules integrate LEDs, drivers, optics, and heat sinks

Cree recently announced a line of Lighting modules that combines the company's TrueWhite Leds with driver electronics, optics, and primary-thermal-management components. The first product in the new line, the LMR4 LED module, consumes 12W, delivers 700 lumens at a warm-white color temperature of 2700K with a CRI (color-rendering index) of 90, and has a minimum lifetime of 35,000 hours. All a fixture manufacturer needs to do is drop in an optional heat sink to accommodate high-temperature applications, such as down lights for insulated ceilings, and then design the external fixture package. The result is a low-power, long-life solid-state-lighting luminaire. Cree offers an evaluation kit, including two luminaires and two dimmers, for $199.



How does this product compare with the modular-lighting system that Bridgelux recently announced (see "Modular LED-light system targets new installations," EDN, April 22, 2010, pg 14)? First, Bridgelux and Cree LEDs offer different light characteristics. Bridgelux's system focuses on making led lights interchangeable: The hard-mounted connector makes it easy to swap out the LED module when an end user wants a change in light color or beam pattern. Most important, though, the Bridgelux product lacks power-management electronics, whereas Cree's module does not.