Cree is at the forefront of pushing the barriers in LED technology and just announced the availability of the Cree XLamp ML-B LED, a new quarter-watt LED best suited for applications where the light is distributed over a wide area or where the light source is visible. Traditionally in panel or fluorescent tube replacement applications, manufacturers placed larger quantities of lower-power LEDs into a tight area with a diffuser but this proved to be neither energy efficient (Energy Star rated) or appealing in appearance. The XLamp ML-B LED gives a higher output in a smaller form with less energy allowing manufacturers to build effective and efficient lighting.
The XLamp ML-B LED delivers luminous flux up to 30 lm at 80 mA in 5,000K cool white and up to 24 lm in warm white (3000 K). The ML-B LED provides uniform color over angle and a 120-degree viewing angle with a 3.5 x 3.5 mm footprint.
A lot of focus is on higher power LEDs in the aquarium industry and as efficacy of LEDs improve along with multi-chip LEDs, low power LEDs are often left behind. As hobbyists are exploring ways to add supplemental lighting or to retrofit LEDs into existing traditional lighting systems, products like the XLamp ML-B LED become more relevant.
