If you look into light and lamps, you will come across a number of scientific terms. Some of these terms are briefly explained below.

Hertz: the unit of frequency. The hertz is used for periodic (repeating) phenomena. 1 Hz corresponds to a period of 1 second. On the  power grid, the voltage changes at a frequency of 50 times per second, or 50 Hertz. A traditional fluorescent fixture therefore always provides a light with a flash of 50 Hertz. The frequency can be increased with a high-frequency fluorescent fixture.

High Frequency: A term used in electronics for currents and voltages that change at a rapid rate. Thanks to our electronic ballasts, the 50 Hertz of the mains can be 'boosted' to 35,000 Hertz in a fluorescent fixture, creating a very quiet and energy-efficient light.

Colour temperature: a unit used to indicate the wavelength of the light emitted. The colour temperature is usually expressed in Kelvin (K). The colour temperature of natural daylight, like our full spectrum lamps, is approximately 5,500 Kelvin. The lower the colour temperature, the 'warmer' the colour becomes. In artificial light this manifests itself in a yellowish glow.

Luminous flux: a unit for the amount of light that a light source radiates in all directions per second.

Lumen: a unit of light intensity that directly reflects a light source. Lumen is thus measured from the light source. The luminous flux in lumens is equal to the product of the magnitude of the luminous intensity of the source in candelas multiplied by the magnitude of the solid angle in steradians. Depending on the version, our full spectrum lamps have a light output of up to 4,500 lumens.

Lux: a unit for the light intensity that a light source represents on a surface. Lux is therefore measured from the ground. One lux is the light intensity produced by one candela on a surface perpendicular to the light rays at a distance of 1 meter from the source. From 150 to 200 lux, the body of humans and animals 'reacts' to the light.

Full spectrum daylight lamp or Full Spectrum Lighting (FSL) Lamp that imitates actual daylight. Light that produce a light spectrum that sources emit the entire spectrum of visible light, give no hiccups in spectral output, parts of the UVA and UVB spectrum, achieve a color temperature of ±5500K and a minimum of 95+, measured in the R1-R15 range .

Phosphorus (Phosphorus) An inorganic chemical that is found on the inside of the glass of a fluorescent lamp. It is intended to absorb and convert the short rays of UV radiation and re-emit it as visible light. Typical fluorescent lamps use 3 phosphor powders (tri-phosphor lamps), full spectrum lamps more than seven.

Leds LEDs are not lamps in the classic sense of the word. Led stands for 'light emitting diode', in Dutch: light-emitting diodes. An LED is a semiconductor that gives off light when current is passed through it in the right direction. So it is an electronic component that emits light directly. An LED lamp is a chip made of luminous material, a wiring frame with place for the chip and a housing that protects the chip. LEDs are small (2-5 mm) and combined they give off a lot of light.

RG value LED lamp All LED lamps must be tested for blue light damage, risk of blue LED light on the retina. Only LED lamps that do not pose a risk of retinal damage have a measurement with an RG-0 value (in accordance with IEC 62471e). Do not buy LED lamps with an RG value higher than 0.

SDMC value:  LED lamp All LED lamps must be tested in accordance with ANSI C78377 for color deviation expressed in SDCM (Standard Deviation of Colour Matching). A good LED always has a value below the McAdams step 3.

Colour rendering Index: This is the colour rendering index (CRI/Ra). An international method used to measure the quality of light and to assess the lamp'us ability to reproduce the colour of objects. The higher the CRI, the better the objects are illuminated. The value of artificial light is between 70 (poor) to 100 (actual daylight). It is possible to obtain a high CRI by measuring only the R1-R8 range. These lamps are not full spectrum lamps, full spectrum lamps give a value above 90 in the entire range.

Colour Temperature: The colour temperature of a white light source is defined as the temperature of a black body whose light emitted gives the same colour impression as the actual light source. The colour temperature is usually expressed in Kelvin (K). Bulbs lower than 5000 Kelvin tend to be more yellow (warm white). Bulbs over 6000K tend to have a blue/green light. Daylight in Central Europe has a colour temperature of ±5500 Kelvin.

Edison Screw: Worldwide used fitting. The standard lamp screw fitting is 27 mm in diameter. The smaller socket is 14 mm in diameter and is specifically used for decorative lamps.

T5 fitting or G5 fitting: Fluorescent lamps that are five-eighths of an inch (16 mm) in diameter.

T8 fitting or G13 fitting:  Fluorescent lamps that are eight-eighths of an inch (26 mm) in diameter.

TC-L/PP-L -2G11 fitting: This is a plug-in lamp base with 4 pins, oval, with 11mm between the contact pins. TC-L lamps are also called PL-L lamps and can be recognized by the 2G11 fitting. They are high frequency, so energy efficient.

Compact fluorescent lamps (CF-L):  are available with many sockets, they are mainly used in office buildings. They are energy efficient and have a long life. CF-L lamps have the fittings: 2G7,G23,G24d, G24q, GX24d and GX24q.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):  more commonly known as winter depression or winter blues. The symptoms are described as feelings of sadness and lethargy, increased appetite and insomnia. This can be treated with light therapy.

Light therapy Phototherapy: is exposure to daylight through full spectrum daylight lamps. Light therapy has proven its worth for years as a treatment for a number of conditions such as depression, sleep disorders, skin disorders, neonatal jaundice, jet lag and seasonal affectivity disorders. For a good result it is important that this is done with full spectrum lamps to work well and for longer times over several hours a day.



Would you like advice?

We are happy to help you with tips or tailor-made advice. We can be reached by phone from Monday to Friday from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

email info@daylightlamps.ie
call +31 522 - 47 31 61