COB LED - What It Is? Is It Better?
COB LED - What It Is? Is It Better?
What is a COB LED?
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How Long Do COB LEDs Last?
When Using Battery Power, Why are COB LEDs So Important?
What are the Differences between Normal LED and COB LED?
Differences between COB LEDs and SMD LEDs
Why Choose the COB LED?
The Advantages and Disadvantages of COB LED
Multiple Uses of COB LED
Conclusion
LED lights are continually being upgraded to enhance their usability, adaptability, and energy efficiency. Compared to standard incandescent lights, LED lights are extremely popular because they can last up to 25 times longer while consuming less power.
COB and SMD LED lights are two types of LED options available today. Both produce high-quality illumination and have long lifespans, along with the highest efficiency to date.
This article discusses COB LEDs, which represent the latest advancements in LED technology and offer several advantages over previous options.
What is a COB LED?
One of the most recent developments in the world of LEDs is "Chip on Board" (COB) technology. When compared to other standards, it is quite recent and innovative.
COB lights consist of a tightly packed arrangement of LED chips attached to a silicon carbide base. This results in one large LED chip that offers outstanding illumination uniformity, making it ideal for professionals such as filmmakers and photographers.
Typically, COB chips feature nine or more diodes. Regardless of the number of diodes, COB chips only have two contacts and one circuit. On a large chip, this design can produce lighting up to 250 lumens (at 20mA). The panel-like appearance of COB LED lights is attributed to the chip's basic circuit design.
Unlike SMD LED lights, COB LED lights cannot be utilized to create color-changing lamps or fixtures. This limitation arises from having only two contacts and one circuit. Achieving color-changing effects requires multiple modification channels, so COB LED lights are effective mainly in single-color applications.
How Long Do COB LEDs Last?
The longevity of a COB LED depends on its usage and exposure to heat. On average, a COB LED is rated for a lifespan of 50,000 hours, assuming it is used for about 12 hours daily.
When Using Battery Power, Why are COB LEDs So Important?
When creating a battery-powered lighting system, there has always been a trade-off between high-quality lumen output (brightness) and runtime. The greater the illumination needed with the same battery size, the shorter its runtime. However, this concern has diminished with the emergence of COB LED technology.
COB LEDs can produce exceptionally high-quality, ultra-bright light while consuming minimal power. Consequently, a COB LED-based lighting system can be powered for extended periods using relatively small and lightweight lithium-ion battery packs.
What are the Differences between Normal LED and COB LED?
To understand the differences, one must be familiar with Surface-Mounted Device (SMD) LEDs, which are widely used today. The LED chip is firmly attached to a printed circuit board, and it is widely utilized due to its versatility, even in smartphones as notification lights. The number of diodes and contacts on SMD LED chips is one of their distinguishing features.
SMD LED chips can feature more than two contacts. Up to three diodes can be found on a single chip, each with its circuit. Each circuit uses an anode and cathode, resulting in 2, 4, or 6 connections on a chip.
Differences between COB LEDs and SMD LEDs
SMD LED chips can have multiple diodes, each with its circuit, while COB chips typically feature nine or more diodes with only two contacts and one circuit. Due to this simple circuit design, COB LED lights appear more panel-like, while SMD LED lights look like an arrangement of smaller lights.
The SMD LED chip can have red, green, and blue diodes. By altering the output levels of these three diodes, various colors can be produced. COB LED lights, having only two contacts and one circuit, cannot create color-changing bulbs. Achieving a color-changing effect requires multiple channel modifications. Consequently, COB LED lights excel in single-color applications but not in multi-color functionalities.
SMD chips are known for their luminosity, generating 50 to 100 lumens per watt. COB LEDs, however, excel in heat efficiency and lumens per watt ratio, emitting more lumens with less power, typically at a minimum of 80 lumens per watt. This technology can be found in various bulbs and applications, including point-and-shoot cameras or smartphone flashes.
While SMD LED chips require a smaller current capacity, COB LED chips necessitate a larger external energy source.
Contact us to discuss your requirements for COB LED Strip. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Why Choose the COB LED?
COB LED lights generally serve as higher-quality light emitters. They utilize reflectors to create concentrated and regulated light and feature a more structural design compared to the frosted lenses common in SMD LED lights.
For those intending to retain their LED bulbs long-term, COB is a superior choice; SMD may suffice for rental properties.
Users can expect brighter and clearer lighting. For instance, COB LED lights are especially beneficial in areas with high ceilings.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of COB LED
Advantages of COB LED
- * The integration of multiple diodes results in high light output.
- * It generates more lumens while consuming less energy.
- * Its limited light emission zone allows for a compact design, significantly increasing lumens per square centimeter/inch.
- * A single circuit with only two connections activates all the diode chips in COB LEDs, requiring fewer components for optimal performance. This design also helps reduce heat generated by each LED chip.
- * The ease of installation in an external heat sink contributes to a lower overall temperature range, enhancing reliability and longevity while reducing costs.
- * Clarity is improved, and efficiency is enhanced.
- * The ability to cover extensive areas with a single chip results in a large focusing zone.
- * Excellent anti-vibration properties.
Disadvantages of COB LED
- * Requires a well-engineered external power source to ensure a steady current and voltage to prevent diode damage.
- * A properly designed heat sink is crucial; improper placement of the heating element may lead to overheating and damage.
- * Lighting fixtures utilizing COB chips have lower repairability; if one diode fails, the entire COB LED must be replaced. In contrast, SMD LED repairs are simpler and more cost-effective.
- * Limited color selection.
- * Higher cost compared to SMD chips.
Multiple Uses of COB LED
COB LEDs are widely applicable, ranging from residential to industrial uses, including:
- * Primarily utilized as solid-state lighting (SSL) substitutes for metal-halide bulbs in street lighting, high-bay lighting, downlights, and high-output track lights.
- * Effective in LED lighting fixtures for living rooms and large halls due to their wide-angle beam.
- * High lumens are essential for nighttime spaces such as playgrounds, gardens, or large stadiums.
- * Additional applications include basic lighting for passageways and corridors, fluorescent lighting replacement, LED lamps, light strips, smartphone camera flashes, etc.
Conclusion
As designers recognize the advantages of employing COB LEDs over traditional standard LEDs, they are becoming increasingly popular in lighting applications. It is hard to overlook them for any LED light application due to:
- * Their ability to pack more LED sources into a smaller area, resulting in higher lumen output.
- * Their efficient heat dissipation to a heat sink.
- * Their wider field of view.
- * Their reduced light loss.
- * Their lower failure rates due to simpler construction.
Overall, COB LEDs represent the latest and most advanced technology available today. They are brighter, consume less electricity, and provide a higher-quality beam of light compared to previous LED technologies widely used in trade show illumination.
COB Light vs. LED: Which is Better
The direct answer is that one (LED) is an older technology, while the other (COB) is a newly developed type of LED light. Technically, the difference between the two lighting options is as follows.
There are three LED technologies today: the new COB or Chip on Board, the earlier (and until recently the most used), and the original DIP or diode in-line package type.
- In a COB module, the light-emitting chips are smaller and form part of the circuit board package. Underneath, they connect directly to the board, while the upper side is a phosphor layer.
- The diodes in an SMD device are larger and more spaced apart, encased in a mounting bracket and phosphor, and soldered to the circuit board surface.
- DIP lighting devices consist of individual, single-color diodes with resin encapsulation and supplied with leads for installation on the circuit board surface.
Today, chip-on-board technology is synonymous with modern lighting. You can find it in virtually any illumination device, available as lamps, panels, or the popular flexible strips.
COB LED vs. regular LED lights in constructionResource: https://youtu.be/4rO9vWONOKM?
COB Light vs. LED
You understand the difference between LED and COB lights. Next, we compare them in design, size, light quality, beam angle, cost, energy efficiency, and typical applications, starting with the construction difference.
Design
The COB light design is more streamlined. The chips are part of the circuit board and do not have leads or mounting brackets. This results in a higher chip density, about 38 times more than when using DIP diodes and nine times more when compared to an SMD array.
SMD chips are surface-connected using surface mount technology, while DIP diodes are typically through-hole mounted. Both designs result in discrete light spots but a larger area for heat dissipation.
Size Difference
Chip-on-board lights are generally smaller than their older technology counterparts. The individual light emitters are smaller and concentrated in a limited space. Consequently, manufacturers can design them smaller without affecting the lumens produced.
SMD or DIP lighting options come in larger packages, requiring more space to fit, which makes them typically more prominent on their substrate for the same lumens as COB modules.
Light Quality
Chip-on-board technology produces better quality light, explaining its immense popularity today. The light is uniform, without the dotting effect, with a higher color rendering index, CRI, of 70 to 80, and sometimes reaching up to 90. The amount of glare significantly reduces with this increased uniformity.
Traditional SMD modules have widely spaced light emitters, increasing glare and making them unsuitable for most illumination needs, while also providing a lower CRI.
Beam Angle
COB technology achieves a beam angle of 120 to 180 degrees. The COB LED light chip is integrated into the PCB and does not require lead or bracket support, allowing for an unobstructed light path and better coverage in fixtures.
SMD LEDs are bracket or socket-supported, limiting the beam angles. These lighting devices are suitable for applications that require focused illumination, typically providing beam angles of less than 120 degrees.
Cost Effectiveness
A COB fixture is economical to produce and operate. It uses simpler circuits, smaller diodes, and has better energy efficiency due to improved heat dissipation. All these properties lead to a more cost-effective option.
Conventional lighting is more expensive to manufacture, consuming more power and often lacking efficient heat dissipation, resulting in higher operational costs.
Energy Efficiency
COB light fixtures use tiny light-emitting diodes, consuming less power while generating more light per unit weight and volume, with conversion rates starting at 80 lumens per watt, indicating high energy efficiency.
On the other hand, SMD or DIP lights are more power-intensive and usually have lower energy conversion rates, with SMD options averaging at 50 lumens per watt.
Applications
The application of COB arrays spans virtually every sector due to their many advantages over traditional LED technology. They are commonly employed in fixtures to illuminate rooms, whether as ambient or decorative lighting.
These lights are also suitable for outdoor use, provided they are appropriately IP-rated. Typical applications include settings where multidirectional light is needed, such as:
- Home ambient lighting lamps and strips
- Outdoor illumination (floodlights, bay lighting, street lights, etc.)
- Photographic equipment
- Decorative or accent lighting
Meanwhile, traditional SMD and DIP-based lights continue to be used indoors and outdoors, particularly for applications requiring more focused or dot lights, such as:
- Display signs
- Some commercial lighting needs
- Older flashlights
A COB LED light fixture
Resource: https://www.elektormagazine.de
Are COB Lights Better than LED?
In most applications, COB technology outperforms older LED lighting, with superior lumen characteristics and design properties. It has higher flux density, thin profiles, and suits both ambient and localized lighting.
Furthermore, these fixtures efficiently convert power into luminescence and are thermally efficient. Nevertheless, SMD offers benefits in scenarios requiring multiple color effects simultaneously or directional beam requirements, such as panel displays and searchlights.
Ultimately, choosing between SMD and COB LED lights depends on application requirements. In most cases, however, chip-on-board technology triumphs, offering better performance and satisfying output, energy, and cost-saving needs, among other advantages.
Conclusion
COB LED is the pinnacle of modern lighting technology, providing higher light quality, energy efficiency, and all necessary features of any illumination source. Compared to SMD or DIP, COB lighting delivers more advantages and accommodates a wider range of applications, from home lighting to outdoor and commercial use.
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