Led colors

2015-Impala

Member
Jun 4, 2015
206
NJ
does anyone have any idea why some blue LEDs are different colors then others? For example, I have a Whelen inner edge xlp, microns, and ions n ionv3. The ionv3 seems light blue but not teal as compared to micron which is deep blueish. Any reason why their blues are different shades rather then all the same tint?
 

7d9_z28

New Member
Mar 15, 2012
3,048
West Michigan
There should be several threads about this. Maybe they were lost in the shuffle of software. The brand/generation/type of LED used vary.
 

2015-Impala

Member
Jun 4, 2015
206
NJ
Yea but makes no sense and looks like crap when I have blue and all Whelen but they're different colors of blue. You'd expect that from some cheapo stuff but not Whelen of all people. I searched n found 1 but do you know where the one your refereeing to is? Thanks.
 

bluestinger90

Member
Jun 5, 2010
657
BC / California
There's a range of "blue" that is considered acceptable for warning light use. From teal, cyan, deep blue, royal blue, it's all in use.

I believe the general consensus was that a large company like Whelen uses so many leds, they can't possibly stick to just 1 shade of blue, and produce the large volume of products they do.

Or they go with the first answer, and feel their shades of blue are all ok to use.
 

Jarred J.

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 21, 2010
11,580
Shelbyville, TN
The thread is archived and as of this point in time is 4 posts above this one.
 

wilsonbr90

Member
Sep 30, 2013
1,427
Corning, New York
Whelen switched through differect manufactures of leds through their progression.

Early leds were philips lumileds which were one of the first cost effective high output led on the market. These started off as the dreaded teal blue that everyone hates.

Lending to feedback philips progressed and improved the led design to have more output and be more reliable. This in turn changed the color to a more pleasent blue.

Second generation of leds that whelen used were cree xr-e. This was one of the first high output surface mount leds. This allowed the light manufacture to flow solder every part of the board. These early ones were a mixture between blues, leading more to the light blue side of things. Although better than the teal blue, it still wasn't as pleasing as the nice deep blue.

Cree progressed their leds to more output and better longevity ending in the cree xr-c and as a result a better blue was attained.

Third generation was leant to making the light heads smaller. This is where we are currently at. Depending on model depends on leds. The first round was the cree xp-e. Variations of blue exist but whelen generally used the same blue.

Second round is the philips luxeon rebel. The most commonly used led now for most major manufactures. This is also available in multiple hues of blue including true blue and royal blue.

So you can't blame it on the light manufacturers as much as you can the led companies. They are continually updating their designs and therefore changing what's available to the manufacturers. It's a race to see who can push the most lumens in the smallest amount of space.
 
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bluestinger90

Member
Jun 5, 2010
657
BC / California
But led manufacturers sort their products by wave length/color, so buyers know exactly what they should get when they buy a specific bin.

The light manufacturers are to blame, unless the led manufacturer cannot offer enough product in specific bin/wavelength to meet the demand.
 

JazzDad

Member
Aug 5, 2011
5,165
USA
Like, why doesn't the US have a standard, like the CIE 472 nm blue? 'Cause we're 'Merica, and we do what we want!
 
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ShadowSwipe

Member
Mar 13, 2015
146
New Jersey
Interesting thing I noticed on this. My friend acquired an older Federal Signal ILS NIB, and while we were working on fitting it for his car I noticed that the entire light bar is not one specific blue, there appears to be two different shades of blue. Any reason for this??
 

bmd224

Member
Nov 3, 2011
324
NE Kansas
I think it's a conspiracy by Wilson. He's paying a 'mole' who is making led & emergency lights at the factory. The 'mile' slips in a few altered colors every few lights made so he can get more business. Just wait til he figures out how to alter siren tones. Imagine a Carson 'mechanical' tone with a faint European hi-lo sound nearly hidden in the background. Rah-Haag-hash (evil skeleton laugh). Yup, it's all a conspiracy ;). Class action suit anyone?
As for me, I buy JDI lighting products only. Their "organic ocean blue" is always consistent since it's made of crushed baby-blue seal pup eyes. Hey, it's organic so it's gotta be good, right? (Too much?).
In all seriousness though, has anyone seen the new "Big Larry" flashlights with the big 2"X1/4" led diode 'bar' in them? I wonder why no emergency lighting makers are using those in lightheads/ lightbars?
 

wilsonbr90

Member
Sep 30, 2013
1,427
Corning, New York
Those flashlights use what's called cob leds. They are basically alot of small leds crammed into one package. They allow for a massive amount of lumens in a tight area. I believe we may see a progression of them, then again we may not.

There are a few challenges including heat dissipation. More heat sink is required and with trying to go as compact as possibly with lighting it's not always feasible.

There also becomes the quandary of how bright is too bright? We are reaching a point with leds that it's possible to be too bright. There are already theories of blinding drivers instead of warning them.

Also voltage plays a role. These larger cobs require higher voltages to operate. We would be regressing back to whelen ballast days and it's one more thing to manufacture and to go wrong.

I played around with 10w led heads and I plan on continuing my designs. But I believe heat to play the largest role.
 
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JazzDad

Member
Aug 5, 2011
5,165
USA
Correct. Look at how many light bars have a 'night' or 'low power' setting, to prevent blinding motorists at night. And how often do you see that function used?
 

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