Interesting news, that the Nobel Prize has been won by the inventors of blue leds:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29518521

But: why so long? I’ve been using blue LEDs for years.

because initially it was just a blue LED.

but its not the blue LED they have won the nobel prize for.

Its the advancements in science/efficiency/energy saving that the invention of the Blue LED has brought along in the last few years.

But: why so long? I’ve been using blue LEDs for years.

Just out of interest, what do you use them for ?

We are using them in light ropes

nealglover – Member

Just out of interest, what do you use them for ?

Under his BMW

Having placed 4000 LEDs this morning….. coloured leds have been around for ages and used to be just coloured plastic covers, and pretty low output, these guys developed them to be way more efficient and consistent (although its still a major problem). the drive to make them cooler was and is still an issue although moving from IMS to FR4 is on its way but at a slow rate. The ultimate goal is to make them cool running and cheap both to make and run and assemble, given time the cooling fins you now see on high output units will go and they will be even cheaper!!

LOL @ Northwind.

LOL!

So, I just knock up wee electronic circuits from time to time, y’know, just…stuff. RPi’s and that kind of thing too. Home-made IR tracker gadgets, etc.

I’m a Mondeo man like you NW 🙂

I genuinely hadn’t realized the impact of blue/white LEDs….there you go!

20 years from discovery is not a long time to wait for a Nobel prize. On the quick side if anything.

It’s amazing just how far white LED’s have come, really. I remember when the first ones came out, I bought two small Smart LED front lights with green LED’s, bought two of the new white LED’s, at £6 each, ( 😯 ), and swapped them over.
Compared to the weedy green ones, they seemed incredibly bright; by today’s standards, they are almost as dim as the green ones!
Now they’re bright enough to be the standard lighting on a regular production car, SEAT’s Leon FR, which shows how far they’ve come.