Bench Talk

Recently a major LED lighting supplier, OSRAM, announced that the 2015 Ford F-150 will be the first truck to feature a full LED forward lighting system. A key performance and styling differentiator, the innovative LED lighting system is comprised of a low beam, high beam, light driver module, turn module, and park module.

For most of us, it’s what we have to do to pay our bills so that we can live the lifestyle we want. We have to wake up and go to work.

Do you recall growing up as a kid and playing with Lite-Brights? I can remember it almost like it was yesterday. It came with that ubiquitous patterned picture to make a clown face and a sail boat. The fun came from completing the build out the pattern and then flipping the off the light switch and seeing everything glow, lighting up the darkness.

I’m a guy. That means I’m extremely competitive. When I was dating my wife, Dianna, and if we played any games together, I would be relentless in my competitive approach and make sure I crushed her, demonstrating my total domination of all things. Then she asked me to bowl. That stupid ball never seems to roll where I aim! Dianna was a good bowler and took pride in silently racking up the pins, while I stewed in my anguish. In bowling the perfect score is 300. I can hardly get to half of that. In baseball the mark of an excellent hitter is to have a career batting average of .300 or better. As of 2013 there have been 205 players who have batted at least .300 (minimum of 3,000 plate appearances). This is a small number when you think about the number of players who have ever played the game.

I live in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. From time to time I find myself on the major road artery that takes drivers from downtown Dallas out towards its suburbs. This heavily trafficked highway is known here locally as North Central Expressway; a freeway section of U.S. Highway 75 between downtown Dallas and McKinney, TX. On a recent Friday afternoon, just after 5 p.m., caught in the chaos and rush and what felt like the entire city of Dallas attempting to get onto this road and get back to respective homes, I saw a large billboard off in the distance. Due to my slow pace as a result of the rush-hour grid lock I could make out a light bulb on the far away billboard. But as of yet it was too far away for me to make out what the message of the sign was really about.

In my role I get to try out lots of cool things. However, some of the favorite things that I get to try out are the most practical. Several years ago the U.S. Congress and the President adopted the Energy Independence and Security Act. The goal of this legislation was an effort to move the country to becoming more environmentally friendly. As a result of this legislation incandescent bulbs would be phased out over time.

With my new blog, Light & Illumination, I will be seeking to explore contemporary technology and product issues related to LEDs and illumination. My aim is to assist the design engineering community through active and ongoing dialogue regarding the industry’s mission to impact our world through improved methods of incorporating LED technology. I endeavor to serve this mission by providing some personal knowledge, the resources of Mouser Electronics, and the resources of manufacturers throughout the world.