Engineers who need to spread light from a single light source over a wide, flat area can take advantage of the new modular Light Engine. Designed to serve as an extremely bright user interface, the Light Engine consists of high-bright, ultra-compact LEDs such as the Luxeon III Star or Luxeon V. In addition to the LEDs, the units feature a Lumitex woven or UniGlo fiber optic panel and a collimating lens, which captures and focuses light from the LEDs to the fiber optic panel. The assembly is encased in an aluminum housing that serves as a heat sink. Furthermore, the assembly is designed to drive the high-power LEDs at a high current through efficient heat management, allowing the device to offer panel brightness up to 20 to 50 times brighter than traditional units. Although brightness varies by application, typical brightness of the light engine is 100 ft-L or more for a 3 x 5 in. fiber optic panel illuminated by a single high-brightness LED. Light engines incorporating the Luxeon LEDs allow engineers to control the color of the light source, eliminating the color shift sometimes caused by incandescents. In addition, the units require no warm-up and resist shock and vibration. An alternative to halogens, incandescents, light arrays, and CCFLs, the light engine is designed for applications such as touch screens, medical equipment, LCD backlighting, and machine vision systems. The unit is also suited for a range of membrane switch applications and a variety of specialty applications such as high-end salon and spa equipment. Pricing varies depending upon application, the number of light sources used, and the number of Light Engines required. For example, the approximate price of a Light Engine with a single Luxeon III Star light source illuminating a 3 x 5 in. panel is $10 to $50 in OEM quantities.
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