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408

Is there any good info on this anywhere? I find it difficult to find useful info even among different search engines.

I am pretty sure the daylight type of LED light will be bad to use late into the night. (Just as you had pure sun light at that time, but the spectrum of LED light is more artificial.)

EDIT

6 hours in - I like all the comments so far, upboats for everyone!

So there are LEDs that do a more full spectrum. That has to be good progress and make them a good light source for homes. I agree that flickering may be 'bad' (don't know how or where or how to define, but steady light would be better I think) but gas-discharge (e.g. tube light) has been in use for many decades without problems that we know of (again, I think) - but they are mostly used in work environments. Gas-discharge in homes is now in use for many years also. One thing about them is, they flicker too, but at 100 or 120 Hz. And I think the only reason LEDs flicker is to have some control over their brightness (LED brightness is practically uncontrollable by current alone.)

I guess the main thing I meant to say is, would anyone go back to incandescent? Or has anyone gone back to incandescent, and found out that they feel better?

Is there any good info on this anywhere? I find it difficult to find useful info even among different search engines. I am pretty sure the daylight type of LED light will be bad to use late into the night. (Just as you had pure sun light at that time, but the spectrum of LED light is more artificial.) EDIT 6 hours in - I like all the comments so far, upboats for everyone! So there are LEDs that do a more full spectrum. That has to be good progress and make them a good light source for homes. I agree that flickering may be 'bad' (don't know how or where or how to define, but steady light would be better I think) but gas-discharge (e.g. tube light) has been in use for many decades without problems that we know of (again, I think) - but they are mostly used in work environments. Gas-discharge in homes is now in use for many years also. One thing about them is, they flicker too, but at 100 or 120 Hz. And I think the only reason LEDs flicker is to have some control over their brightness (LED brightness is practically uncontrollable by current alone.) I guess the main thing I meant to say is, would anyone go back to incandescent? Or has anyone gone back to incandescent, and found out that they feel better?

(post is archived)

[–] • 6 pts

dependent on things like ac vs dc led.

AC LEd will flicker. DC LEd will not.

If you want really good light in your house/ workspace, buy a nice 3500-5000k higher end chip (like luminus or samsung or Vero or Citizen), and power it with a DC meanwell (48v).. You'll get a light specrtrum equivalent to the sun (3500 more like summer (yellow), 5000 more like fall (whiter, but still full spectrum).

-Light guy

[–] • 5 pts

AC LEd will flicker. DC LEd will not.

Not necessarily. There are AC LED drivers that do not flicker. They have proper AC smoothing or they convert the drive current into smoothed out DC to prevent flicker. DC LED drivers can flicker if they use PWM (pulse width modulation) to control the brightness of the LEDs by varying the amount of time the LED is on versus off. DC LED drivers can also flicker just from being switch mode drivers which pulse the LEDs at a high frequency. Neither of your two statements are guarantees.

Your application for a DC supply, direct-drive LED (which I assume will have only a resistor in series with the LED to control current) is not reliable. You would want to use an LED driver circuit to make sure the LED has proper voltage and current to operate and extend its life. Going driverless means that the LED will be subject to power supply fluctuations and could see too much or too little voltage/current depending on the power conditions. Meanwell brand power supplies are mostly switch mode power supplies so you will have some ripple and other transients on the power rail which will cause LED flicker, even if it is at several kilohertz in frequency. Only a direct drive battery powered LED will be steadily lit with no flicker, but this isn't practical for long term installation and use.

[–] • 2 pts

While you're technically correct (the best kind), you've completely missed what this guy is asking and what he wants.

Any decent 48v wide spectrum chip, operating on a decent DC driver, WILL provide what this guy is looking for: good environmental lighting, even one that that cures seasonal light disorders. Even one that will get your vitamin D pumping.

A cheap but good grow light he could use would be a quantum board setup. Put it in a lightbox or a shade or a diffuser.

'Good' AC non-flicker lights are unicorns.

[–] • 4 pts

I saw research years back, showing the less broad spectrum but much high brightness in a few wavelengths of led was Terrible for your eyes. There’s a ton showing the high frequency blinking of non incandescent is problematic.

Unfortunately I don’t have it at hand to link…

[–] • 2 pts

There is nothing about LED that prevents them from being full spectrum. Look for high CRI LED. High CRI means full spectrum because there's no other way to get a high CRI rating than to have a full spectrum of light.

[–] • 1 pt

Finding one that has wide spectral frequency and no pwm pulsing can be difficult. I've seen some, but they take more energy. It's almost better to just use a halogen incandescent at that point.

[–] • 1 pt

They're hard to find because everyone wants a $2 bulb but with sophisticated electronics. The best bulbs I've found in that price range are either GE or Philips 60W and 100W equivalents. Most of their models don't have PWM.

All the bulbs at Home Depot and Costco are shit-tier, and that's being kind.

[–] • 1 pt

One thing in LED's favor over fluorescent is that for whatever reasons the phosphor(s) used for LEDs tend to be a more broad spectrum. Fluorescent tended to use really narrow-band phosphors, for some reason.

[–] • 3 pts

Ive got bad eyes and went back to incandescent for most of my lighting and it feels nicer on my eyes. The color is richer with regular bulbs vs led. They arent nearly as bright as led, I intentionally use lower wattage, but i adjusted pretty quickly. The crazy brightness of LEDs do not seem healthy to me.

At the very least I would say out real light bulbs in the bathroom to see yourself more realistically in the mirror

[–] • 2 pts

I'll bet $100 you cannot successfully pass a double blind test between incandescent and high-CRI LED of the same color temperature and brightness.

[–] • 1 pt

No, but use them for hours and you'll notice more eye strain with one vs the other.

[–] • 1 pt

Idk, ive had cataract surgery tho and the glare & blue of regular warm white leds is more irritating than incandescence.

[–] • 2 pts (edited )

If they're blue they're not the same color temp. Make sure you're buying 2700K high CRI bulbs. Most aren't.

Don't use Feit bulbs. They are shit. Philips are usually good and GE are usually good.

[–] • 2 pts

Most LEDs are driven by some sort of pulse wave modulation - PWM. Using a high speed camera on your phone, you can actually see the flicker.

Also many LEDs have poor spectral frequency to give their color. These are efficient in power as they don't have to produce a wide variety in photo frequency distribution.

There is more to lighting than brightness. I've notice it is easier to read with evening sun that is less bright as compared to full indoor lighting. One has a full range of visible photons at all frequencies, the other has narrow bands here and there to give it the tungsten equivalent kelvin rating.

There are simply a very wide distribution of photons at different frequencies with natural solar light.

LED bulbs that have a full wide frequency and no pulsing tend to draw more power and are more expensive. You can switch to halogen, but halogen bulbs still pulse but differently with the 60Hz AC input. It will cool slightly and dim slightly, but not as bad as the PWM driven LEDs that are everywhere. Still, Incandescent halogens may be a good choice.

[–] • 1 pt

would anyone go back to incandescent? Or has anyone gone back to incandescent, and found out that they feel better

Yeah, I tried out a few others, but incandescent is the best, just get a high-watt bulb. I really can't stand CFL, it makes me quesy. LEDs can be decent but never as good as incandescent.

[–] • 1 pt

In so e places.. the Warner light comes with the benefit of cast off HEAT. Alaskans lik,e it.

[–] • 1 pt

Daylight lights are fucking shit indoors. I personally can't stand that cool white. CFLs made that big, and LEDS have made it even a bigger fad. If you want full spectrum, incandescent all the way. I'd use them if it weren't for the fucking heat.

[–] • 0 pt

I remember the time of mass replacement of incandescent. "A little more expensive, but they'll last you a decade!" You know how this went. Feeling ripped off also impacts mental health...

[–] • 1 pt

I actually had better luck with CFLs than I've had with LED. I used one in my room for 14+ hours a day and it lasted for years. LED bulbs tend to only last a year or two.