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04 November 2008

move aside, CFLs--LEDs are coming in

Check this out! They're still expensive, but LEDs are slowly but surely making their way into the marketplace.

Here's my comment on the article:

As fluorescents (including CFLs) trigger vicious migraines for me and many other migraineurs, I can say I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of household-use LEDs for quite awhile. I can't wait to use a bulb that will [at least soon] be even more energy efficient than any fluorescent bulb--and no pesky mercury worries and no barely-discernible flickering that'll trigger migraine attacks. Hallelujah!

http://themigrainegirl.blogspot.com

3 comments:

MJ said...

I agree, I was also really excited about this - at first. But in doing some research, it looks like LED light bulbs made to screw into standard sockets (in place of incandescents or CFLs) will still have to have ballasts, meaning they will still flicker like fluorescents do.

However, dedicated LED fixtures can be designed with a transformer that would avoid the use of a ballast, so no flicker. But it looks like we still don't have a good substitute for home use.

*sigh* How irritating.

Shelby said...

LEDs only flicker if there's no good AC-DC rectifier attached. you can definitely see the flicker in christmas lights, but hook up LEDS to a halfway decent 4 diode rectifier with a capacitor to smooth out the voltage drop, and you get no noticeable flicker.

themigrainegirl said...

Max Jerz,

I assumed these already were the LEDs of the future, the ones that would save me! ;) I will wait patiently for ones that don't need to use ballasts.

Shelby, I'm hesitant to invest in LEDs until I know that there's no flickering at all. Unfortunately, even flickering that is unnoticeable to the eye is well-noticed by my brain. It's hard to impossible to see the CFLs flickering, but those ones trigger Migraine too. Fingers crossed we get a solution soon!

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