Instructions on Programming a Scrolling LED

Scrolling LED panels are a great way to advertise a variety of products, as they provide a high-energy, low-cost visual display of pertinent information about a particular subject. They're relatively inexpensive, low-maintenance product to run on a daily basis. Understanding how to program an LED panel display is not overly difficult. There are no special tools or education required, and most screens are simply "plug and play" in regard to ad campaign information.
Power Up
Turn the screen on to begin the editing and programming process. Mount the screen in the location where you're going to run your advertisements. Remove the screen from the mounting bracket and place it face up on a soft surface. Plug the screen into a power supply and turn the unit on. Press the "Edit" button to enter the text editing menu; begin scrolling through the memory locations to find a message to edit or a space to enter a new message.
Edit Speed and Message
Edit the speed at which the message is displayed and then edit the message itself. Once you've entered the editing menu and have picked a message to edit or a location in which to save a new message, scroll through the speed selections and choose an appropriate speed. Don't make the message so slow that the reader won't finish reading it by the time he passes, but also make sure not to make it too fast for him to read. Choose the reading speed and then begin editing the message. Select each letter by scrolling through the alphabet with the arrow keys until the letter you want appears.
Setup
Set the LED up to run once the message has been completed. Finish the message and scroll through the message menu; click "Save." You may now edit another message location, or you can set your screen up to run the message. Turn the unit off and then back on; use the arrow buttons to scroll to the message that you're interested in running. Once you select the message, press "Start" and then mount the unit into the mounting brackets and make sure the power supply is thoroughly secured.

How to Build Your Own LED Light Panel

An LED (Light Emitting Diode) light panel is a square (although it can be other shapes), flat panel that has LED lights covering one side. LED lights are durable, produce little heat and consume a small amount of electricity. LEDs also come in a variety of colors. LED panels may have many different colors to create an interesting effect. Constructing an LED light panel is quite simple, as most of the components can be purchased already assembled.

1 Determine the size of your LED light panel. A 1 foot-by-1 foot light panel should produce plenty of light. Locate or construct a wooden panel of that size. The wood panel should ideally be 1/2-inch thick and should not be more than 1 inch thick.
2 Paint the wooden panel. This step is optional, as the front of the LED light panel will be covered in LED light strips. Wait for the paint to dry.
3 Purchase LED light strips. LED light strips are a number of LED lights all grouped together in a strip. Purchase strips that are roughly the length of the wooden panel. A strip will ideally run from one end of the panel to the other. Purchase enough strips to cover the entire panel. If the strips are too long, they can be cut to suit the length of the panel; this will not impact the functioning of the remaining strips as long as the power cord (to the control unit) is in tact. An alternative is to purchase the strips first and then fashion the panel to fit the strips.
4 Apply super glue to the back of the LED light strips and lay them in rows along the wooden board. Once they are all laid out they should cover the board completely. Ensure that the wires coming from the end of each LED strip are all on the same side.
5 Connect the wires from the LED light strips to the LED control unit. The LED light strip wires should pop right into the control unit. The LED control unit is a hub for all the LED light strips' wires. It manages all the connections of the LED power wires and has a number of ports for them. The control unit will either run on batteries or be plugged into an outlet. It does not come with the strips but can be purchased at any store that sells LED light strips.
6 Super glue the control unit to the back of the LED light panel or mount it separately. Plug in or insert batteries into the LED control unit (depending on the model). Turn it on and test out the LED panel light.

Lignol Joins Carbon Fiber Consortium

VANCOUVER, May 3, 2012 -- /CNW/ - Lignol Energy Corporation (TSXV: LEC) a leading technology company in the advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals sector, today announced that it has become a member of the Oak Ridge Carbon Fiber Composites Consortium ("Consortium"). The Consortium is composed of some 40 organizations with a common interest in the development and commercial deployment of new carbon fiber and composite materials. Members include some of the world's leading chemicals, materials and auto-manufacturing companies, as well as established carbon fiber manufacturers and several research institutes.

The Consortium is managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ("ORNL") which is the largest science and energy national laboratory in the US Department of Energy system. ORNL is engaged in a number of research and development initiatives in the carbon fiber space and will soon complete construction of the Carbon Fiber Technology Facility ("CFTC"), which will include a pilot plant capable of producing up to 25 tons per year of new carbon fiber materials from several different precursors, including lignin. Lignol recently attended the semi-annual meeting of the Consortium in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which examined market development for carbon fiber composites and reviewed progress on the ORNL carbon fiber programs, including the CFTC.

"We are delighted to have been invited to join the Oak Ridge Carbon Fiber Composites Consortium and are truly impressed with the caliber and diversity of the membership that ORNL has attracted to the consortium," said Lignol's President and Chief Executive Officer, Ross MacLachlan. "The recent meeting was extremely valuable for us to make contact with players in this developing industry sector and to discuss our progress in Lignin-Carbon Fiber development with many of them. We were gratified with the depth of interest that we received in our HP-L? lignin among members."
Lignol is engaged in a wide range of application development projects incorporating its proprietary HP-L? lignin into many core products of the chemical industry, such as coatings, resins, composite materials and thermoplastics. As well as developing some very promising applications, this work has resulted in a significant and robust intellectual property portfolio relating to composition of matter, structure and function of lignin, independent of the process used to produce it. One key area of development is the use of HP-L lignin as a raw material for carbon fiber manufacture, an application which shows great technical promise with large-scale commercial potential. The unique physical and chemical characteristics of HP-L lignin have proven advantageous in carbon fiber manufacture compared with many other lignins.

Lignol has been working on Lignin-Carbon Fiber with a number of groups around the world, including universities, research institutes, such as ORNL, auto-makers and specialized materials manufacturers. Over a number of years Lignol has been supplying researchers with development samples of HP-L lignin and more recently, with tonnage quantities for larger scale production trials.

How to Start a Frequency Converter for a Gas Turbine Generator

How to Start a Frequency Converter for a Gas Turbine Generator
A static frequency converter serves to bring a large gas turbine generator up to near its operating speed as it is being brought online (put into service), at which point the turbine takes over power generation and maintains its speed. You must take care to use a static frequency converter only to the point where it is no longer needed, then shut it down.
1
Open the generator circuit breaker.
2
Connect the static frequency converter to the generator bus duct.
3
Switch the static frequency converter to "on." Turn the static excitation switch to "on."
4
Raise the speed of the turbine to approximately 70 percent of synchronous speed.
5
Switch the static frequency converter and static excitation switches to "off."

The Most Efficient LED MR16 50-Watt Equivalent Bulb

SATELLITE BEACH, Fla., April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Lighting Science Group LSCG +2.86% , the world's premier LED lighting manufacturer, announced today the production launch of a revolutionary high output 8-watt LED MR16 bulb that is a direct replacement for traditional MR16 50-watt Halogen bulbs. Suited to a variety of applications that require directional lighting--such as track lighting, recessed ceiling lights, desk lamps, pendant fixtures and retail display lighting--the DEFINITY(TM) MR16 HO LED bulb will be the first of its kind introduced to the marketplace, and considered the best of its breed when evaluated by metrics of efficiency, lumen output and form factor.
The degree of difficulty involved in managing the MR16's d6iscreet size and internal power supply and the intense requirements for brightness of a 50-watt equivalent renders its design and manufacture a complex challenge. Competitive attempts at reaching these high levels of performance have resulted in concessions that have been viewed as unacceptable to the market. No such sacrifice is required with the Definity MR16 HO Series.
At only 8 watts and a 25,000 hour life rating, Lighting Science Group's new DEFINITY(TM) MR16 HO LED light is up to 33% more efficient than competitive products while staying within the industry accepted form factor and not using any moving parts like fans to achieve its superior performance. "A commitment to superior technology underwrites all Lighting Science Group operations; that's why our customers can rest assured that they're offered the most advanced and widest selection of LED lighting products," said Jim Haworth, chairman and chief executive officer of the Company. "We believe that our new MR16 HO, which couples unparalleled efficiency and incredible performance, is a significant advancement in the science of light and another step forward in the development of a more efficient, sustainable and brighter energy future."
The new bulb joins the Company's suite of products that have found applications ranging from use in NASA outer space ventures; to artistic designs that span skyscraper silhouettes; to everyday, practical implementations for American homes and businesses that save families and business owners significant amounts of money on electricity bills. On the global stage, Lighting Science Group has become synonymous with the ultra-efficient lighting revolution, and at home the Company is most commonly viewed as the fulfillment of America's clean technology promise.
To find your nearest sales location for Lighting Science Group's DEFINITY(TM) bulbs, visit: www.lsgc.com .
About Lighting Science Group Lighting Science Group Corporation LSCG +2.86% designs, develops, manufactures and markets LED lighting solutions that are environmentally friendlier and more energy efficient than traditional lighting products. Lighting Science Group offers retrofit LED lamps in form factors that match those of traditional lamps or bulbs and LED luminaires designed for a range of applications including public and private infrastructure for both indoor and outdoor use. Lighting Science Group's Advanced Projects Group business unit designs, develops and manufactures custom LED lighting solutions for architectural and artistic projects. Lighting Science Group is headquartered in Satellite Beach, Florida; the Company's European operations are based in Middelburg, The Netherlands; and the Company has a sales office in Sydney, Australia. Lighting Science Group employs approximately 1000 workers building lighting products from domestic and imported parts. Lighting Science Group is a Pegasus Capital Advisors portfolio company. More information about Lighting Science Group is available at www.lsgc.com .
Forward Looking Statement. Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the performance of Lighting Science Group and its products and/or use terminology such as "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "goal," "intend," "plan," "project," "seek," "target," "soon," "will," "first of many" and variations of such words and similar expressions. Such statements reflect the current view of Lighting Science Group with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. In evaluating these statements, you should carefully review the risk factors detailed under "Risk Factors" in our most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that may cause our actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements.

How Much Would You Pay for a Light Bulb?

On Tuesday, I stopped at a local hardware store to buy a new light bulb for our outdoor motion lights above our garage doors. The fixture has two bulbs, but only one has been lit. I figure I’m saving energy if we don’t have to keep both lighted.
I picked out a General Electric LED flood lights with a spiral interior that uses 26 watts and cost about $7. It’s guaranteed to last six years. It has an Energy Star rating and supposedly will save $64 over its lifetime compared to using four 90-watt Halogen bulbs.
OK, but it contains mercury, and the package listed a website for details about proper disposal. Besides, it doesn’t give off much light, though it supposedly turns brighter after a brief warm-up. Typically, the floodlight is only on a short time. I might have to buy a second bulb for the other socket. I’d still be further ahead, however, than paying the energy costs for two traditional bulbs.
Later Tuesday I read an Associated Press story about a new “amazing” light bulb. It will go on sale Sunday, Earth Day, at Home Depot and other outlets. The bulb won a $10 million government contest.
The cost of components, including chips,LED panel light or diodes, that give off the light makes it pricey. Commercial customers will pay $60, but the maker, Philips, will discount it to $50 for consumers. Philips also is working on deals with utilities to discount it further, by as much as $20 or $30, the story said.
This LED bulb uses just 10 watts, meaning it saves about $8 per year in electricity if it’s used four hours per day, the story said. It’s expected to last 20 years—or 30 times longer than an incandescent.

The Differences Between 35W and 55W HID Kits

HID is the abbreviation for High Intensity Discharge. This type of light for your car is also known as a xenon lamp because the illumination is created by the ignition of xenon gas within the bulb. HIDs produce a white light that is three times brighter than the average halogen bulb. Two choices of HID xenon kit HID for your car are the 35 Watt and 55 Watt kits. The comparison in this article is for the Philips brand HID kits.
Use
Both the 12 Volt 35 Watt kit and 12 Volt 55 Watt kit are used in cars and cub motorcycles. However, the 24 Volt 35 Watt kit is for use in large trucks that have a 24 Volt battery.
Brightness
The brightness of a standard 35 Watt HID kit from Philips is 2300 to 3500 lamperes. The 55 Watt kit has a brightness of 3000 to 4800 lamperes.
Warning Canceller Requirement
The 35 Watt kits do require a warning canceller if your stock socket is 50 Watts or 55 Watts. If you have the 50W/55W stock socket, you don't need a warning canceller for the 55 Watt kit. This overrides the warning system that is set off in some cars when HID lights are installed.
Lamp Type and Ballast
The 35 Watt kit has a high pressure sodium lamp and the 55 Watt has an low pressure sodium type lamp. A single ballast is used in the 35 Watt lamps. For the 55 Watt lamps either a quad or dual ballast is available. Both have a non-digital ballast measuring 85 mm by 75 mm by 30 mm.
Minimum Ambient Starting Temperature
The 35 Watt lamp will work in temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The 55 Watt lamp needs temperatures to be at least -20 degrees Fahrenheit to function.
Similarities
Both the 35 Watt and 55 Watt kits have lamps that last two to three years. Both lamps are made of anti-UV Quartz and are 100 percent water and wind resistant. Each requires the extra relay harness kit if your car has daytime running lights on the same beam as the HID lamp. They both come with 28 inches of extra wiring and all cables and cases are made to inhibit electro-magnetic interferences.

LED Autolamps Europe LLP

LED Autolamps is a leading supplier of an extensive range of European certified commercial vehicle lighting systems.
Based in Sutton Coldfield in the UK, our new European office handles all sales and distribution activities throughout the UK & mainland Europe. We are proud to provide the highest standards of service to all of our customers through efficiency, responsibility and credibility and always strive to provide new product innovations through technological achievements.
Being a leading vehicle lighting manufacturer LED Auto lamps also welcomes application-specific product enquiries from OEM producers, bodybuilders and trailer manufacturers.

Your light bulb questions answered

1. Although halogen bulbs don't offer much of an energy savings over ordinary incandescents, compact fluorescents sure do, and you'd be a fool not to use them whenever you could. Me, I've got 'em all over the house, including right here in the desk lamp.
2. Telling me I have to use them -- production and import of conventional 100-watt incandescent bulbs were effectively banned Jan. 1-- is a pointless intrusion on my personal rights.
The facts:
The incandescent light bulb, though surely up there with the telephone as Coolest Invention Ever, has like old rotary-dial phones been rendered obsolete by advancing technology. It's one of the least efficient devices you'll ever lay hands on, converting just 5 to 8 percent of the energy it uses into light, with the rest thrown off as heat. Easy-Bake Ovens used to use a 100-watt incandescent bulb as their heat source. Not anymore -- the toy was redesigned in the expectation that 100-watt bulbs would disappear.
Halogen bulbs are only marginally better. Though much is made of the fact that they're 30 percent more efficient than ordinary incandescent bulbs, 30 percent better than completely dismal is still embarrassingly bad. Ninety percent of the energy used by a halogen bulb is given off as heat-the bulbs can reach temperatures of 700 to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, making them a fire hazard. I'm sure there must be some reason to use halogen bulbs, but energy efficiency isn't it.
CFL bulbs are a different story. They use only about a quarter of the energy of an incandescent bulb to produce the same light, waste much less heat, and supposedly last eight to 10 times as long.
That said, CFL bulbs have annoying drawbacks. They can take a minute or more to reach full brightness, an inconvenience if you're flipping on a closet light.
They work poorly in the cold -- I have one in a recessed ceiling fixture with an unheated attic above it, and when I first switch it on in the winter I can get more illumination by lighting a match.
The failure rate is higher than advertised. I've had a couple burn out after just a few months in recessed cans in the kitchen.
Disposing of CFL bulbs is a pain. They contain mercury and so must be brought to a special recycling facility rather than tossed in the trash. Early reports suggesting you'd have to call in a hazmat team if you broke one were exaggerated. The fact remains that the EPA's advisory about what to do if you have an accident lists 19 steps.
Some say CFL bulbs are an interim technology that will eventually be swept away by bulbs utilizing light-emitting diodes. LED bulbs use even less energy than CFLs, reach full brightness instantly, don't run on mercury, are unaffected by cold, and supposedly will last 25,000 to 50,000 hours. Unfortunately, the LED equivalent of a 100-watt incandescent bulb right now costs on the order of 50 bucks.
I won't be stocking up on LED bulbs any time soon. Still, I'm an eco kind of guy. Left to my own devices, my guess is I'd wind up with maybe 60 percent CFL bulbs at my house and the rest incandescent.
But no. The government says that, except for specialty applications, I'll have to replace them all.
All in the service of the greater good, you say. If only it were so. The net social benefit of legislating incandescent bulbs out of existence is likely to be negligible.
A spokesman for the Natural Resources Defense Council says changing bulbs will eliminate the need to build 30 electric power plants. That sounds like a lot until you realize the U.S. has 5,800 electric power plants.
Even the trivial gain being claimed is illusory. Notwithstanding the Straight Dope tradition of calling 'em like we sees 'em, it's odd to find yourself lining up with Rush Limbaugh and the Wall Street Journal. But there you are.

Carbon Fiber Food Tray Arm: Better And Cheaper

Despite major gains enjoyed by carbon fiber composites in aerostructure applications on the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350, there are still several metal-replacement opportunities that have the potential to help reduce the weight and improve the fuel efficiency of commercial aircraft. One such application was explored recently at CompositesWorld’s 2011 High-Performance Resins conference, held Sept. 27-28 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The speaker was Mohammad Moniruzzaman, a product development engineer at SABIC Innovative Plastics (Pittsfield, Mass.). He detailed the development of a carbon fiber composite food tray arm (bottom, in photo), to replace conventional aluminum arms, on passenger seat backs. The composite part is made with SABIC’s LNP Thermocomp compound, which consists of Ultem polyetherimide (PEI) and either 30 or 40 percent (by weight) chopped carbon fiber.
On paper, such a replacement is promising. LNP Thermocomp EC006PXQ and EC008PXQ are 50 percent lighter than aluminum, have a tensile strength greater than die-cast aluminum and have a strength-to-weight ratio comparable to machined aluminum. Further, the stiffness-to-weight ratio of EC008PXQ is comparable to aluminum. And both materials have good flame, smoke and toxicity (FST) properties and are FAR 25.853-compliant. The challenge, reported Moniruzzaman, was designing the composite version of the food tray arm to cope with certain mechanical stresses imposed on the part.
The tray arm, as the name implies, is the structure that supports the food service tray for airline passengers. Each tray is held up by two arms; it folds down from the back of a seat and locks into a fixed position to provide a flat table surface. Each arm is about 10 inches/254 mm long and is angled in two places to accommodate the curvature of the passenger seat. The primary mechanical requirement of the arm is that it must maintain integrity after it is lowered to its level position. This is done with a small metal pin near the end of the arm where it attaches to the seat back, which prevents it from dropping the tray below level.
The carbon fiber arm that SABIC developed was injection molded, and Moniruzzaman said most of the design attention focused on the stress and structural integrity near the pin. Most importantly, SABIC discovered that the arm required additional support along the edge that contacts the pin. This led to a series of design adjustments to reinforce the entire end of the arm, including the addition of reinforcing ribs and the assessment of resin flow to make sure that material knit lines were not located in high-stress regions.
Moniruzzaman said the side support area on the arm originally measured 8 mm/0.3 inch, but it was increased to 20 mm/0.8 inch to meet the target load of 120 ft-lb. SABIC also found that closing the end of the arm increased the peak load/break load by 80 percent. The design also was modified to add a spider rib configuration, with multiple ribs radiating from the hole to the end of the arm.
Next, said Moniruzzaman, SABIC evaluated the injection-gate location (where the resin enters the mold) to optimize the melt-flow distribution and knit-line location. Of particular concern was crack formation, which was detected in early testing. A melt-flow analysis showed that when the injection gate was moved from the end of the arm to the side of the arm near its end, the knit line was shifted away from high-stress exposure, thus optimizing structural integrity. Final tests of the arm, with the spider rib configuration and using the side injection gate, demonstrated a peak load of 213 ft-lb, without cracking.
SABIC also evaluated carbon fiber loading and discovered that 40 percent loading provides good stiffness, low part deflection and good load-bearing capacity. A carbon fiber loading of 30 percent provided better load-bearing capacity but compromised stiffness and part deflection.

How to Build Your Own LED Tail Lights

Vehicle customization can enhance pride in ownership and improve resale value. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can give any car a slick and luxurious appearance. Install custom daytime running light into a vehicle’s existing housing for brighter illumination, longer bulb life and a stronger overall presence on the road and/or at auto shows. Customize the layout and functions of the bulbs for a look that turns heads, catches stares and is entirely one-of-a-kind. Some experience with automotive light wiring makes this customization go faster; each year and model may have particularities, but the results are impressive. Instructions 1 Remove the housing of the tail light from the vehicle. Begin by unscrewing and/or carefully prying it out with a small, straight-head screwdriver. Remove the plastic from the rear of LED downlight. Leave remaining the mounting points with enough support to re-house the lights after customization. 2 Mold ABS plastic to create custom plates that match the existing housing of the vehicle. Contour the plastic to the shape of the tail light with a heat gun. Specific customization options include working with depth to create visual interest or colored plates as allowed by your jurisdiction’s traffic laws. 3 Create the grid pattern for the LED strip lights on the plastic plates. Lay out the grid pattern on the formed plastic plates. Drill holes in the plates that follow the grid pattern. Lay out functions required of the lights for the particular vehicle. This may include brake lights or turn signals. Holes that are 5mm usually allow the most variation in customizations, but any size will do as long as the drilled holes and bulb sizes match. 4 Attach the LED bulbs. Apply a small drop of instant glue to each LED bulb lights, and place each bulb in a drilled hole. 5 Secure resistors to the LEDs. Solder one end of a resistor to the positive side of the LED street lights. The positive side is the side with the long leg. 6 Connect the wiring. Determine the wire colors in the car. Use a trailer-hitch wire harness to connect the grounds through a main lead, and connect the wires into the car. 7 Secure the tail lights in the car. Fit the ABS plastic plates with the LED lights securely into place. Screw in components as necessary for the particular make and model. Seal with black silicone as necessary. Tips & Warnings Avoid cracking the plastic by placing the entire lamp in an oven at 150 to 200 F for about 30 minutes. After the sealant heats, use a thin knife to open the lens. Customize the brightness of the lights by using different resistors. Many people like a 510 ohm resistor. For a brighter lamp, use a smaller value, such as 450 ohm. In some American models, wires follow a standard. For example, black is the common ground. Light green is used for reverse on both sides. Yellow is used for the drivers’ side turn signal. Dark green is the passengers’ side turn signal. Turquoise is used for brake lights on both sides. Brown is used for the tail lamp on both sides. Refer to the vehicle’s manufacturer for specific information. Wear goggles when soldering. Wear gloves when working with sharp objects, power tools or high temperatures