# Aluminum Foil Lamps Outshine Incandescent Lights



## COMMANDR (Jun 7, 2007)

This looks to have some great potential. New things happening every day.

Gary:naughty:

Researchers at the University of Illinois are developing panels of microcavity plasma lamps that may soon brighten people's lives. The thin, lightweight panels could be used for residential and commercial lighting, and for certain types of biomedical applications. 


The plasma panels are also six times thinner than panels composed of light-emitting diodes, said Eden, who also is a researcher at the university's Coordinated Science Laboratory and the Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory. 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070604123731.htm


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## LukeA (Jun 7, 2007)

This sounds very cool.


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## Manzerick (Jun 7, 2007)

Imagine if this gets to a point where your house can be lit by its walls!!


Good stuff!


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## steaxauce (Jun 7, 2007)

Would you want to coat your walls with aluminum foil? I wouldn't put too much stock in this technology. It seems like it'll be very expensive, and LED can be much more efficient.


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## LukeA (Jun 7, 2007)

steaxauce said:


> Would you want to coat your walls with aluminum foil? I wouldn't put too much stock in this technology. It seems like it'll be very expensive, and LED can be much more efficient.



It's an emerging technology. Extensive work will be required for this to be a sellable product, just like the work done on the incandescent bulb and the LED, and every other manufactured good ever sold.


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## matrixshaman (Jun 7, 2007)

Aren't we already well beyond 15 Lumens per watt? Always good to hear new ideas but I think LED's are currently more efficient.


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## 2xTrinity (Jun 7, 2007)

matrixshaman said:


> Aren't we already well beyond 15 Lumens per watt? Always good to hear new ideas but I think LED's are currently more efficient.


Apparently they plan to "exceed fluorescent systems for efficiency" but at the same time only expect values slightly exceeding 30 lm/W when everything is optimized. Also nothing is said about how well this efficiency/brightness is maintained. It sounds to me that using this plasma cavity thing to pump a phosphor is inherently not as efficient as pumping a phosphor with blue LEDs, or by low-pressure mercury vapor (which can output around 100 lumens per watt even after ballast losses in some cases)

Again, I think that high-output diffused lighting will be the last thing to be replaced with LEDs/Alternative lighting. The best fluorescents on the markets are so far ahead, and will be much, much cheaper for years. T5/T8 lamps can be purchased for a couple dollars, and good fixtures and ballasts can be had for under $30. It will be a VERY long time before LEDs that put out comparable numbers (for output, color rendering, efficiency, and lumen maintenance) even exist, yet alone drop to those kind of prices.


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## eluminator (Jun 8, 2007)

There seems to be millions of these "researchers", and they keep telling us they are about to invent the greatest thing since fire. There are probably a few of these researchers that are worth their salt, but it's a safe bet that most are just "welfare" recipiants. They don't call it welfare. They call it "taking government research grant money". Either way it's money taken at the point of a gun from those of us trying to earn a living.

Like all such money, you can be sure it's spent foolishly. There's no bottom line. They don't have to do anything profitable. They are not held accountable.


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## 3rd_shift (Jun 8, 2007)

Still, I kinda like the idea.
There appear to be commercial applications for such a technology. 
The inside of truck trailers where it will be out of the way,
restaurants, retail shopping displays, and if I read this right, even billboard and sign backlighting.
Time will tell.


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## Lynx_Arc (Jun 8, 2007)

Too many companies talking about breakthroughs. I have seem over the years all sorts of talk of technology that is supposedly to come in the near future but ends up never existing in the marketplace while replaced and obsoleted but better tech that gets little press comparatively speaking.


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## Grubbster (Jun 8, 2007)

This sounds interesting! It will go great with my favorite hat. :tinfoil:

Sorry, couldn't resist.


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