Dean's LED House

[Steven Sigley]

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/1...ns-led-nation/

It's very nice, He truly is always one step ahead.

[joshy1323]

wow... and i thought my house was cool for having the best xmas
lights on the block lol.

[ayeckley]

Woodie Flowers portrait over the mantle?

[Brandon Holley]

I am proud to say I work at the company who makes these LED light fixtures - www.colorkinetics.com .... the product named "ColorReach" is the product I worked on during my 1st 6 month co-op with them...I go back on January 5th for my 2nd.

The best part is I got a bunch of cool LED lights (similar to the ones in Deans house) for free, so my room is looking cool, and saving energy!

[henryBsick]

Originally Posted by Brandon Holley

I am proud to say I work at the company who makes these LED light fixtures - www.colorkinetics.com .... the product named "ColorReach" is the product I worked on during my 1st 6 month co-op with them...I go back on January 5th for my 2nd.

The best part is I got a bunch of cool LED lights (similar to the ones in Deans house) for free, so my room is looking cool, and saving energy!

Don't forget the Gizmodo article!

//And one day, when we get free time Brando, our whole apt. will be ablaze with color and efficiency.


[posting from Philips Color Kinetics right now ]

[sayso_411]

thats so cool...dean's secret hideaway

[suj]

dean is genius his inventions are sick and don't forget who runs first

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by suj

dean is genius his inventions are sick and don't forget who runs first

Actually, as smart as Dean is, he doesn't really run FIRST. While he is the Founder, and provides a lot of the inspiration and vision for FIRST, the organization is actually run by people such as:

Paul Gudonis--President

Ian McEwan--Vice President of Regional Operations

Cheryl Walsh--Senior Director of Marketing & Media Relations

Deborah McKinstry--Director of Human Resources

Collectively, these and their colleagues are known as Senior Management (click for complete list).

Also, the Board oversees FIRST. Dean is only one of umpteen people serving in this capacity; he's not even first on the list.

Furthermore, as far as Dean's wonderful inventions go, he employs a couple hundred bright people to help him bring ideas to reality. He calls his company DEKA.

So, as you go about building robots and competing with FIRST, get to know who some of the OTHER people are--your local Regional Committee, referees, VIPs, and volunteers. They all work together to ensure you and your team have a fun, safe competition. Remember to thank them, and if you can, volunteer. Who knows--someday you may end up helping to run FIRST.

Back to the thread topic--Dean did not design and install his LED-lit island home all by himself. He had help with that, too.

[Adam Y.]

Originally Posted by Steven Sigley

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/1...ns-led-nation/

It's very nice, He truly is always one step ahead.

Being able to light all rooms with the sun is the next big thing in lighting so if he was actually one step ahead he would not be using any electricity to light his house during the day.
http://www.sunlight-direct.com/lighting.php

[jamie_1930]

You know I just found this today, but now I know where my digital electronics teacher got his rant from two weeks ago.

[purduephotog]

I'm getting some GE LED VIO 4 watt units to play with (well, I should say Research) for work. They're supposed to look just like tungsten bulbs... we'll see when they go on the test bench.

[KarenH]

I'm hoping that soon we can all retrofit our homes to LEDs, but without having to spend $$$$$ like Dean did.

I'm finding that the compact fluorescent lights are unsatisfactory. In California, you can't throw them in the trash (probably shouldn't anywhere--they contain mercury). I decided to accept that when I made my first purchase.

But now I realize that their performance is not as good as traditional light bulbs. Some kinds take forever to "warm up". So you walk into a hotel bathroom with no windows, turn on the light, and wonder why the hotel put in such a dim light. Later, you wonder why the bathroom light is so bright!

At home, we put a CFL in our bathroom, and it sure didn't last any 5 to 10 years. In fact, I believe it lasted LESS time than an incandescent bulb.

My experience with LED lights, on the other hand, has so far been better than with CFLs. They seem to be reliable, instant-on, instant-off. Some color issues may need tweaking, and it may be hard to put them in a traditional light fixture. I don't know all the technical details, but I hope they get worked out before the California government daddies and mommies try to force everybody to use the CFLs.

[Tom Line]

Easier applications that are power-sensitive are already beginning to use LED's. Many cruising sailboats are switching to LEDs - they are quite easy to run off the 12V power source that most boats use, and they drain far less power. That means, especially for sailors, that a photovoltaic cell or two results in a top-up of any battery power used, completely eliminating the need to run the diesel/gasoline motor to top up the battery. (Can you tell my other hobby yet? =) )

There are relatively inexpensive LED bulbs that can already be purchased that will pop into 12-volt bayonet sockets for use on those boats.

Here in Michigan those CFL's can be a real pain - the cold weather (especially if you mount them in can up against the roof in, say, a cathedral-ceiling'ed room) makes them warm up VERY slowly. They work horribly in outdoor applications like garages and porch lights. And yet, our government *shudder* is phasing out the 100 watt bulbs by 2012.

[EricVanWyk]

I got to play with some Nichia LEDs at work. They claim to be the most efficient in the world. At 20mA and a couple of volts, they were painful to look at. At 200mA, they were blinding. I didn't bring them near their spec-ed max current for fear of retinal melting.

[Mike AA]

I have been using LEDs and CFLs for years, my average electric bill is about $1 per day. I put in CFLs in my house when I bought it in 2006 and I still havent changed anything out. I don't have many LED fixtures up yet but later this summer I am rewiring my house to use primarily indirect LED main lighting with some CFL in the kitchen and living room. I am also putting up about a 100watt solar array to pull even less off the power grid.

-Mike AA