T5, CCFL, EEFL and LED Light Boxes

The decision of what type of light box to buy can be somewhat confusing if you do not analyze the unique properties that each light box has, and weight these properties against a list of prioritized reasons for which you are purchasing a light box. The following is a list of things to consider when purchasing your light box.

  • Aesthetics: Does the look of the light box weigh heavy on your purchasing decision? If it does, then the first choice would be that of lamp source. Edlite offer the four lamp source slim light box [LED, EEFL,CCFL, T5] for you choice. Then, beyond choosing lamp source, you should look at the profile of the frame. The newest breakthrough in light box technology is the emergence of LED's. By utilizing very small footprint LED lamps, the frame of the light box can be reduced down to 0.59 inches thick. This is less than 5/8" thick! This LED light box is not even a box: It is a panel! It has a very sleek and thin look when mounted to your wall. If I were purchasing for a high-end department store, this is elegant look I would want to portray.

  • Electrical Consumption: This is not a consideration one usually puts at the top of the priority list when purchasing light box panels, but believe it or not, it is a very important factor. See chart below.

  • Who is Going to Change the Bulb? This is a very important consideration that most purchasers don't even think about up front. Do you have a full-time, reliable janitorial or facilities management staff? Will you be shutting down each light box at the end of each business day, and turning them back on in the morning? Don't kid yourself, this virtually never happens! Traditional T5 light boxes have bulbs that last about 1.5 years if you are leaving the light box on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When just one of two bulbs dies, a huge cold spot [shadow] appears on your light box. Will a janitorial person quickly take notice, have extra T5 bulbs on hand, and come quick for a bulb change-out? Will the box sit idle for days on end, half lit up and half in shadows? The maintenance and bulb change-out is simple, but like mowing your lawn or cleaning your gutters, it can be an annoying and often procrastinated chore. So, if bulb changing is not your thing, don't choose T5 technology.

    CCFL have a more difficult symptom: Their bulbs are very difficult to change because they are very thin and installed into the light box frame in an integrate manner. Unless you have a knack for tinkering, or some craftsman-type ability, these light boxes usually need to be returned to the factory for bulb replacement. The good point is that CCFL bulbs will last 4 to 5 years [if leaving the light box on 24 hours per day, 7 days per week]. Believe it or not, for smaller light panels - less than 27" x 41" - many customers can justify the cost/benefit after about 5 years; they will just reorder a new light box when their old CCFL light box starts to deteriorate. This is one reason why we only offer CCFL light boxes in smaller footprints [sizes up to 27" x 41"]. Larger footprints tend to become more permanent fixtures, installed into walls at airports and so-forth. Un-mounting the light box to change the bulb, or to return the entire light box back to the factory, can be a huge burden. We personally are willing to change the light bulb if it is returned to our factory, but then your have to deal with UN-mounting the fixture, looking at an eyesore on the wall during shipping time, and trying to find packaging necessary to return the light box to the factory unharmed. For smaller sized menu board and display stand applications, however, the CCFL lamp can be a good choice - especially when you can justify replacing the light box after 5 years. Also, the price of the light box 5 years from now will probably be a fraction of today's cost.
    EEFL light boxes have a life of about 50,000 hours of life, the bulbs are easy to change, but easy to broken in the delivery.
    LED light boxes have a life of about 100,000 hours of life! For all practical purposes, this light box is going to last and last 100,000 hours divided by 8760 hours per year= 11.41 years]. You will spend a bit more on the upfront purchase, but you will get payback in both convenience and cost-savings from bulb replacement (labor and materials).

  • Brightness: We have designed and specified all of our light boxes to be of good quality brightness. If you want the strongest brightness, and the ultimate impression, EEFL light boxes are the best;
  • Budget: A very tricky question to answer: "apparent budget" or "true budget"? "Apparent budget" refers to the initial purchase price, while "true budget" reflects the true cost after factoring in electrical consumption and the cost of bulb replacements.
    • T5 light boxes are the cheapest; they have the lowest "apparent budget", but can easily cost more then the most expensive LED light box after 4 to 5 years of use.
    • EEFL light boxes are suit for the large size slim light box. For the very large size, the backlit design should be choice, and only the EEFL & T5 lamp could be viable. The ?"apparent budget" of EEFL light box would be more, but the electrical savings with a EEFL box will be more than the initial cost difference between the T5 and EEFL box. ?
    • CCFL light boxes are in the range of the T5 with "apparent budget", only costing slightly more than T5's. Electrical consumption savings, however, will soon pay for this difference. After just one year, the electrical savings with a CCFL box will be more than the initial cost difference between the T5 and CCFL box
    • LED light boxes are by far the most expensive for "apparent budget", but this premium can quickly be justified [money saved from operating] over a few years. Adding together the combination of electrical efficiency [very good], bulbs that last forever [11 years], and sleek profile, it often benefits to "pay-up" and invest more today on the initial purchase.
  • Environment: All fluorescent bulbs (CCFL & T5), from tubes to compacts, contain a small amount of mercury vapor to create the light. Intact bulbs are not considered hazardous, but when thrown away, the bulbs get crushed and the mercury is released. Though it is a small amount of mercury that would not harm you on an occasional basis many countries have deemed the bulbs hazardous waste. Agencies such as the European Waste Catalogue (EWC), Environment Agency in the UK, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the US have guidelines for disposing of these lamps. The EWC for example, requires that hazardous and non-hazardous waste be disposed of in separate landfills. Most agencies advocate that fluorescent lamps should be sent for recycling as a way of better managing the waste. Companies such as SustainaLite (www.sustainalie.co.uk) list organizations on their website that provide recycling services and in the US most state or city websites provide information. The once acceptable practice of throwing them away is no longer acceptable and users of fluorescent lamps have "Duty of Care" to dispose of lamps properly. While rules and regulations for disposal vary, during the life of the bulb practicing energy conservation techniques is always encouraged. Fluorescent bulbs offer great environmental advantages in that they convert electricity into illumination three to five times as efficiently as incandescent lights thus using less energy and lamp life is longer.

Comparison Chart: CCFL v. T5 v. LED v. EEFL

CCFLT5LEDEEFL
Advantages  
  
Thickness/Depth of Light Panel1.38"(35mm)1.57"(40mm)0.59"(15mm)2.1"(54mm)
Weight [for 24" x 36" panel]17 lbs.(7.8kg)24 lbs(11kg)10 lbs(4.5kg)35 lbs(15kg)
Brightness- Smaller Panels < 24" wide2100 LUX3500 LUX2000 LUX5500 LUX
Brightness- Larger Panels > 30" wide1750 LUX2800 LUX1850 LUX5000 LUX
Light Distributed Evenly, No Bulb Shadows?YesYesYesYes
Type of Lamp, Light Bulb UsedCCFLT5LEDEEFL
Average Hourly Life of Lamp/Bulb30,000 to 40,000 hours10,000 to 15,000 hours100,000 hours45,000 to 50,000 hours
Life of Lamp/Bulbs**4 years1.5 years11.5 years5 years
Ease of Bulb ReplacementDifficult: Must be done at factoryEasy: Standard FluorescentReplacement Not NeededEasy: Standard Fluorescent
Power Consumption Watts22542025
Annual Electrical Use in Kilowatt Hours193 kWh473 kWh175 kWh219
Power Consumption Expense @ $.15/kWh$29.00 $71.00 $26.30 $32.90
  
  
DisadvantagesMust change bulb every 4 years;Bulbs can be very difficult to replace: Must return to factory in most cases.Bulbs is easy to broken in the delivery.Power consumption expensive;Must change bulbs every 1.5 years and downtime between changesMost expensive;Brightness or LUX deteriorates for extra large panels beyond 36"w(900 mm)Must change bulb every 5 years;Bulbs is easy to broken in the delivery.
**Prior to significant brightness deterioration; thus bulb replacement needed- in Years assuming used 24 hours per day/7 days per week

19?Edlite LED thin box(Edlite display) is salable in the world.Please kindly check for the salable code for you as following:

Specification of LED thin box(Edglite display)


17-Mar-08










Model

Thickness of optical panel

Distance of each LED

Thickness of frame

Power

Sided

Poster size

Suggested Max. Frame Size

Frame Color

ED-F8

0.2" (5mm)

0.39" (10mm)

0.59" (15mm)

DC-12V

Single

Frame size - 1.18"

27.5" x 63"

Silver

ED-F10

0.2" (5mm)×2

0.39" (10mm)

1.18" (30mm)

DC-12V

Double

Frame size - 1.26"

27.5" x 63"

Silver

ED-F9

0.3" (8mm)

0.24" (6mm)

0.79" (20mm)

DC-12V

Single

Frame size - 1.26"

39" x 94.5"

Silver

ED-DF9

0.3" (8mm)

0.24" (6mm)

1.57" (40mm)

DC-12V

Double

Frame size - 1.26"

39" x 94.5"

Silver

ED-F11

0.3" (8mm)

0.39" (10mm)

0.98" (25mm)

DC-24V

Single

Frame size - 1.26"

47" x 94.5"

Silver

ED-F2

0.3" (8mm)

0.2" (5mm)

1.3" (33mm)

DC-24V

Single

Frame size - 2.76"

47" x 94.5"

Silver/Other

ED-F3

0.2" (5mm) / 0.3" (8mm)

0.24" (6mm) / 0.39" (10mm)

1.38" (35mm)

DC-12V

Single

Frame size - 1.77"

35"× 48"

Silver/Other

Crystal ED-P

0.3" (8mm)

0.24" (6mm) / 0.39" (10mm)

 

DC-12V

Single

Frame size - 5.12"

35" x 48"

crystal

Crystal ED-DP

0.3" (8mm)

0.24" (6mm) / 0.39" (10mm)

 

DC-12V

Double

Frame size - 5.12"

23.5" x 48"

crystal

Remark:









1.For the very large ED-F9 & ED-DF9 ,we would also use the DC-24V power system.

2.The ED-F2 & ED-F3 could be color,but would cost would be increase 15%.

3.When the width of ED-P is > 23.6 inch,the distance of each LED is 0.24"(6mm);When the width of ED-P is between 11.8~ 23.6 inch,the distance of each LED is 0.39"(10mm).

4. When the width of ED-DP is >18 inch,the distance of each LED is 0.24"(6mm);Else is 0.39"(10mm)

Only 11 mm & long life LED slim light box in China!  http://www.edlite.hk