I just had to write another message to tell you guys how impressive it is to see the messages in this thread that point to a load's heat output characteristics!!
Relizing this simple, yet complex key point is the step away from basic theory to advanced areas!!

Very cool!! [Linked Image]

This is the reason that Incandescent lamps will eventually fail - no matter if they claim to "run forever".
Also applies to discharge lighting, and many other things.
The load device discharges energy in the form of moving matter [E=MC2], so the load device will lose matter over time.

Steve [Sparky] has taken this a step higher with the efficency of lighting, as to the heat generated.
The majority of energy used in the creation of visible white light in an Incandescent Lamp is plain old heat - Infrared Light and just plain old heat energy. A very small amount is actually converted into usable and visible white light.

Discharge lighting has a higher transfer to visible light in the white light spectrum, which makes it more efficient per input watt to output lumens in the visible spectrum.

With this in mind, apply it to what happens to conductors when there is a large voltage drop in them. This also becomes an energy transfer issue!

To sum it up, the electrical power is knocking free electrons out of the load element [kind of [Linked Image]]. This is a simple way to view it.

The closest one can come to producing an output level of light, without a rapid deterioration of the load device it's self, would be the LED.
Most of the light produced from an Electron falling into a hole after passing the PN junction, is just simply the release of the energy required to get the electron across the PN junction. Very little Semiconductor matter is dislodged during this joining of charge to hole [hole being the Positive Charge]. Eventually, there will be enough matter dislodged from the junctions of the diode, so it will also fail.

FYI: Due to this type of energy transfer / discharge, all Semiconductor devices produce light. Mostly in the form of heat and HF radio waves.

Scott SET

P.S.: Who is "The Chipper" ?? [Linked Image] or whom would "The Chipper" be run from?? [Linked Image]

Sure hope it's not me! [Linked Image]
Chippers are, and should only, be used on me, not by me.


Scott " 35 " Thompson
Just Say NO To Green Eggs And Ham!