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Dyson's LED lamp promises to burn brightly for 37 years

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Dyson's long-lasting LEDs are packed into a lamp it calls Csys
Dyson's solution to LED's temperature woes is inspired by technology used in satellites, designed to draw heat away from the globes with an aluminium heat sink
Dyson claims the approach will preserve the LED's phosphorous coating and keep it burning brightly for more than 37 years
Dyson's long-lasting LEDs are packed into a lamp it calls Csys
Csys consists of a zinc alloy base that rotates 360 degrees and supports vertical and horizontal sliding arms to position the lamp in different positions
Csys consists of a zinc alloy base that rotates 360 degrees and supports vertical and horizontal sliding arms to position the lamp in different positions
Inventor Jake Dyson says the company has built the first light that cools LEDs properly, enabling them to burn brightly for 37 years
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Some notable advances have taken place in the world of LED lighting of late. From Ikea's flexible lighting tiles to Phillips' $5 bulbs, those looking to switch off their incandescent globes for good have plenty of options to choose from. But, just as it did with vacuum cleaners, hand dryers and air purifiers, Dyson has arrived and is promising a superior solution. Inventor Jake Dyson, son of Dyson founder James, says the company has built the first light that cools LEDs properly, enabling them to last 37 years.

Efforts to keep LED bulbs cool has been a focus for manufacturers working to drag the technology into the mainstream. While LEDs won't get as hot as the incandescent cousins, they do still generate heat, which sees their brightness and color deteriorate over time. A common feature of LEDs has been an integrated heat sink that circles the base of the globe to create more surface area and allow for better dissipation of heat.

Last October we saw LED makers Cree do away with the conventional heat sink in favor of a convection cooling technique. This sees slots built into the base and top of the globe, allowing cool air to drawn in through the bottom and warm air to be pushed out the top.

Dyson's solution to LED's temperature woes is inspired by technology used in satellites, designed to draw heat away from the globes with an aluminium heat sink

Dyson's solution to LED's temperature woes is inspired by "Heat-pipe technology" used in satellites. This sees an aluminum heat sink used to draw heat away from the globes and, according to the company, keeps the LEDs running at around 55º Celsius (131º F). Dyson claims this will preserve the LED's phosphorous coating and keep it burning for more than 37 years (based on 12 hours continual use per day).

"Other designers have made half-hearted attempts to cool LEDs. But it's not enough," Jake Dyson boldly states on the company's website. "Their lights are built to fail and they don't seem to mind. We mind. So we've invented the first light that cools LEDs properly. As a result, it lasts for 37 years."

Dyson's long-lasting LEDs are packed into a lamp it calls Csys. The Csys design incorporates touch-sensitive dimming and its zinc alloy base rotates through 360 degrees, supporting vertical and horizontal sliding arms to position the lamp in different ways. It features eight LEDs that beam 587 lx (lumens per square meter) of light.

All of this doesn't come cheap, however. Csys starts at £399.00 (US$610), a lavish lighting expense even if you rarely, if ever, need to replace the globe.

Source: Dyson

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12 comments
Nik
If I paid 11 pounds for a new lamp each year, I could achieve the same result, and, the remaining amount would earn interest toward the next lamp. In 37 years, the led might still be functional, but I doubt if the rest of the lamp would be. Would I spend 399 pounds on a desk lamp? No. Good luck to Dyson.
Mirmillion
Agree, these guys may bring a few devotes and social climbers but, to be brutally honest their engineering sales pitch is just a little weak in view of their leaky vacuum cleaners which tend to suck very well but, unfortunately, spew dust from either the intake area or unsealed dirt catchers (not sure which but have seen the results). I'd like to think that a bloodly LED lamp should be $12.00, given the cost of the materials used. Very good of them to have put a rounded end on it though - eye safety and all that...
Fretting Freddy the Ferret pressing the Fret
Surely this isn't the answer to cost-effective cooling the LED lamps, and until there is one, I can't imagine this sort of system being in anybody's house.
Bob Flint
Won't last a week before it gets knocked aside and damaged, maybe a gooseneck would survive longer, and forget the $610 US only a few dumb enough to buy this overpriced, under designed so called solution.
habakak
It's been 37 years since they invented this light? Why do we only find out about it now? LOL. Yeah, they know it will last 37 years....
wle
ha too expensive what happens if you don;t have the thing oriented the way it expects? like sideways, vertically or upside down? does it still even work?
who do i call 36 years from now?
how do they solve [or do they even warranty] the little known fading problem?
ALL LEDs fade with time, heat or not
wle
Kevin Ritchey
Have to agree with the gentlemen here. Dyson's son must have been dropped as a child to think anyone in their right mind is going to pay $610 for a couple of aluminum sticks with some LEDs glued in. Cost to manufacture: about $6. Idiots.
esar
Some idiot will buy it
Douglas Bennett Rogers
Something is amiss! Most LEDs advertise 60 yr. life! And they need to last that long for payback!
Bill Bennett
My home is 100% LED lighting, I have a recessed flood light that I just leave on over the kitchen sink, costs $0.66 per year for the electricity.