Special Focus I EBV LIGHTLAB
Analysis of everything, from LEDs to lamps
EBV Elektronik is set to be the first European distributor to offer customers across EMEA access to a professional light laboratory
W
ith the launch of EBV LightLab, EBV Elektronik is the first European distributor to be able to offer customers throughout the EMEA region access to a professional light laboratory. Even newcomers to the field of LED lighting can use the facility to perform almost all the relevant photometric measurements from single LEDs and LED modules to complete lamp systems.
Many light manufacturers would like to make the leap from conventional filament and CFL lamps (energy-saving bulbs) to LED lighting, but currently have neither the necessary design of expertise of the necessary and expensive measuring equipment that is required. For many years now, EBV Elektronik has been providing these customers with support as part of its EBV LightSpeed activities.
Since February 2012, EBV Elektronik has been offering customers a new service - the EBV LightLab light laboratory - at its site in Poing, near Munich. This facility makes EBV the first European distributor to allow its customers to perform radiometric and photometric measurements across the entire light chain from the measurement on individual LEDs or LED modules and comparative measurements of light sources (e.g. light bulbs versus CFL or LED solutions) right up to the complete measurement of entire lights up to a certain size. This gives even small companies access to high-precision measuring technology.
EBV is also holding training and customer seminars in the new facility in which EBV is able to discuss the differences, advantages and disadvantages of the various light sources and give tips on optimum implementation of lights adapted to the relevant application. The EBV LightLab is also used for training the company’s own FAE team.
“The EBV LightLab is a further milestone in the field of individual customer support. We are the first company in the European semiconductor distribution industry to be able to offer customers from the whole EMEA region access to an ultra-modern light laboratory featuring state-of-the-art equipment,” explains Wolfgang Reis, EBV LightLab Manager. “The EBV LightLab allows customers to calculate and evaluate their lighting projects even more quickly and efficiently, thereby considerably shortening their time to market. A further key element in the EBV LightLab is the EBV LightAcademy. In addition to on- site training in the EBV LightLab, the EBV LightAcademy will also offer online training, allowing all our EMEA customers to take part in these seminars live in the form of webinars.”
Reference-class measurement devices
When selecting the equipment for the EBV LightLab, EBV opted for an entire range of highly professional devices, most of which are manufactured in Germany. The list of the measuring devices includes two integrating spheres
6 October 2012 Components in Electronics
for 2π and 4π measurements, a spectroradiometer for reference measurements, a goniophotometer, a light density measuring device and a luxmeter. This product range is complemented by special measurement/evaluation and control software, source meters and multimeters, a thermal camera and supplementary tools.
Integrating spheres
At first glance, the most noticeable element in the EBV LightLab is the two integrating spheres, where the lighting current and the radiant power are measured. These measurements are necessary for determining the luminous efficiency (measured in lumens per watt). In addition, it is in these spheres that colorimetric measurements of the quantitative spectral distribution are performed and the colour temperature and colour rendering index are determined.
The EBV LightLab contains two integrating spheres: a 2π sphere with a diameter of 250 mm and a 4π sphere with an internal diameter of 1,000 mm. The interior of the integrating spheres is lined with barium sulphate (BaSO4), which diffusely reflects around 98% of the light. The light is therefore optically integrated in the sphere via the reflective surfaces on the inside of the sphere, which allows the luminous flux to be measured. For example, the small integrating sphere is where individual LEDs are
measured or selected. The 250 mm integrating sphere allows the engineers to measure the semi-spherical space (steradian: 2π) above a small circuit board, and hence an LED. This means that personnel can for example select, in a 250 mm integrating sphere, LEDs with a precisely defined wavelength if five identical LEDs are needed. However, an appropriately sized 4π sphere is required for measuring an
entire luminaire. For this reason, EBV has also acquired an integrating sphere with an internal diameter of 1,000 mm (steradian: 4π) for “all-around measurements”, in addition to the 250 mm sphere. This large 4π integrating sphere is also suitable for comparative measurements – for example between a filament or halogen bulbs and LED lamps – or for the CIE-compliant measurement of high-power LEDs and entire lights with an edge length of up to 90 cm.
A special holder inside the spheres allows an E27 fixture or light to be attached for this purpose. EBV also provides the right mechanical adapters for measurements in the sphere.
Measurements with the market leader The two integrating spheres as well as both of these extremely complex measurement devices in the new EBV LightLab were manufactured by the German company Instrument Systems in Munich. Instrument Systems is the
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