The Emporia Volunteer Fire Dept. serves the City of Emporia as well as the majority of rural Greensville County Virginia. The city is located at the crossroads of southeastern Virginia with U.S. Highway 58 passing thru the locality from the east and west and I-95 / U.S. 301 from the north and south. The volunteer fire department provides both fire suppression and extrication services for these major thoroughfares as well as the remainder of the city and county as well as mutual aid areas in neighboring Southampton, Sussex, and Brunswick counties.
To better serve this mission, the department has recently taken delivery of a new KME pumper tanker apparatus has some unique features to make the job easier for the volunteers. The KME Predator Panther Long Four Door custom cab and chassis drive train consist of a Cummins ISL 450 horsepower engine and an Allison EVS4000 series automatic transmission with heavy duty 1810 series drive line system.
The KME cab which is third party tested and certified to the latest ECE integrity and crash standards, is designed to be the safest and highest tested cab in the fire industry to date. The seating provides for six firefighters with five SCBA seats and body fender compartments for up to eleven spare air cylinders.
The pumping system consist of a Waterous Model CSU 2250 GPM pump that is U.L. certified at 1750 GPM for years of use. To provide intake water to the pump, there is a 6" intake on each side as well as at the front bumper area. For maximizing the flow from the on board 1250 gallon water tank, there is a 4" high capacity tank to pump piping with electrically controlled Akron 4" ball valve.
Multiple front bumper, side, and rear discharges are provided as well as three vertically stacked 2" speedlays with pull-out hose packing trays for ease of reloading. An Akron "Apollo Hi-Riser" deck gun is provided on the top side deck gun piping with a compliment of automatic and straight bore tip nozzles and a portable ground base.
The apparatus has a 1250 gallon water tank as well as a 40 gallon Class-A foam tank and a Class-B foam tank system. The foam tanks will supply the Foam Pro Model 3012 high capacity A/B electronic injection foam system with foam concentrates from permitting the unit to have five preconnect discharges foam or water capable for general firefighting as well as on Class B hydrocarbon and polar solvent fuels.
A high output warning system is provided on the unit for ultimate protection while responding and while on the scene. The Whelen LED upper and lower light bar system as well as an LED Rota-Ray light on the cab grille area provide maximum low current draw lighting. As for audible alerting equipment, there is a Whelen electronic siren, Federal Q2B mechanical siren and Hadley "Emergency" air horns.
For enhanced scene illumination, there are two Fire Research Evolution 150 watt LED 12 volt "brow" lights mounted on the front roof area of the cab, a 9000 watt Wilburt light tower mounted on the cab roof, and four 1500 watt semi-recessed flood lights in the sides of the primary hose bed. For remote electrical operations, there is a Hannay 200 foot electric rewind booster reel with junction box. The A.C. lighting on the vehicle is powered by way of a Harrison 15,000 watt hydraulic generator system.
2011年11月30日 星期三
2011年11月29日 星期二
Potentially disruptive AC-LEDs
Novel AC-LED products have the potential to complicate the driver market. In its purest form, the AC-LED eliminates the driver, using the diode features of the LED to replace conventional diodes. Other designs use some basic components to limit the current, but sparingly. If highly successful, the AC-LED could make some LED lighting products – such as replacement bulbs – more competitive and greatly expand the LED-lighting market. Such a move could be good for both the LED industry and the end users, but would displace potential driver sales for those products.
However, we expect that AC-LEDs will have an impact only in certain product segments. In replacement bulbs, the pressure to innovate is so high that the AC-LED is just one of several novel solutions, and there is no room for older, less-innovative designs. Consequently, there are plenty of opportunities for everyone.
The high-voltage LED (HV-LED) is another buzz word but it will have minimal impact on the driver market. LED-based products commonly use long strings of LEDs in series. Until recently, the LEDs have been packaged in discrete packages and assembled together in the luminaire or lamp.
An HV-LED integrates the LED string onto the same chip or within the same package, gaining some advantages for the customer. It means little to the driver design, other than the usual considerations for the LED load that impacts every product design.
Estimates for IC pricing also complicate the forecast. It's obvious that IC prices decline over time as volumes increase and margins shrink. What's not as clear is the effect on the average price of changes in the product mix.
New products can appear at much higher prices than more-mature products in the same category, but can earn the difference via savings in component count or improved LED performance. The new products may be priced higher because they use a larger chip that takes up more wafer area, because they use a more expensive foundry process, or simply because they deliver more value, and can earn greater margin for the chip supplier.
Temporary oversupply or shortages of products within the supply chain – such as driver ICs, LEDs, or the end products – also create fluctuations in prices. We ignore these short-term fluctuations; in our studies we focus on the underlying medium-term trends in demand and technology.
LEDs are relatively uniform and easy to understand – compared to drivers. As one supplier said, explaining drivers requires a deep dive, but few customers have the patience or expertise to listen for very long. Yet, with some patience, LED drivers can be appreciated as a critical partner to LEDs, which garner so much attention.
Tom Hausken is Director of the Components Practice at Strategies Unlimited, a market research firm based in Mountain View, California. The company's most recent market-research report on LED Driver ICs was published in June 2011.
However, we expect that AC-LEDs will have an impact only in certain product segments. In replacement bulbs, the pressure to innovate is so high that the AC-LED is just one of several novel solutions, and there is no room for older, less-innovative designs. Consequently, there are plenty of opportunities for everyone.
The high-voltage LED (HV-LED) is another buzz word but it will have minimal impact on the driver market. LED-based products commonly use long strings of LEDs in series. Until recently, the LEDs have been packaged in discrete packages and assembled together in the luminaire or lamp.
An HV-LED integrates the LED string onto the same chip or within the same package, gaining some advantages for the customer. It means little to the driver design, other than the usual considerations for the LED load that impacts every product design.
Estimates for IC pricing also complicate the forecast. It's obvious that IC prices decline over time as volumes increase and margins shrink. What's not as clear is the effect on the average price of changes in the product mix.
New products can appear at much higher prices than more-mature products in the same category, but can earn the difference via savings in component count or improved LED performance. The new products may be priced higher because they use a larger chip that takes up more wafer area, because they use a more expensive foundry process, or simply because they deliver more value, and can earn greater margin for the chip supplier.
Temporary oversupply or shortages of products within the supply chain – such as driver ICs, LEDs, or the end products – also create fluctuations in prices. We ignore these short-term fluctuations; in our studies we focus on the underlying medium-term trends in demand and technology.
LEDs are relatively uniform and easy to understand – compared to drivers. As one supplier said, explaining drivers requires a deep dive, but few customers have the patience or expertise to listen for very long. Yet, with some patience, LED drivers can be appreciated as a critical partner to LEDs, which garner so much attention.
Tom Hausken is Director of the Components Practice at Strategies Unlimited, a market research firm based in Mountain View, California. The company's most recent market-research report on LED Driver ICs was published in June 2011.
2011年11月28日 星期一
What's So "Smart" About a Smart Home?
One of the biggest challenges in our country is to conserve our energy supply. Energy, usually starting in the form of natural gas or other fossil fuels, is burned or converted to electricity to supply heating, cooling, illumination, and other household conveniences.
It is estimated that an average home wastes about 30% of the energy used for heating and cooling due to poor household insulation. The U. S. Department of Energy estimates an annual cost of about $1,900 per household in lost energy savings. And that doesn't count the energy we use for lighting, appliances, computers, video games, and many other things we might take for granted.
So, what have the designers of SmartHome Cleveland done to address these and other environmental challenges? They have incorporated a variety of technologies to reduce this home's heating and cooling demands to about 10% of that required by the average home, and they have reduced the need for primary energy consumption to about 30% of that used in the average home. Let's take a closer look at some of these technologies and the strategies to employ them.
The first design principle was to create an air-tight system of super insulation. This involved installing an insulated concrete foundation and walls one foot thick that use a combination of synthetic foams and natural cellulose. High-performance triple-pane windows seal in the heat and keep out the cold. Even the joists and beams in the house's construction were insulated to prevent conduction of the home's heat to the outside. Even the little bit of heat that would normally escape to the outside is channeled back into the incoming air.
Large windows with a southern exposure are used to allow the sun's heat energy into the home during the winter. Instead of a furnace, the SmartHome uses the sun's heat energy and a small, ductless, air-source heat pump to provide winter heating. The inside-outside air exchange in the house is rated at about 0.6 changes per hour.
A typical home exchanges its internal air supply with the outside about 3 to 6 times per hour. By comparison, a drafty, poorly-insulated home might be exchanging its complete air system with the outside as much as 20 times per hour! In northeast Ohio, with winters averaging about 30 degrees Fahrenheit, you can calculate that you might have to heat a poorly insulated house 33 times for every 1 time in the SmartHome!
A solar panel array and a storage/conversion system provide the home's electricity. Enough electricity is generated to power the heating-cooling-ventilation system and the energy-efficient appliances and LED lighting. The large southern windows also provide a special kind of directional shading. In the summer, when the sun is higher in the sky and more heat energy is concentrated in the northern hemisphere, the shading reflects the sun's rays back toward the outside. The heat pump, insulated walls, and roof also help to maintain a comfortable summer temperature.
Outside the house, the roof, a rain garden, and pervious pavement channels up to 500 gallons of rain water and storm runoff to a storage cistern and irrigation system. This reduces the demand on the city sewer system and provides recycled water used to keep the shade trees, lawn, and garden plants healthy during the hot Ohio summer.
It is estimated that an average home wastes about 30% of the energy used for heating and cooling due to poor household insulation. The U. S. Department of Energy estimates an annual cost of about $1,900 per household in lost energy savings. And that doesn't count the energy we use for lighting, appliances, computers, video games, and many other things we might take for granted.
So, what have the designers of SmartHome Cleveland done to address these and other environmental challenges? They have incorporated a variety of technologies to reduce this home's heating and cooling demands to about 10% of that required by the average home, and they have reduced the need for primary energy consumption to about 30% of that used in the average home. Let's take a closer look at some of these technologies and the strategies to employ them.
The first design principle was to create an air-tight system of super insulation. This involved installing an insulated concrete foundation and walls one foot thick that use a combination of synthetic foams and natural cellulose. High-performance triple-pane windows seal in the heat and keep out the cold. Even the joists and beams in the house's construction were insulated to prevent conduction of the home's heat to the outside. Even the little bit of heat that would normally escape to the outside is channeled back into the incoming air.
Large windows with a southern exposure are used to allow the sun's heat energy into the home during the winter. Instead of a furnace, the SmartHome uses the sun's heat energy and a small, ductless, air-source heat pump to provide winter heating. The inside-outside air exchange in the house is rated at about 0.6 changes per hour.
A typical home exchanges its internal air supply with the outside about 3 to 6 times per hour. By comparison, a drafty, poorly-insulated home might be exchanging its complete air system with the outside as much as 20 times per hour! In northeast Ohio, with winters averaging about 30 degrees Fahrenheit, you can calculate that you might have to heat a poorly insulated house 33 times for every 1 time in the SmartHome!
A solar panel array and a storage/conversion system provide the home's electricity. Enough electricity is generated to power the heating-cooling-ventilation system and the energy-efficient appliances and LED lighting. The large southern windows also provide a special kind of directional shading. In the summer, when the sun is higher in the sky and more heat energy is concentrated in the northern hemisphere, the shading reflects the sun's rays back toward the outside. The heat pump, insulated walls, and roof also help to maintain a comfortable summer temperature.
Outside the house, the roof, a rain garden, and pervious pavement channels up to 500 gallons of rain water and storm runoff to a storage cistern and irrigation system. This reduces the demand on the city sewer system and provides recycled water used to keep the shade trees, lawn, and garden plants healthy during the hot Ohio summer.
2011年11月27日 星期日
Paying for a little holiday cheer: Christmas Decor will do the job
Slippery shingles may provide the best rationalization ever for using the services of a company like Christmas Decor, which puts up lights for homeowners and businesses eager to brighten up the holiday season. It can be dangerous up on the house top.
"There are plenty of customers [who] have us just for the roof lights," said Alex Wettach, sales manager and designer for the Gibsonia operation that has had crews out daily for weeks now putting up lights and wreaths on homes in the Pittsburgh region.
But even the ranks of homeowners who want more done have grown since the franchise operation launched five years ago as a seasonal fill-in for E.L.F. Entertainment, a 15-year-old business that helps with school field days, manages inflatables for the Pittsburgh Pirates and sets up photo booths at parties.
The Christmas Decor franchise expects to decorate about 150 homes across the area this season, up from about 50 homes the first year, said Laura Rodavich, vice president of sales and marketing.
Still, she said, such a niche business can be a valuable sideline for seasonal businesses that need revenue during the holiday season. To make it work, she said, businesses probably need to cultivate neighborhoods where decorating is the norm. In addition, she suggested, scaled pricing might make the service affordable for homeowners who might be attracted to the convenience and the time savings.
Or perhaps offering services like, say, being willing to do just the roof and bringing along a 40-foot ladder.
"They come out in all types of weather," said Denise Brown, whose Collier home backing up on the Nevillewood golf course was swarmed recently by a team of guys wearing dark blue hoodies with "Decor Team" on the back. The decorating crew had draped a 20-foot-plus door in greenery and were busily wrapping white light strands around trees.
This is the third or fourth year that Christmas Decor has done the Browns' house. The homeowners hadn't used a service before. "We look forward to it every year," said Ms. Brown, who added that she loves the look of the lights at night.
Business has grown pretty steadily every year, said Ms. Rodavich, even through the depths of the recession. "Some people did cut back, while others went forward," she said.
The company that sells the franchises was started in the 1980s by a Lubbock, Texas, landscaper who didn't have enough business between October and January. It began franchising in the mid-1990s and now claims to have more than 350 franchisees.
Although its materials claim a franchise can be set up for about $5,000, costs seem likely to add up. The Gibsonia franchise owned by Maury Frankel, which also has a 3-year-old sibling, Nite Decor, doing year-round landscape lighting, buys LED lights for each customer's house and then stores them during the off-season in labeled bins. After three years, the materials are all replaced to reduce issues with wear and tear.
If a customer decides to do something different after a year or two -- try colorful lights, for example -- the company buys the needed strands.
That doesn't seem to happen very often.
One Christmas movie has left an indelible impression on many Americans. In "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," the father sets up a gaudy display of lights. The effect is dumbfounding and, as the Wikipedia summary puts it, causes a power drain at the local nuclear power plant.
"There are plenty of customers [who] have us just for the roof lights," said Alex Wettach, sales manager and designer for the Gibsonia operation that has had crews out daily for weeks now putting up lights and wreaths on homes in the Pittsburgh region.
But even the ranks of homeowners who want more done have grown since the franchise operation launched five years ago as a seasonal fill-in for E.L.F. Entertainment, a 15-year-old business that helps with school field days, manages inflatables for the Pittsburgh Pirates and sets up photo booths at parties.
The Christmas Decor franchise expects to decorate about 150 homes across the area this season, up from about 50 homes the first year, said Laura Rodavich, vice president of sales and marketing.
Still, she said, such a niche business can be a valuable sideline for seasonal businesses that need revenue during the holiday season. To make it work, she said, businesses probably need to cultivate neighborhoods where decorating is the norm. In addition, she suggested, scaled pricing might make the service affordable for homeowners who might be attracted to the convenience and the time savings.
Or perhaps offering services like, say, being willing to do just the roof and bringing along a 40-foot ladder.
"They come out in all types of weather," said Denise Brown, whose Collier home backing up on the Nevillewood golf course was swarmed recently by a team of guys wearing dark blue hoodies with "Decor Team" on the back. The decorating crew had draped a 20-foot-plus door in greenery and were busily wrapping white light strands around trees.
This is the third or fourth year that Christmas Decor has done the Browns' house. The homeowners hadn't used a service before. "We look forward to it every year," said Ms. Brown, who added that she loves the look of the lights at night.
Business has grown pretty steadily every year, said Ms. Rodavich, even through the depths of the recession. "Some people did cut back, while others went forward," she said.
The company that sells the franchises was started in the 1980s by a Lubbock, Texas, landscaper who didn't have enough business between October and January. It began franchising in the mid-1990s and now claims to have more than 350 franchisees.
Although its materials claim a franchise can be set up for about $5,000, costs seem likely to add up. The Gibsonia franchise owned by Maury Frankel, which also has a 3-year-old sibling, Nite Decor, doing year-round landscape lighting, buys LED lights for each customer's house and then stores them during the off-season in labeled bins. After three years, the materials are all replaced to reduce issues with wear and tear.
If a customer decides to do something different after a year or two -- try colorful lights, for example -- the company buys the needed strands.
That doesn't seem to happen very often.
One Christmas movie has left an indelible impression on many Americans. In "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," the father sets up a gaudy display of lights. The effect is dumbfounding and, as the Wikipedia summary puts it, causes a power drain at the local nuclear power plant.
2011年11月24日 星期四
Energy Efficient Lighting for Commercial Markets
For more than 130 years, the world has relied on variations of incandescent and gas-discharge lamps to illuminate commercial buildings. With the rise of the general-illumination white LED lighting only a few years ago, the lighting industry is experiencing its first revolutionary change since the commercialization of the fluorescent lamp in the 1930s.
As the semiconductor and software industries converge on the traditional lighting world, Pike Research expects that the lighting industry will see more change in the next five years than in the previous 50. By the end of our 10-year outlook, LED solid state lighting will not only capture over 50% of the global market, but the extraordinary lifetimes of these lamps will drive a steady decline in the commercial lamp market despite a steadily growing base of new buildings and access to electricity in emerging countries.
Today's market includes a flurry of start-ups and global giants spending the vast majority of their development resources on putting the LED payback period on par with that of fluorescent. Not only are LED costs projected to decline rapidly, but each year those projections are accelerated; an indication that the rate of change continues to be underestimated.
But for at least the next several years, LEDs are out of reach for the general illumination market and are seeing early success in niche markets and applications. For the mass energy efficiency market, the most influential market drivers are energy codes, rebates and incentives, all of which raise the minimum standards and effectively pare out the least efficient - such as incandescent lamps.
On the cutting edge of efficiency, certifications such as the USGBC's LEED, publicly funded projects, and those supported by conservationists are raising the bar on high standards and pulling energy code requirements up in the process.
This Pike Research report describes the key factors that are influencing the market for energy efficient lighting around the world: trends in energy codes, rebate and subsidy programs, sustainability/green certifications, raw material supply issues, geopolitical influences in developing and developed nations, and more.
The report describes the influence of industry structure, key applications, and the many technology issues involved in the decision to specify various lighting technologies. Comprehensive unit and dollar forecasts are presented through 2021, segmented by application, lamp type/LED, luminaires, and geographic region.
As the semiconductor and software industries converge on the traditional lighting world, Pike Research expects that the lighting industry will see more change in the next five years than in the previous 50. By the end of our 10-year outlook, LED solid state lighting will not only capture over 50% of the global market, but the extraordinary lifetimes of these lamps will drive a steady decline in the commercial lamp market despite a steadily growing base of new buildings and access to electricity in emerging countries.
Today's market includes a flurry of start-ups and global giants spending the vast majority of their development resources on putting the LED payback period on par with that of fluorescent. Not only are LED costs projected to decline rapidly, but each year those projections are accelerated; an indication that the rate of change continues to be underestimated.
But for at least the next several years, LEDs are out of reach for the general illumination market and are seeing early success in niche markets and applications. For the mass energy efficiency market, the most influential market drivers are energy codes, rebates and incentives, all of which raise the minimum standards and effectively pare out the least efficient - such as incandescent lamps.
On the cutting edge of efficiency, certifications such as the USGBC's LEED, publicly funded projects, and those supported by conservationists are raising the bar on high standards and pulling energy code requirements up in the process.
This Pike Research report describes the key factors that are influencing the market for energy efficient lighting around the world: trends in energy codes, rebate and subsidy programs, sustainability/green certifications, raw material supply issues, geopolitical influences in developing and developed nations, and more.
The report describes the influence of industry structure, key applications, and the many technology issues involved in the decision to specify various lighting technologies. Comprehensive unit and dollar forecasts are presented through 2021, segmented by application, lamp type/LED, luminaires, and geographic region.
2011年11月23日 星期三
Lyme Regis: Get into the Christmas spirit at lights switch-on
ORGANISERS are encouraging the Lyme Regis community to get into the Christmas spirit for the big lights switch-on this Satur-day.
The annual lantern parade through Broad Street and the lighting up of the town's tree will kick off the festive period.
In the following weeks leading up to Christmas, every Friday will be late night shopping to encourage residents to support their local businesses and bring in people from elsewhere to shop in the town.
Events start at 3pm on Saturday with a free lantern-making workshop for children at the Baptist Church.
All the entries – made at home or at the workshop – will be judged in nine categories at 4.30pm, with the Starlight Cup awarded to the best entry from the workshop and the Lymelight Cup going to the best overall entry.
The Lyme Regis Majorettes will lead the lantern parade from the Baptist Church at 5.15pm, and Father Christmas (Dave Causley) will be going via fire engine.
Town Mayor Sally Holman and Christmas Lights Committee chairman Barbara Austin will turn on the lights at the Shambles, Broad Street, at 5.30pm.
Mrs Austin said: "It should be a good evening and I hope for good weather.
"It's a good start to Christmas and I hope people will turn out and support us.
"Although times are hard at the moment, hopefully it will put people in the Christmas spirit."
She also praised the traders who have contributed to the display.
The initiative has been backed by a 2,000 Business Support Grant from West Dorset District Council, and Lyme Regis Town Council decided the money should be spent in this way.
A remaining 1,000 will help promote Lyme as a cruise ship destination.
Town councillor Rikey Austin, vice-chairman of the tourism and advertising sub-committee and owner of Alice's Bear Shop in Broad Street, is one of the lead organisers.
She said: "With the wonderful energy and ideas coming from our local businesses and an unbeatable setting we think we're at the beginning of a Christmas tradition that will grow and grow."
Events adding to the festive atmosphere will include hot chestnuts for sale, carol singing, a ‘Spot the Reindeer' competition in show windows, performers from the Marine Theatre entertaining in the streets, and appearances from Father Christmas.
Traders will be decorating their shops and the best dressed window will be chosen by Town Mayor Sally Holman and win 100, to be judged on Friday December 23.
LYME Regis Museum will be hosting a big lights switch-on of its own this Saturday.
A new lighting system has been installed and everyone is invited to see the museum's exhibits in a new light, with mulled wine and mince pies, from 6pm following the town's switch-on.
The annual lantern parade through Broad Street and the lighting up of the town's tree will kick off the festive period.
In the following weeks leading up to Christmas, every Friday will be late night shopping to encourage residents to support their local businesses and bring in people from elsewhere to shop in the town.
Events start at 3pm on Saturday with a free lantern-making workshop for children at the Baptist Church.
All the entries – made at home or at the workshop – will be judged in nine categories at 4.30pm, with the Starlight Cup awarded to the best entry from the workshop and the Lymelight Cup going to the best overall entry.
The Lyme Regis Majorettes will lead the lantern parade from the Baptist Church at 5.15pm, and Father Christmas (Dave Causley) will be going via fire engine.
Town Mayor Sally Holman and Christmas Lights Committee chairman Barbara Austin will turn on the lights at the Shambles, Broad Street, at 5.30pm.
Mrs Austin said: "It should be a good evening and I hope for good weather.
"It's a good start to Christmas and I hope people will turn out and support us.
"Although times are hard at the moment, hopefully it will put people in the Christmas spirit."
She also praised the traders who have contributed to the display.
The initiative has been backed by a 2,000 Business Support Grant from West Dorset District Council, and Lyme Regis Town Council decided the money should be spent in this way.
A remaining 1,000 will help promote Lyme as a cruise ship destination.
Town councillor Rikey Austin, vice-chairman of the tourism and advertising sub-committee and owner of Alice's Bear Shop in Broad Street, is one of the lead organisers.
She said: "With the wonderful energy and ideas coming from our local businesses and an unbeatable setting we think we're at the beginning of a Christmas tradition that will grow and grow."
Events adding to the festive atmosphere will include hot chestnuts for sale, carol singing, a ‘Spot the Reindeer' competition in show windows, performers from the Marine Theatre entertaining in the streets, and appearances from Father Christmas.
Traders will be decorating their shops and the best dressed window will be chosen by Town Mayor Sally Holman and win 100, to be judged on Friday December 23.
LYME Regis Museum will be hosting a big lights switch-on of its own this Saturday.
A new lighting system has been installed and everyone is invited to see the museum's exhibits in a new light, with mulled wine and mince pies, from 6pm following the town's switch-on.
2011年11月22日 星期二
Starry Nights Returning to Shelby Farms
Memphis, Tn - First Tennessee Starry Nights returns to Shelby Farms Park in 2011 with new features designed to create a memorable holiday experience for the whole family.
The event will run from November 25 - December 30, and will feature dozens of enormous holiday displays illuminated with more than a million environmentally friendly LED lights.
This year, visitors can see the show in a whole new light with horse-drawn Starry Carriage Rides and Starry Hayrides. The Parks Woodland Discovery Playground has been transformed into the shows newest exhibit and the home of the magical Mistletoe Village. And for the first time, tickets are available for pre-purchase online!
ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS AT THE MISTLETOE VILLAGE
Kids and families can have portraits made with Santa at the Mistletoe Village, sponsored by Boyle Investments. With fire pits for roasting smores, munchies and hot cocoa at the Holiday Cafe, live performances by carolers, choirs and bands, new park merchandise and collectibles for sale and fun features like the Harrahs Gingerbread Corner, the Mistletoe Village has something for everyone.
On Saturdays and Sundays in December from 1pm-5pm, children can decorate gingerbread people at Harrahs Gingerbread Corner in the Mistletoe Market ($8 per child to decorate a gingerbread person, limit one per child per day). He's best known for his 2006 creation of the worlds largest gingerbread house, which was an astounding 67 feet tall (free to attend, $8 per child to decorate, limit one per child per day).
GET A DISCOUNT ON THEME NIGHTS
Tacky Holiday Sweater Night, Biker Night, and Decorate You Car Night are a few of the fun Theme Nights SFPC has added to the event, giving visitors a chance to have some fun and earn a discount on their car tickets at the same time. A full list of theme nights is available on the event website. Discounts apply only to standard $20 car tickets and must be taken at the gate the night of the show (discounts cannot be taken on pre-purchased tickets).
RUN, WALK, BIKE NIGHTS
Monday evenings in December are reserved and designated for non-vehicular use like bicycling, walking, and other features for Run, Walk, Bike nights.
SOUNDS OF STARRY NIGHTS
Starry Nights will once again have a musical soundtrack, featuring local musicians coordinated by Dean Deyo of Memphis Music Foundation. Visitors can tune into a special radio station once they enter the Park to hear holiday music.
EVENT DATES AND HOURS
Starry Nights will open at Shelby Farms Park the day after Thanksgiving, November 25, and will run each evening until December 30, open from 6-9pm Sunday through Thursday and 6-10pm Friday and Saturday. The Mistletoe Village will be open each night during show hours, plus 1pm-5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Carriage Rides and Hayrides are available Sunday-Thursday only.
The event will run from November 25 - December 30, and will feature dozens of enormous holiday displays illuminated with more than a million environmentally friendly LED lights.
This year, visitors can see the show in a whole new light with horse-drawn Starry Carriage Rides and Starry Hayrides. The Parks Woodland Discovery Playground has been transformed into the shows newest exhibit and the home of the magical Mistletoe Village. And for the first time, tickets are available for pre-purchase online!
ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS AT THE MISTLETOE VILLAGE
Kids and families can have portraits made with Santa at the Mistletoe Village, sponsored by Boyle Investments. With fire pits for roasting smores, munchies and hot cocoa at the Holiday Cafe, live performances by carolers, choirs and bands, new park merchandise and collectibles for sale and fun features like the Harrahs Gingerbread Corner, the Mistletoe Village has something for everyone.
On Saturdays and Sundays in December from 1pm-5pm, children can decorate gingerbread people at Harrahs Gingerbread Corner in the Mistletoe Market ($8 per child to decorate a gingerbread person, limit one per child per day). He's best known for his 2006 creation of the worlds largest gingerbread house, which was an astounding 67 feet tall (free to attend, $8 per child to decorate, limit one per child per day).
GET A DISCOUNT ON THEME NIGHTS
Tacky Holiday Sweater Night, Biker Night, and Decorate You Car Night are a few of the fun Theme Nights SFPC has added to the event, giving visitors a chance to have some fun and earn a discount on their car tickets at the same time. A full list of theme nights is available on the event website. Discounts apply only to standard $20 car tickets and must be taken at the gate the night of the show (discounts cannot be taken on pre-purchased tickets).
RUN, WALK, BIKE NIGHTS
Monday evenings in December are reserved and designated for non-vehicular use like bicycling, walking, and other features for Run, Walk, Bike nights.
SOUNDS OF STARRY NIGHTS
Starry Nights will once again have a musical soundtrack, featuring local musicians coordinated by Dean Deyo of Memphis Music Foundation. Visitors can tune into a special radio station once they enter the Park to hear holiday music.
EVENT DATES AND HOURS
Starry Nights will open at Shelby Farms Park the day after Thanksgiving, November 25, and will run each evening until December 30, open from 6-9pm Sunday through Thursday and 6-10pm Friday and Saturday. The Mistletoe Village will be open each night during show hours, plus 1pm-5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Carriage Rides and Hayrides are available Sunday-Thursday only.
2011年11月21日 星期一
2013 Volkswagen CC: Mid-Size Luxury Sedan Debuts At 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show
Now that the 2013 Volkswagen CC mid-size luxury sedan has officially made its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, we're pleased to note that the actual four-door coupe looks even better up close and personal.
MotorAuthority was all over the scene at the show, and the live photos from the floor show off the latest iteration of the CC.
Since we previewed the new CC a bit earlier, here we'll just pass along some of the specifics gleaned from its auto show debut.
The front and rear body sections of the CC have been reworked with the twin goals of making them look more elegant and yet muscular. Of note in the front grille are the three chrome bars that bear a styling resemblance to the Passat.
Seating for five – As befitting a mid-size luxury family car, the interior of the new CC has been modified to seat five passengers. This is accomplished by way of a bench seat in the rear, instead of two individual bucket seats. VR6 models sport engineered ebony trim, replacing the Zebrano trim in other CCs.
More standard features – Added standard features include Bi-Xenon headlights, LED taillights, LED license-plate illumination and bigger side-sill flares. Optional on CC Sport and standard on all other CC models are LED daytime running lights and the Adaptive Front Lighting system that turns up the beams by 15 degrees for increased visibility around corners. New standard features for the 2013 CC include front head restraints that adjust fore-and-aft and up-and-down. Also new is remote latching for the rear seatback. Both sections of the split seatback can be easily unlatched by using levers mounted under the rear shelf on the right and left sides of the trunk.
2.0T Sport Plus – Slotting above the base 2.0T Sport, the 2.0T Sport Plus adds Bi-Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights and Adaptive Front Lighting system, new 18-inch Mallory wheels with all-season 235/40 tires and the RNS 315 navigation system
Power for all --2.0T models comes from a 200-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected TSI four-cylinder engine.
V6 Lux – Another new model in the CC lineup, the V6 Lux is powered by a 280-horsepower 3.6-liter VR6 engine paired with a six-speed DRG dual-clutch automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. Other standard features in V6 Lux include a rearview camera, headlight-washing system with heated nozzles, the RNS 510 navigation system with 6.5-inch touchscreen, leather seating surfaces, ventilated front seats, memory seating and mirrors, "Interlagos" 18-inch wheels, and engineered ebony trim.
Available in six models: 2.0T Sport, 2.0T Sport Plus, 2.0T R-Line, 2.0T Lux, V6 Lux, and VR6 4Motion Executive, the 2013 Volkswagen CC will go on sale in the spring of 2012. All 2.0T models and the V6 Lux are front-wheel drive. Only the VR6 4Motion Executive is all-wheel drive.
MotorAuthority was all over the scene at the show, and the live photos from the floor show off the latest iteration of the CC.
Since we previewed the new CC a bit earlier, here we'll just pass along some of the specifics gleaned from its auto show debut.
The front and rear body sections of the CC have been reworked with the twin goals of making them look more elegant and yet muscular. Of note in the front grille are the three chrome bars that bear a styling resemblance to the Passat.
Seating for five – As befitting a mid-size luxury family car, the interior of the new CC has been modified to seat five passengers. This is accomplished by way of a bench seat in the rear, instead of two individual bucket seats. VR6 models sport engineered ebony trim, replacing the Zebrano trim in other CCs.
More standard features – Added standard features include Bi-Xenon headlights, LED taillights, LED license-plate illumination and bigger side-sill flares. Optional on CC Sport and standard on all other CC models are LED daytime running lights and the Adaptive Front Lighting system that turns up the beams by 15 degrees for increased visibility around corners. New standard features for the 2013 CC include front head restraints that adjust fore-and-aft and up-and-down. Also new is remote latching for the rear seatback. Both sections of the split seatback can be easily unlatched by using levers mounted under the rear shelf on the right and left sides of the trunk.
2.0T Sport Plus – Slotting above the base 2.0T Sport, the 2.0T Sport Plus adds Bi-Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights and Adaptive Front Lighting system, new 18-inch Mallory wheels with all-season 235/40 tires and the RNS 315 navigation system
Power for all --2.0T models comes from a 200-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected TSI four-cylinder engine.
V6 Lux – Another new model in the CC lineup, the V6 Lux is powered by a 280-horsepower 3.6-liter VR6 engine paired with a six-speed DRG dual-clutch automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. Other standard features in V6 Lux include a rearview camera, headlight-washing system with heated nozzles, the RNS 510 navigation system with 6.5-inch touchscreen, leather seating surfaces, ventilated front seats, memory seating and mirrors, "Interlagos" 18-inch wheels, and engineered ebony trim.
Available in six models: 2.0T Sport, 2.0T Sport Plus, 2.0T R-Line, 2.0T Lux, V6 Lux, and VR6 4Motion Executive, the 2013 Volkswagen CC will go on sale in the spring of 2012. All 2.0T models and the V6 Lux are front-wheel drive. Only the VR6 4Motion Executive is all-wheel drive.
2011年11月20日 星期日
Raleigh 2012 bikes: steel Clubman breaks cover
Our recent invitation to the Hillingdon racing circuit to see the Raleigh 2012 carbon road bikes bought to light that they were planning to offer in the UK a selection from the very interesting steel-based niche machines developed for the US market. One in particular, the Clubman which our Dave only saw as images and a spec list really caught his eye inclined as he is to bashing off the odd hilly Century on finely-wrought steel. This week Raleigh came good on their promise to show us the first one that arrived.
It seems odd that the company celebrating next year their foundation in Nottingham in 1887 should be focusing attention on America but that's been the apparent priority these last few years as they've clawed back a place for themselves in the world's largest bike market and upon which the strength of the brand is necessarily based.
The fact that Raleigh's heritage is partly based on what the Americans used to call "English Racers" isn't doing them any harm at all now that road bikes, 'Gran Fondo' rides and commuting to work are back on the Stateside agenda.
In what might be called 'carbon racing' they're as up against it as any company in that scary field where balancing the tightrope of low weight, competitive price, sufficient strength and the dreaded lateral stiffness/vertical compliance is the stuff of a bike company product manager's nightmares.
In the area where customers are looking for something else - certain undefinable aspects filed under 'character' - as well as extremely measurable features like price, longer-term performance and the ability to be repaired by a blacksmith up a track in the Gironde, the Raleigh folks can call on in-house memory; they haven't had to reinvent the wheel, as it where.
Despite the tradional-handling geometry, the modish sloping top tube will please bike shops used to sizing customers on mountain bikes and help riders with a comfortable, slightly raised front end. In short, Clubman looks like it should be great for everything except actual racing, heavy touring or traversing muddy fields. If you're the sort that plans on riding 5,000 - 10,000 road miles next year, mostly commuting with longer weekend rides, you'd likely have a very satisfactory year on a Clubman and just need to change the chain, cassette, tyres and brake blocks ready for another year.
OK, the Reynolds 520 cro-mo tubing isn't the lightest but neither are the fitted Vittoria 25mm tyres and Brooks Swift saddle; this is about going faster for longer and in comfort. The important thing is that the whole package comes in under the grand at 950 and we guarantee that if you bought this as a first proper road bike and later graduated to some flighty seducer for big rides, you could still be happily doing most of your daily mileage on this Clubman years later.
Up-to-date components like Shimano's latest 2x10-speed Tiagra transmission with a 50/34 crankset and 12-30 cassette will surely be appreciated for their deft shiftability, spares availability and interchangeability in the long run; that's a lot of abilities. Older touches to complement that saddle are traditional metal mudguards and looped stainless 'guard stays although we're less certain about how practical those painted 'guards are but, hey, they're going to look good in the showroom to match that neatly-finished frame.
It seems odd that the company celebrating next year their foundation in Nottingham in 1887 should be focusing attention on America but that's been the apparent priority these last few years as they've clawed back a place for themselves in the world's largest bike market and upon which the strength of the brand is necessarily based.
The fact that Raleigh's heritage is partly based on what the Americans used to call "English Racers" isn't doing them any harm at all now that road bikes, 'Gran Fondo' rides and commuting to work are back on the Stateside agenda.
In what might be called 'carbon racing' they're as up against it as any company in that scary field where balancing the tightrope of low weight, competitive price, sufficient strength and the dreaded lateral stiffness/vertical compliance is the stuff of a bike company product manager's nightmares.
In the area where customers are looking for something else - certain undefinable aspects filed under 'character' - as well as extremely measurable features like price, longer-term performance and the ability to be repaired by a blacksmith up a track in the Gironde, the Raleigh folks can call on in-house memory; they haven't had to reinvent the wheel, as it where.
Despite the tradional-handling geometry, the modish sloping top tube will please bike shops used to sizing customers on mountain bikes and help riders with a comfortable, slightly raised front end. In short, Clubman looks like it should be great for everything except actual racing, heavy touring or traversing muddy fields. If you're the sort that plans on riding 5,000 - 10,000 road miles next year, mostly commuting with longer weekend rides, you'd likely have a very satisfactory year on a Clubman and just need to change the chain, cassette, tyres and brake blocks ready for another year.
OK, the Reynolds 520 cro-mo tubing isn't the lightest but neither are the fitted Vittoria 25mm tyres and Brooks Swift saddle; this is about going faster for longer and in comfort. The important thing is that the whole package comes in under the grand at 950 and we guarantee that if you bought this as a first proper road bike and later graduated to some flighty seducer for big rides, you could still be happily doing most of your daily mileage on this Clubman years later.
Up-to-date components like Shimano's latest 2x10-speed Tiagra transmission with a 50/34 crankset and 12-30 cassette will surely be appreciated for their deft shiftability, spares availability and interchangeability in the long run; that's a lot of abilities. Older touches to complement that saddle are traditional metal mudguards and looped stainless 'guard stays although we're less certain about how practical those painted 'guards are but, hey, they're going to look good in the showroom to match that neatly-finished frame.
2011年11月17日 星期四
Paul Wilson, NXP Semiconductors
Wilson discussed some of the hardware components that intelligent lights require and the importance of power control and efficiency in a successful intelligent-lighting network:
"Lighting represents one of the world's greatest opportunities for significant energy savings, as up to 25% of home-energy usage is from lighting. We all know the energy-savings potential of LED lighting in replacing the existing base of incandescent lights. We estimate that another 30% of savings can be gathered by applying [and combining] these LED lights with intelligent lighting: Use light when you really need light. With smart controls, you can do dimming, scenes, profiles, adjustments, monitoring, [and] preventive maintenance. [In addition] intelligent lighting enables participation in utilities' demand-response programs, resulting in reduced tariffs.
"Some of the key elements of an intelligent-lighting network are the switches, sensors, controllers, and the wirelessly enabled smart lamps themselves. If you want to have access to them through smartphones, tablets, and other Internet-connected devices, then you need to have some sort of gateway. I'll talk a little about what's going on inside that wirelessly enabled smart lamp because there is a price to pay in terms of power when you're putting all this smart technology inside a light bulb.
"One of the gotchas in smart lighting is now that you have the smart power supply, it must be constantly on and drawing power. Even when the switch is in the off position, the light must be listening for controller signals. Fortunately, intelligent light bulbs, which are often centrally positioned in every room, can make ideal network routers, but they do draw continuous amounts of power even when off, so standby power can impact system power efficiency.
"Standby power can vary dramatically based on power-supply topology. For example, a low-cost linear supply can consume as much as 3W; in a 13W LED you'll negate the power savings of using an LED lamp, so that's not a really smart way of doing it. … A better choice is a buck topology with about 10 mW of standby power. State of the art for a radio transceiver for the wireless portion is about 17 mA of current. The networking stack you choose has an impact, as well. David [Ewing] mentioned 6LoWPAN. I think the key is to get the code size small and then keep the RF-transceiver- and microcontroller-power needs as low as possible. Using a ‘mostly asleep' duty-cycle design where the transceiver and microcontroller don't have to be constantly on also helps cut down on standby power.
"As an example of how real this issue is, a 10W bulb on for four hours a day uses 40 Whr a day. If the standby power for the device is 1W ... it will consume about 20 Whr a day; 33% of the power is consumed in standby. At 100 mW, it falls to 2 Whr, or just 5% of the electricity bill at 100 mW standby power; NXP demonstrated at LightFair last May its 6LoWPAN chip set operating with a duty cycle of about 10% on and listening for control signals, resulting in a standby power of about 30 mW and reducing standby power to negligible amounts.
"Dimming control becomes much simpler when designing for smart lighting networks. Currently, LED lamps must be able to dim with existing TRIAC [triode-alternating-current] phase-cut dimmers, and including this circuitry in an LED lamp costs about 50 cents. In an intelligent-lighting system, users control dimming from a tablet, a smartphone, or a wireless device. Eliminating the TRIAC-dimmable circuitry will help offset the cost of including wireless circuitry and intelligence in LED lamps.
"Lighting represents one of the world's greatest opportunities for significant energy savings, as up to 25% of home-energy usage is from lighting. We all know the energy-savings potential of LED lighting in replacing the existing base of incandescent lights. We estimate that another 30% of savings can be gathered by applying [and combining] these LED lights with intelligent lighting: Use light when you really need light. With smart controls, you can do dimming, scenes, profiles, adjustments, monitoring, [and] preventive maintenance. [In addition] intelligent lighting enables participation in utilities' demand-response programs, resulting in reduced tariffs.
"Some of the key elements of an intelligent-lighting network are the switches, sensors, controllers, and the wirelessly enabled smart lamps themselves. If you want to have access to them through smartphones, tablets, and other Internet-connected devices, then you need to have some sort of gateway. I'll talk a little about what's going on inside that wirelessly enabled smart lamp because there is a price to pay in terms of power when you're putting all this smart technology inside a light bulb.
"One of the gotchas in smart lighting is now that you have the smart power supply, it must be constantly on and drawing power. Even when the switch is in the off position, the light must be listening for controller signals. Fortunately, intelligent light bulbs, which are often centrally positioned in every room, can make ideal network routers, but they do draw continuous amounts of power even when off, so standby power can impact system power efficiency.
"Standby power can vary dramatically based on power-supply topology. For example, a low-cost linear supply can consume as much as 3W; in a 13W LED you'll negate the power savings of using an LED lamp, so that's not a really smart way of doing it. … A better choice is a buck topology with about 10 mW of standby power. State of the art for a radio transceiver for the wireless portion is about 17 mA of current. The networking stack you choose has an impact, as well. David [Ewing] mentioned 6LoWPAN. I think the key is to get the code size small and then keep the RF-transceiver- and microcontroller-power needs as low as possible. Using a ‘mostly asleep' duty-cycle design where the transceiver and microcontroller don't have to be constantly on also helps cut down on standby power.
"As an example of how real this issue is, a 10W bulb on for four hours a day uses 40 Whr a day. If the standby power for the device is 1W ... it will consume about 20 Whr a day; 33% of the power is consumed in standby. At 100 mW, it falls to 2 Whr, or just 5% of the electricity bill at 100 mW standby power; NXP demonstrated at LightFair last May its 6LoWPAN chip set operating with a duty cycle of about 10% on and listening for control signals, resulting in a standby power of about 30 mW and reducing standby power to negligible amounts.
"Dimming control becomes much simpler when designing for smart lighting networks. Currently, LED lamps must be able to dim with existing TRIAC [triode-alternating-current] phase-cut dimmers, and including this circuitry in an LED lamp costs about 50 cents. In an intelligent-lighting system, users control dimming from a tablet, a smartphone, or a wireless device. Eliminating the TRIAC-dimmable circuitry will help offset the cost of including wireless circuitry and intelligence in LED lamps.
2011年11月16日 星期三
Airport saves tax dollars with ramp light changes
When Bear Valley Electric started its bulb replacement program for area businesses, the Big Bear Airport District researched which lights at the airport could benefit from the program. Utility costs are the third-highest expenditure at the airport. One of the places identified were the ramp lights, according to Pete Gwaltney, airport general manager. "Were there ways we could do something with the ramp lights?" Gwaltney asked. He instructed staff to find the answer.
Ramp lights illuminate the perimeter of the airport where airplanes are parked. They sit high on poles to provide safety and security to the area. The task was to replace the existing bulbs with money-saving LED bulbs. But it wasn't a simple matter of changing them out. New fixtures were needed.
A total of 26 lights were given new fixtures and new LED bulbs at a cost of $26,000. The project was completed Nov. 1. Gwaltney said Bear Valley Electric estimates the LED bulbs will cut the cost of running those lights in half. "We will see a return in our investment in 18 months," Gwaltney said.
A local company, Ludecke Electric, was contracted to do the work. "We were very pleased with the work," Gwaltney said. The contractor gave the airport a 10 percent discount from the original estimate because the fixtures were easy to replace, Gwaltney said.
More lights will be changed to use LED bulbs in other areas of the airport. Gwaltney said under the general maintenance program, the security lights on the hangars will be replaced. "That part may be spring before we finish," Gwaltney said.
Actual savings will be calculated through the next several months. "We will be tracking our savings," Gwaltney said.
During the Nov. 9 airport district board meeting, board member Gary Steube said the LED ramp light replacement was the only thing of note reported on in the meeting. "It's a tremendous savings," Steube said about the project. "
The LED ramp light update was given during the general manager's report. The board also discussed fellow board member Gloria Greene's signs promoting a community room at the airport but decided no action was necessary as Greene said she was removing the signs. The board also spent more than an hour approving minutes from three past meetings.
Board member Chuck Knight requested that Greene's behavior during the October meeting be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. He wants the board to censure Greene for what he believes is inappropriate behavior. Greene argued with board president Julie Smith after the October meeting.
Greene apologized, explaining she got caught up in the moment.
Knight's request to censure Greene was rejected by a majority of the board. Steube, Greene and board member Steven Baker opposed the request. "I'd really like to get it all behind us," Steube said. "I'd like to see us move on."
Greene's request to hire a neutral investigator to research Baker's comments regarding Gwaltney's performance was also rejected when it did not receive consensus. Smith, Steube and Knight opposed the item.
Ramp lights illuminate the perimeter of the airport where airplanes are parked. They sit high on poles to provide safety and security to the area. The task was to replace the existing bulbs with money-saving LED bulbs. But it wasn't a simple matter of changing them out. New fixtures were needed.
A total of 26 lights were given new fixtures and new LED bulbs at a cost of $26,000. The project was completed Nov. 1. Gwaltney said Bear Valley Electric estimates the LED bulbs will cut the cost of running those lights in half. "We will see a return in our investment in 18 months," Gwaltney said.
A local company, Ludecke Electric, was contracted to do the work. "We were very pleased with the work," Gwaltney said. The contractor gave the airport a 10 percent discount from the original estimate because the fixtures were easy to replace, Gwaltney said.
More lights will be changed to use LED bulbs in other areas of the airport. Gwaltney said under the general maintenance program, the security lights on the hangars will be replaced. "That part may be spring before we finish," Gwaltney said.
Actual savings will be calculated through the next several months. "We will be tracking our savings," Gwaltney said.
During the Nov. 9 airport district board meeting, board member Gary Steube said the LED ramp light replacement was the only thing of note reported on in the meeting. "It's a tremendous savings," Steube said about the project. "
The LED ramp light update was given during the general manager's report. The board also discussed fellow board member Gloria Greene's signs promoting a community room at the airport but decided no action was necessary as Greene said she was removing the signs. The board also spent more than an hour approving minutes from three past meetings.
Board member Chuck Knight requested that Greene's behavior during the October meeting be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. He wants the board to censure Greene for what he believes is inappropriate behavior. Greene argued with board president Julie Smith after the October meeting.
Greene apologized, explaining she got caught up in the moment.
Knight's request to censure Greene was rejected by a majority of the board. Steube, Greene and board member Steven Baker opposed the request. "I'd really like to get it all behind us," Steube said. "I'd like to see us move on."
Greene's request to hire a neutral investigator to research Baker's comments regarding Gwaltney's performance was also rejected when it did not receive consensus. Smith, Steube and Knight opposed the item.
2011年11月15日 星期二
MaxLite's Full Cutoff LED Wall Packs Included in DLC Qualified Products List
MaxLite, a provider of LED fluorescent energy efficient lighting products, has announced that its full cutoff LED Wall Packs have received the DesignLights Consortium (DLC) certification and have now been included in the Qualified Products List.
The DLC is a collaboration formed by the regional energy efficiency organizations and utility companies for increasing the awareness of efficient lighting for commercial purposes.
MaxLite's full cutoff Wall Packs are designed as alternatives to conventional fluorescent and HID fixtures. They are energy efficient and maintenance free. They are an effective alternative to fluorescent, metal halide, high and low pressure sodium, and induction lighting fixtures. The Wall Packs avoid cave-like appearances and provide a uniform and wide beam.
The cutoff Wall Packs provide a maximum brightness of up to 4200 lm and have a life of around 13 years or 50,000 h. They require low maintenance and provide higher energy savings, which allows achievement of ROI within two years. The lights can operate from 120 to 277 V.
The packs have a polyester coated, one-piece, cast aluminium, heavy-duty housing for protection from corrosion and rust. They have shatterproof glass and are sealed to prevent bugs and dust. The integral LED driver is Class 2 and is UL-listed. The LED module in the Wall Pack has an aluminium heat sink for thermal management. It also has directional settings.
The full cutoff, which uses 20 W has a color temperature of 5000K and delivers 1400 lm. It can replace metal halide fixtures up to 100 W. The 30 W cutoff can replace 150 W fixtures, while the 40 W can be used as a replacement for 175 W and the 70 W full cutoff Wall Pack can be used as a replacement for 250 W metal halide lamp.
The Wall Packs are offered in a textured white finish and a dark bronze finish. The lights are suitable for outdoor lighting and can be used for illuminating universities, schools, hospitals, public spaces, commercial buildings and hotels.
LUX Bar and LUX Dome serve as lighting in corporate offices, suites, guest rooms, lobbies, modern chain lodging, and back-of-house offices, luxury and boutique hotels furnishing guests with warm, clear and bright light for work and reading. With the latest advancements in solid-state lighting technology, LUX LED Task Lights are energy-efficient with enduring brightness of LEDs providing 250 lm and pleasant white (4000 K) light for up to 50,000 h of continuous illumination. The LUX Dome is coloured flat black, chartreuse green, turquoise and brushed nickel whereas LUX Bar is of a latest aluminum finish available in both independent and clamp-on version.
The product will substitute both incandescent lights and fluorescent (CFL) lights, with LUX line providing architectural designers a trendy, energy-efficient lighting alternative says Roger Edgar, President and CEO of Mighty Bright. Transformation from energy-consuming incandescent lighting and harmful fluorescent lighting to powerful LED task lights results in dynamic applications with superior features .
The DLC is a collaboration formed by the regional energy efficiency organizations and utility companies for increasing the awareness of efficient lighting for commercial purposes.
MaxLite's full cutoff Wall Packs are designed as alternatives to conventional fluorescent and HID fixtures. They are energy efficient and maintenance free. They are an effective alternative to fluorescent, metal halide, high and low pressure sodium, and induction lighting fixtures. The Wall Packs avoid cave-like appearances and provide a uniform and wide beam.
The cutoff Wall Packs provide a maximum brightness of up to 4200 lm and have a life of around 13 years or 50,000 h. They require low maintenance and provide higher energy savings, which allows achievement of ROI within two years. The lights can operate from 120 to 277 V.
The packs have a polyester coated, one-piece, cast aluminium, heavy-duty housing for protection from corrosion and rust. They have shatterproof glass and are sealed to prevent bugs and dust. The integral LED driver is Class 2 and is UL-listed. The LED module in the Wall Pack has an aluminium heat sink for thermal management. It also has directional settings.
The full cutoff, which uses 20 W has a color temperature of 5000K and delivers 1400 lm. It can replace metal halide fixtures up to 100 W. The 30 W cutoff can replace 150 W fixtures, while the 40 W can be used as a replacement for 175 W and the 70 W full cutoff Wall Pack can be used as a replacement for 250 W metal halide lamp.
The Wall Packs are offered in a textured white finish and a dark bronze finish. The lights are suitable for outdoor lighting and can be used for illuminating universities, schools, hospitals, public spaces, commercial buildings and hotels.
LUX Bar and LUX Dome serve as lighting in corporate offices, suites, guest rooms, lobbies, modern chain lodging, and back-of-house offices, luxury and boutique hotels furnishing guests with warm, clear and bright light for work and reading. With the latest advancements in solid-state lighting technology, LUX LED Task Lights are energy-efficient with enduring brightness of LEDs providing 250 lm and pleasant white (4000 K) light for up to 50,000 h of continuous illumination. The LUX Dome is coloured flat black, chartreuse green, turquoise and brushed nickel whereas LUX Bar is of a latest aluminum finish available in both independent and clamp-on version.
The product will substitute both incandescent lights and fluorescent (CFL) lights, with LUX line providing architectural designers a trendy, energy-efficient lighting alternative says Roger Edgar, President and CEO of Mighty Bright. Transformation from energy-consuming incandescent lighting and harmful fluorescent lighting to powerful LED task lights results in dynamic applications with superior features .
2011年11月14日 星期一
Flexible OLEDs - The state of play
Were we not promised super-thin bendable, flexible and rollable organic LED (OLED) displays?
Phones like Samsung's Galaxy and HTC's Desire have shown us that the rigid versions can deliver stunning images. So where are those flexies?
It turns out that they are also here, at least in proof-of-concept form, and they could even be on the shelves next year.
Sony has shown flexible OLED displays at the Society for Information Display conference more than once in the past few years, and Samsung has demonstrated flexible displays and said it will have products on the market in 2014, with rumours suggesting the Samsung is bringing this forward to 2012.
This said, significant hurdles remain in all four parts of a flexible OLED display: active matrix, substrate, OLED and barrier layers.
Like LCDs, a video-speed OLED display needs a matrix of drive transistors, thin-film transistors (TFTs), and flexible OLED displays will need flexible transistors.
Because OLED is a current-driven technology its transistors have to switch a non-trivial current, compared with LCD TFTs that are only required to change the voltage on what is essentially a capacitor.
Dr Jan Genoe is head of the Polymer and Molecular Electronics (PME) group at Belgian research lab Imec. His group works with the Netherlands' lab TNO on backplanes for rollable AMOLED displays at their Holst Centre in Eindhoven.
Both teams have been in the European Flame (flexible organic active matrix OLED displays for nomadic applications) project.
"Our main goal is transistors on flexible foil for making backplanes for OLED and other flexible displays," he told Electronics Weekly. "Our focus is truly rollable displays that can be rolled to 7mm diameter 10,000 times."
For LCDs on glass, amorphous silicon TFTs have been the order of the day or, for better quality displays, higher mobility polycrystalline transistors made by lasering amorphous silicon.
However, as far as anyone can tell, amorphous silicon has reached its slightly-disappointing full potential and will not be good enough for -current-driven displays.
The higher-mobility polycrystalline materials also have limitations in current-driven technologies because different crystals have different characteristics leading to variations between neighbouring transistors. With LCDs, this will show up as a slight difference in pixel speed, which is irrelevant. "One really crucial thing for displays is uniformity because eyes are very sensitive to slight differences," said Genoe. "Voltage-driven displays are very forgiving of transistor-to-transistor variations. In a current-driven display you will see the small differences."
So OLEDs need materials with higher mobility than amorphous silicon, and better uniformity than polycrystalline silicon.
"Our main focus is organic or oxide transistors on plastic foil," said Genoe, "and nowadays there is a shift to oxide transistors."
Oxide transistors are from a class of devices made from compounds that include metal and a non-metal atoms like oxygen. Copper oxide transistors are one of the earliest examples.
Phones like Samsung's Galaxy and HTC's Desire have shown us that the rigid versions can deliver stunning images. So where are those flexies?
It turns out that they are also here, at least in proof-of-concept form, and they could even be on the shelves next year.
Sony has shown flexible OLED displays at the Society for Information Display conference more than once in the past few years, and Samsung has demonstrated flexible displays and said it will have products on the market in 2014, with rumours suggesting the Samsung is bringing this forward to 2012.
This said, significant hurdles remain in all four parts of a flexible OLED display: active matrix, substrate, OLED and barrier layers.
Like LCDs, a video-speed OLED display needs a matrix of drive transistors, thin-film transistors (TFTs), and flexible OLED displays will need flexible transistors.
Because OLED is a current-driven technology its transistors have to switch a non-trivial current, compared with LCD TFTs that are only required to change the voltage on what is essentially a capacitor.
Dr Jan Genoe is head of the Polymer and Molecular Electronics (PME) group at Belgian research lab Imec. His group works with the Netherlands' lab TNO on backplanes for rollable AMOLED displays at their Holst Centre in Eindhoven.
Both teams have been in the European Flame (flexible organic active matrix OLED displays for nomadic applications) project.
"Our main goal is transistors on flexible foil for making backplanes for OLED and other flexible displays," he told Electronics Weekly. "Our focus is truly rollable displays that can be rolled to 7mm diameter 10,000 times."
For LCDs on glass, amorphous silicon TFTs have been the order of the day or, for better quality displays, higher mobility polycrystalline transistors made by lasering amorphous silicon.
However, as far as anyone can tell, amorphous silicon has reached its slightly-disappointing full potential and will not be good enough for -current-driven displays.
The higher-mobility polycrystalline materials also have limitations in current-driven technologies because different crystals have different characteristics leading to variations between neighbouring transistors. With LCDs, this will show up as a slight difference in pixel speed, which is irrelevant. "One really crucial thing for displays is uniformity because eyes are very sensitive to slight differences," said Genoe. "Voltage-driven displays are very forgiving of transistor-to-transistor variations. In a current-driven display you will see the small differences."
So OLEDs need materials with higher mobility than amorphous silicon, and better uniformity than polycrystalline silicon.
"Our main focus is organic or oxide transistors on plastic foil," said Genoe, "and nowadays there is a shift to oxide transistors."
Oxide transistors are from a class of devices made from compounds that include metal and a non-metal atoms like oxygen. Copper oxide transistors are one of the earliest examples.
2011年11月13日 星期日
School district to study energy-saving measures
A host of money- and energy-saving capital improvement projects will be up for approval at an upcoming Delaware city school board meeting.
Larry Davis, director of facilities and transportation, on Nov. 7 described to the board projects he expects can lower the district’s energy costs by $226,500 annually. The projects include insulation replacement in 11 district buildings, as well as lighting improvements in nine buildings.
“Every one of the schools is affected first of all by lighting,” Davis said. “(One of) the things that we can do to conserve electrical energy (is work on) the lighting going through our buildings.”
Davis has seen the district through the conversion from incandescent bulbs to fluorescent lights and is now transitioning the district to newer, more efficient lighting. “It’s just a normal progression,” he said. “$115,000 of our annual savings is going to come strictly out of lighting.”
Additional savings could be achieved by replacing the boilers at Hayes High School, which were installed when the school was built in the 1960s, Davis said.
“They’re still in there as we speak right now,” he said. “We’ve done a pretty good job of maintaining them, but it also runs up our operating costs.”
Also at Hayes, Davis said, the district can install a water reclamation system that will allow non-potable water to be used for the building’s air-conditioning condensers.
“We have to constantly run … potable, good water in the tower,” Davis said.
The final costs of the improvements have yet to be calculated. Davis said he would have more concrete figures to present to the board at its next meeting, a work session scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Nov. 28.
Also at the meeting, Superintendent Paul Craft announced the district was awarded two Soar Awards for High Progress from Battelle for Kids.
The first is the most-improved award. “The district itself is being identified as among the top five of all (135) participating Soar districts,” Craft said.
In addition, Hayes High School is receiving an award for its improving student test scores.
The awards will be presented at a ceremony Nov. 14 at the Greater Columbus Area Convention Center.
Larry Davis, director of facilities and transportation, on Nov. 7 described to the board projects he expects can lower the district’s energy costs by $226,500 annually. The projects include insulation replacement in 11 district buildings, as well as lighting improvements in nine buildings.
“Every one of the schools is affected first of all by lighting,” Davis said. “(One of) the things that we can do to conserve electrical energy (is work on) the lighting going through our buildings.”
Davis has seen the district through the conversion from incandescent bulbs to fluorescent lights and is now transitioning the district to newer, more efficient lighting. “It’s just a normal progression,” he said. “$115,000 of our annual savings is going to come strictly out of lighting.”
Additional savings could be achieved by replacing the boilers at Hayes High School, which were installed when the school was built in the 1960s, Davis said.
“They’re still in there as we speak right now,” he said. “We’ve done a pretty good job of maintaining them, but it also runs up our operating costs.”
Also at Hayes, Davis said, the district can install a water reclamation system that will allow non-potable water to be used for the building’s air-conditioning condensers.
“We have to constantly run … potable, good water in the tower,” Davis said.
The final costs of the improvements have yet to be calculated. Davis said he would have more concrete figures to present to the board at its next meeting, a work session scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Nov. 28.
Also at the meeting, Superintendent Paul Craft announced the district was awarded two Soar Awards for High Progress from Battelle for Kids.
The first is the most-improved award. “The district itself is being identified as among the top five of all (135) participating Soar districts,” Craft said.
In addition, Hayes High School is receiving an award for its improving student test scores.
The awards will be presented at a ceremony Nov. 14 at the Greater Columbus Area Convention Center.
2011年11月10日 星期四
DJs light up the night
As the crowd screams for more, the combination of the fresh beats and neon lights pumps up the crowd to dance all night.
Auburn Underground Projx and Facecandi Lighting Productions presented a dubstep concert hosting various disc jockeys at Bourbon Street Bar Saturday.
Lighting and special effects at any show can act as "visual glue" that binds the audience with the performer beyond just the music alone, said Richard Mueller, co-owner of Facecandi Lighting Productions and a local DJ with the stage name Soulecta.
While running his company and working as a DJ, Mueller said he has learned how lighting affects the crowd.
"The energy at a dubstep event is faster, thus the lighting system effects would be slightly more intense in delivery of visuals," Mueller said.
Lighting experts are performers in their own right, said Lee Bradberry, local DJ and member of the AUProjx crew in Auburn.
Bradberry said the lighting expersts put thought into how they are interjection the DJ into their creative procees.
"A lot of effects you see are programmed beforehand, but they do have manual control, and that's where things get exciting," Bradbetty said.
Other DJs agree that lighting is a critical factor in any concert. Max Moksol, a DJ in Auburn by the name of Crude Carter, said lighting and special effects are important during a show.
"I feel like the lighting can carry a party to the next level," Moksol said. "It adds something special to the environment that just isn't there in a dark room."
Jason Webster, an Auburn DJ by the name of Djason, said the light show must be balanced, however.
"There's only so much a DJ can do," Webster said. "(Lighting) gives good pop to the show, but it can't be too bright. Too much lighting distracts people."
Facecandi Lighting uses multi-colored lighting to attract the audience to the performances.
"In the deeper psyche of things, different colors could perhaps have a common effect to all, but everyone has their preferences, and we have the tools to accommodate," Mueller said.
Bradberry said he works closely with Facecandi when setting up lighting for one of his shows.
"They are open to suggestions of all kinds and have even asked for input on how I want to be lighted," Bradberry said.
While the same general lighting effects are used at every show, each artist has a favorite part of the performance.
"My favorite part is the last hour of any show because that has given everyone all night to get into the show," Webster said. "In that last hour, you get everyone so pumped that they don't want to leave."
While Webster's favorite section of a show is always the same, Moskol said his favorite changes every time.
Auburn Underground Projx and Facecandi Lighting Productions presented a dubstep concert hosting various disc jockeys at Bourbon Street Bar Saturday.
Lighting and special effects at any show can act as "visual glue" that binds the audience with the performer beyond just the music alone, said Richard Mueller, co-owner of Facecandi Lighting Productions and a local DJ with the stage name Soulecta.
While running his company and working as a DJ, Mueller said he has learned how lighting affects the crowd.
"The energy at a dubstep event is faster, thus the lighting system effects would be slightly more intense in delivery of visuals," Mueller said.
Lighting experts are performers in their own right, said Lee Bradberry, local DJ and member of the AUProjx crew in Auburn.
Bradberry said the lighting expersts put thought into how they are interjection the DJ into their creative procees.
"A lot of effects you see are programmed beforehand, but they do have manual control, and that's where things get exciting," Bradbetty said.
Other DJs agree that lighting is a critical factor in any concert. Max Moksol, a DJ in Auburn by the name of Crude Carter, said lighting and special effects are important during a show.
"I feel like the lighting can carry a party to the next level," Moksol said. "It adds something special to the environment that just isn't there in a dark room."
Jason Webster, an Auburn DJ by the name of Djason, said the light show must be balanced, however.
"There's only so much a DJ can do," Webster said. "(Lighting) gives good pop to the show, but it can't be too bright. Too much lighting distracts people."
Facecandi Lighting uses multi-colored lighting to attract the audience to the performances.
"In the deeper psyche of things, different colors could perhaps have a common effect to all, but everyone has their preferences, and we have the tools to accommodate," Mueller said.
Bradberry said he works closely with Facecandi when setting up lighting for one of his shows.
"They are open to suggestions of all kinds and have even asked for input on how I want to be lighted," Bradberry said.
While the same general lighting effects are used at every show, each artist has a favorite part of the performance.
"My favorite part is the last hour of any show because that has given everyone all night to get into the show," Webster said. "In that last hour, you get everyone so pumped that they don't want to leave."
While Webster's favorite section of a show is always the same, Moskol said his favorite changes every time.
2011年11月9日 星期三
Hubbell Lighting Illuminates New Home for Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority
Designed by the Rhode Island-based architectural firm of Robinson Green Beretta (RGB) and Boston-headquartered Architectural Engineers, Inc (AEI), the new $34 million transit operations facility in Providence, RI began construction in 2008 and was completed in 2010.
Intended to consolidate operations previously spread out in several buildings, the overall RIPTA design and build objective was to create a facility to house RIPTA operations for at least the next 80 years, said John Racine, RGB's project architect. In addition to housing administrative offices, the 140,000 sq. ft. building provides space for total bus maintenance tasks, now to be conducted under one roof.
The result of the two-year plus construction project is a state-of-the-art building in terms of maintenance, electronics, and security, and one that reflects the traditional look of New England architecture. Examples of the facility's high design include a white membrane roof to effectively dissipate heat build-up; moisture barriers that provide as much drainage as possible; the largest installation of heavy-duty street pavers in New England; a parking deck on the roof, also unusual for New England architecture; and high efficiency lighting systems both inside and outside the building.
Extensive tests of light fixtures employing metal halide, fluorescent and LED light sources were conducted prior to final luminaire selection, according to David Walkenstein, a senior electrical engineer at AEI who developed the electrical plan, including the lighting design. The exhaustive tests covered life-cycle studies, distribution patterns and overall costs, he said.
With studies completed and evaluated, eight of the 21 iconic brands manufactured by Hubbell Lighting were chosen to illuminate the new RIPTA building. Architectural Area Lighting's Providence series (the name is coincidental to the project location) with decorative cast bases make up most of the roof parking deck and site lighting. Hubbell Outdoor flood lights and Spaulding Laredo wall packs are employed around the building perimeter. Spaulding Cimarron rectilinear fixtures and Hubbell Industrial class 1 explosion-proof fixtures are used at the fueling station. Topping off the site, Kim Lighting in-grade fixtures illuminate the flag and flagpole.
The areas inside the building are divided into bus parking/storage, maintenance garage, wash bays, fueling, and administration, and feature 4 and 6- lamp T8 fluorescent industrial high bay lighting fixtures from Columbia Lighting. Considering life-cycle costs, including initial cost, power consumption and periodic maintenance for 300 fixtures, plus about 30+ UL wet location luminaries in the wash bays, these were the best solution noted Walkenstein.
The interior corridors are lit with Prescolite low brightness compact fluorescent down lights, and administration offices use Columbia Lighting's Stratus Series indirect/direct center basket light fixtures. Back of the house areas, file copy rooms, and maintenance closets and storage are lit with 100+ of Columbia Lighting's corridor and shallow wrap around fluorescent fixtures.
Completing the lighting of RIPTA's new home, Walkenstein integrated life safety egress path lighting into Prescolite down lights using Dual-Lite integral emergency battery backup and supplemented with Dual-Lite explosion-proof units in hazardous storage areas.
Intended to consolidate operations previously spread out in several buildings, the overall RIPTA design and build objective was to create a facility to house RIPTA operations for at least the next 80 years, said John Racine, RGB's project architect. In addition to housing administrative offices, the 140,000 sq. ft. building provides space for total bus maintenance tasks, now to be conducted under one roof.
The result of the two-year plus construction project is a state-of-the-art building in terms of maintenance, electronics, and security, and one that reflects the traditional look of New England architecture. Examples of the facility's high design include a white membrane roof to effectively dissipate heat build-up; moisture barriers that provide as much drainage as possible; the largest installation of heavy-duty street pavers in New England; a parking deck on the roof, also unusual for New England architecture; and high efficiency lighting systems both inside and outside the building.
Extensive tests of light fixtures employing metal halide, fluorescent and LED light sources were conducted prior to final luminaire selection, according to David Walkenstein, a senior electrical engineer at AEI who developed the electrical plan, including the lighting design. The exhaustive tests covered life-cycle studies, distribution patterns and overall costs, he said.
With studies completed and evaluated, eight of the 21 iconic brands manufactured by Hubbell Lighting were chosen to illuminate the new RIPTA building. Architectural Area Lighting's Providence series (the name is coincidental to the project location) with decorative cast bases make up most of the roof parking deck and site lighting. Hubbell Outdoor flood lights and Spaulding Laredo wall packs are employed around the building perimeter. Spaulding Cimarron rectilinear fixtures and Hubbell Industrial class 1 explosion-proof fixtures are used at the fueling station. Topping off the site, Kim Lighting in-grade fixtures illuminate the flag and flagpole.
The areas inside the building are divided into bus parking/storage, maintenance garage, wash bays, fueling, and administration, and feature 4 and 6- lamp T8 fluorescent industrial high bay lighting fixtures from Columbia Lighting. Considering life-cycle costs, including initial cost, power consumption and periodic maintenance for 300 fixtures, plus about 30+ UL wet location luminaries in the wash bays, these were the best solution noted Walkenstein.
The interior corridors are lit with Prescolite low brightness compact fluorescent down lights, and administration offices use Columbia Lighting's Stratus Series indirect/direct center basket light fixtures. Back of the house areas, file copy rooms, and maintenance closets and storage are lit with 100+ of Columbia Lighting's corridor and shallow wrap around fluorescent fixtures.
Completing the lighting of RIPTA's new home, Walkenstein integrated life safety egress path lighting into Prescolite down lights using Dual-Lite integral emergency battery backup and supplemented with Dual-Lite explosion-proof units in hazardous storage areas.
2011年11月8日 星期二
Energy efficient lamps
GreenChance Inc. announced today unique, versatile products to add to a wish list - the award-winning patented NEOZ Cordless Lighting system – dimmable, rechargeable and elegant luminaries, which provide endless flexibility and easily add beautiful light to any space. The Cordless Lighting concept pioneered by NEOZ since 1995 is enjoyed in over 90 countries worldwide from “The Ritz Hotel” in London to “The Oak Room at The Plaza” in New York to “The Burj Al Arab” in Dubai.
“NEOZ Cordless lamps provide unmatched performance and have two bulb options, halogen bulbs, which offer the best possible color rendering of skin tones, food colors and textures or, our new NEOZ-designed, energy efficient LED bulbs, which provide longer light time and extended service life,” said Rainer Heimann, founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based GreenChance, the exclusive distributor of NEOZ Cordless lighting in North America. “NEOZ lamps are easy to use and with the touch of a button you can choose between 5 settings to create your desired ambiance, from a candle flicker up to 20 times brighter than a candle—bright enough to read menus while maintaining intimacy.”
NEOZ Cordless lamps can be used in a variety of settings indoor or outdoors and are the ideal lighting solution as the lamps have a long battery life and can be placed anywhere independently of electrical power outlets. NEOZ Cordless lamps provide up to 260 hours of lighting on a single charge, depending on the choice of bulb and rechargeable battery, and are easy to recharge, simply place the lamp onto the base station and the intelligent lamp controller fully regulates the battery charging process.
“NEOZ Cordless Lighting is a safer and brighter solution than candles, as the lamps will not blow out in the wind, will not emit smoke, odor or have wax spills,” said Peter Ellis CEO of NEOZ Lighting. “NEOZ Cordless lamps are designed for long life as they are made with the highest quality components and materials, are recyclable and are fully serviceable which has made the name NEOZ synonymous with reliable, durable, rechargeable lights.”
GreenChance Inc. is a provider of distinctively unique solutions that create intimate and eco-friendly settings both indoor and outdoor. GreenChance is constantly growing their range of products determined to provide the finest ambiance for all environments, commercially and residentially. GreenChance carries products that are innovative, high quality and design oriented. GreenChance Inc. is the exclusive distributor of NEOZ, Mensa Heating and Heatscope products in North America.
“NEOZ Cordless lamps provide unmatched performance and have two bulb options, halogen bulbs, which offer the best possible color rendering of skin tones, food colors and textures or, our new NEOZ-designed, energy efficient LED bulbs, which provide longer light time and extended service life,” said Rainer Heimann, founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based GreenChance, the exclusive distributor of NEOZ Cordless lighting in North America. “NEOZ lamps are easy to use and with the touch of a button you can choose between 5 settings to create your desired ambiance, from a candle flicker up to 20 times brighter than a candle—bright enough to read menus while maintaining intimacy.”
NEOZ Cordless lamps can be used in a variety of settings indoor or outdoors and are the ideal lighting solution as the lamps have a long battery life and can be placed anywhere independently of electrical power outlets. NEOZ Cordless lamps provide up to 260 hours of lighting on a single charge, depending on the choice of bulb and rechargeable battery, and are easy to recharge, simply place the lamp onto the base station and the intelligent lamp controller fully regulates the battery charging process.
“NEOZ Cordless Lighting is a safer and brighter solution than candles, as the lamps will not blow out in the wind, will not emit smoke, odor or have wax spills,” said Peter Ellis CEO of NEOZ Lighting. “NEOZ Cordless lamps are designed for long life as they are made with the highest quality components and materials, are recyclable and are fully serviceable which has made the name NEOZ synonymous with reliable, durable, rechargeable lights.”
GreenChance Inc. is a provider of distinctively unique solutions that create intimate and eco-friendly settings both indoor and outdoor. GreenChance is constantly growing their range of products determined to provide the finest ambiance for all environments, commercially and residentially. GreenChance carries products that are innovative, high quality and design oriented. GreenChance Inc. is the exclusive distributor of NEOZ, Mensa Heating and Heatscope products in North America.
2011年11月7日 星期一
2012 MV Agusta Brutale RR 1090
The MV Agusta Brutale name has become synonymous with utmost performance in the world of naked sportbikes. From the all-new 675 to the 920 and finally the 1090, the Brutale has proven its naked high-performance merit over and over again.
But for 2012, MVA wanted even more, the Italian exotic motorcycle manufacturer releasing the Brutale RR 1090, which carries the tagline "A Superbike without Fairings."
And this tagline is backed due to the 1078cc inline four that produces 158 horsepower and no-nonsense naked sportbike styling.
MV Agusta says: "The 1078cc four-cylinder engine with radial intake and exhaust valves offers the highest power output ever by a Brutale. New camshafts, new intake tracts, new throttle bodies (same bore diameter as the F4) all contribute to the record power level of 116,5 kW (158 hp) at 11.900 rpm."
Along with this high horsepower arrives the latest in superbike technology, which includes traction control with eight levels, new engine mapping and a slipper clutch.
As for the chassis, MVA says the Brutale RR 1090's is "worthy of an authentic superbike without fairings, the ultra- light CrMo steel tube chassis that is hand welded (TIG) with adjustable steering geometry that allows the rider to adapt the geometry to their personal needs.
"Logically, a superbike needs to have the best suspension available: Marzocchi 50mm USD front forks with DLC coating and dedicated valving for the Brutale RR 1090 together with a Sachs single shock with high and low speed compression adjusters along with rebound and spring pre-load adjusters."
Stopping the 2012 MV Agusta 1090 RR Brutale are Brembo monobloc front brake calipers, the same ones offered on the F4RR, with 320mm rotors, and a single 220mm out back. The Brutale 1090 RR rolls on forged-aluminum, 17-inch wheels that weight over two pounds less than cast, helping to reduce unsprung mass.
Regarding styling, MV Agusta says: "The new Brutale RR 1090 offers an extremely high level of fit and finish including a projector beam headlight with incorporated LED position lights, LED front turn signals incorporated into the rear-view mirrors and LED rear turn signals."
Following are the specs, color options and MSRP for the 2012 MV Agusta Brutale 1090 RR.
But for 2012, MVA wanted even more, the Italian exotic motorcycle manufacturer releasing the Brutale RR 1090, which carries the tagline "A Superbike without Fairings."
And this tagline is backed due to the 1078cc inline four that produces 158 horsepower and no-nonsense naked sportbike styling.
MV Agusta says: "The 1078cc four-cylinder engine with radial intake and exhaust valves offers the highest power output ever by a Brutale. New camshafts, new intake tracts, new throttle bodies (same bore diameter as the F4) all contribute to the record power level of 116,5 kW (158 hp) at 11.900 rpm."
Along with this high horsepower arrives the latest in superbike technology, which includes traction control with eight levels, new engine mapping and a slipper clutch.
As for the chassis, MVA says the Brutale RR 1090's is "worthy of an authentic superbike without fairings, the ultra- light CrMo steel tube chassis that is hand welded (TIG) with adjustable steering geometry that allows the rider to adapt the geometry to their personal needs.
"Logically, a superbike needs to have the best suspension available: Marzocchi 50mm USD front forks with DLC coating and dedicated valving for the Brutale RR 1090 together with a Sachs single shock with high and low speed compression adjusters along with rebound and spring pre-load adjusters."
Stopping the 2012 MV Agusta 1090 RR Brutale are Brembo monobloc front brake calipers, the same ones offered on the F4RR, with 320mm rotors, and a single 220mm out back. The Brutale 1090 RR rolls on forged-aluminum, 17-inch wheels that weight over two pounds less than cast, helping to reduce unsprung mass.
Regarding styling, MV Agusta says: "The new Brutale RR 1090 offers an extremely high level of fit and finish including a projector beam headlight with incorporated LED position lights, LED front turn signals incorporated into the rear-view mirrors and LED rear turn signals."
Following are the specs, color options and MSRP for the 2012 MV Agusta Brutale 1090 RR.
2011年11月6日 星期日
New Orleans hotels step up their game with wave of renovations
The attention may have been on the Hyatt Regency as construction crews worked to deliver a sparkling new hotel last month following a six-year closure. But it was hardly the only hotel in New Orleans undergoing a renovation.
More than two dozen New Orleans area hotels are currently undergoing, have recently completed or are about to begin renovations, according to the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau and interviews with hotel general managers throughout the city.
"You're seeing an entirely new face put on the hotel industry in New Orleans," said Stephen Perry, president of the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. "All of this is happening because it's frankly the right time to do it and we're trying to get set up for the next five to eight years."
While some of the work is routine maintenance, changes at other hotels are being driven by upcoming special events, market demand and competition.
The Hilton New Orleans Riverside is investing $20 million to give 1,162 rooms and suites at the hotel new carpet, window treatments and lighting among other things before the end of next summer. The hotel also is undertaking a construction project at its health club.
The revered Windsor Court Hotel will spend $22 million replacing 80 percent of the hotel's furniture, General Manager David Teich said. The property's bathrooms will also receive new fixtures and showers, and a spa is being added on the fourth floor next to the pool. Renovations started in June and will end later this year.
The Sheraton New Orleans is putting $45 million toward guest room, public space and lobby refreshing to begin in December and commence at the end of next year.
Those hotels join the New Orleans Marriott, Hotel Monteleone, the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, Royal Sonesta and others.
"There is a tremendous amount of investment happening in this city and not just at hotels," said Al Groos, general manager of the Royal Sonesta. "There's a little bit everywhere."
This recent wave of hotel updates follows one of not too long ago, when some properties damaged because of Hurricane Katrina used insurance proceeds to conduct renovations.
The Hilton, for instance, redid 460 guest rooms in the low-rise portion of its building in 2009. In 2007 and 2008, the Marriott also completely remodeled its lobby and elevator systems.
Both are now undergoing renovations.
"After Katrina was the first phase of renovations," Perry said. "What our properties are doing now is taking those renovations to another level."
Groos, whose hotel will spend $16 million by December 2012 to renovate its guest rooms, said he believes many of the investments reflect a renewed commitment in New Orleans by hotel owners nationally.
"Owners of these types of properties don't invest in things they don't think have long-term potential," Groos said. "What you're seeing is people putting their money where their mouth is. They are investing in the long-term viability of the city as a tourist destination."
More than two dozen New Orleans area hotels are currently undergoing, have recently completed or are about to begin renovations, according to the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau and interviews with hotel general managers throughout the city.
"You're seeing an entirely new face put on the hotel industry in New Orleans," said Stephen Perry, president of the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. "All of this is happening because it's frankly the right time to do it and we're trying to get set up for the next five to eight years."
While some of the work is routine maintenance, changes at other hotels are being driven by upcoming special events, market demand and competition.
The Hilton New Orleans Riverside is investing $20 million to give 1,162 rooms and suites at the hotel new carpet, window treatments and lighting among other things before the end of next summer. The hotel also is undertaking a construction project at its health club.
The revered Windsor Court Hotel will spend $22 million replacing 80 percent of the hotel's furniture, General Manager David Teich said. The property's bathrooms will also receive new fixtures and showers, and a spa is being added on the fourth floor next to the pool. Renovations started in June and will end later this year.
The Sheraton New Orleans is putting $45 million toward guest room, public space and lobby refreshing to begin in December and commence at the end of next year.
Those hotels join the New Orleans Marriott, Hotel Monteleone, the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, Royal Sonesta and others.
"There is a tremendous amount of investment happening in this city and not just at hotels," said Al Groos, general manager of the Royal Sonesta. "There's a little bit everywhere."
This recent wave of hotel updates follows one of not too long ago, when some properties damaged because of Hurricane Katrina used insurance proceeds to conduct renovations.
The Hilton, for instance, redid 460 guest rooms in the low-rise portion of its building in 2009. In 2007 and 2008, the Marriott also completely remodeled its lobby and elevator systems.
Both are now undergoing renovations.
"After Katrina was the first phase of renovations," Perry said. "What our properties are doing now is taking those renovations to another level."
Groos, whose hotel will spend $16 million by December 2012 to renovate its guest rooms, said he believes many of the investments reflect a renewed commitment in New Orleans by hotel owners nationally.
"Owners of these types of properties don't invest in things they don't think have long-term potential," Groos said. "What you're seeing is people putting their money where their mouth is. They are investing in the long-term viability of the city as a tourist destination."
2011年11月2日 星期三
Videos teach DIY car repair
Chambers is a fan of website EricTheCarGuy.
"His website also ties into his YouTube videos, so not only can I search his website for his forum info but also his videos," he said.
Chambers used online information on an Acura to change the gear shift in his Volvo XC90 sport utility vehicle.
Rather than buying the part at the local dealer, he also saved money ordering the Volvo gear shift online.
"The part cost $131, and the dealer quoted me $212," he said.
It took Chambers about 45 minutes to get his Volvo gear shift changed.
"I easily have saved $400 to $500 on this repair doing it myself," he said.
David Hettena, is another repair enthusiast and YouTube fan.
"YouTube is great, because unlike looking at pictures in a book, you can actually see how someone takes something apart," he said.
He did his own step-by-step oil change on his 1990 Lexus.
He takes it to a do-it-yourself shop in Denton, MyBay Automotive, where he can rent a lift for the car.
"I can save a tremendous amount of money," said Hettena, who has been doing his own repairs for years. "Instead of paying a $100 for full synthetic oil, I can get it done for $40 or $30. Air filter changes cost me $5 in five minutes."
Hettena also uses online car forums, which can be found by Googling for a car's make and model.
He found the step-by-step instructions for his Lexus' oil change by doing that.
"It can really make you an expert just by doing a little bit of research," he said.
Jessica Konderla had never watched a YouTube tutorial on car repairs but was willing to give it a try.
"It doesn't seem that difficult," said Konderla, whose father is a mechanic and the shop manager at Rick and Ray's Auto Plaza in Fort Worth.
With her dad sitting next to her, she watched a YouTube video on how to change a car battery and successfully replaced her corroded battery with a new one.
But changing her headlight bulb after watching a how-to video wasn't nearly as easy.
"It was harder than it looked definitely," said Konderla, who didn't get that job done.
"I like the experiment," said her father, Ray Konderla. "But it showed that sometimes, it looks easier than it turns out to be."
He said many jobs are simply too tough for people to watch a video on and then perform on their own car.
Ray Konderla said he has clients who watch YouTube to learn how to do their own car repairs.
"One of my friends fixed his own break rotors," he said. "Of course, I was upset, because he didn't bring it to me, but it saved him some money."
But even shops will reference videos when they get a repair problem they've never seen before.
"The videos can be a great guide," he said.
"His website also ties into his YouTube videos, so not only can I search his website for his forum info but also his videos," he said.
Chambers used online information on an Acura to change the gear shift in his Volvo XC90 sport utility vehicle.
Rather than buying the part at the local dealer, he also saved money ordering the Volvo gear shift online.
"The part cost $131, and the dealer quoted me $212," he said.
It took Chambers about 45 minutes to get his Volvo gear shift changed.
"I easily have saved $400 to $500 on this repair doing it myself," he said.
David Hettena, is another repair enthusiast and YouTube fan.
"YouTube is great, because unlike looking at pictures in a book, you can actually see how someone takes something apart," he said.
He did his own step-by-step oil change on his 1990 Lexus.
He takes it to a do-it-yourself shop in Denton, MyBay Automotive, where he can rent a lift for the car.
"I can save a tremendous amount of money," said Hettena, who has been doing his own repairs for years. "Instead of paying a $100 for full synthetic oil, I can get it done for $40 or $30. Air filter changes cost me $5 in five minutes."
Hettena also uses online car forums, which can be found by Googling for a car's make and model.
He found the step-by-step instructions for his Lexus' oil change by doing that.
"It can really make you an expert just by doing a little bit of research," he said.
Jessica Konderla had never watched a YouTube tutorial on car repairs but was willing to give it a try.
"It doesn't seem that difficult," said Konderla, whose father is a mechanic and the shop manager at Rick and Ray's Auto Plaza in Fort Worth.
With her dad sitting next to her, she watched a YouTube video on how to change a car battery and successfully replaced her corroded battery with a new one.
But changing her headlight bulb after watching a how-to video wasn't nearly as easy.
"It was harder than it looked definitely," said Konderla, who didn't get that job done.
"I like the experiment," said her father, Ray Konderla. "But it showed that sometimes, it looks easier than it turns out to be."
He said many jobs are simply too tough for people to watch a video on and then perform on their own car.
Ray Konderla said he has clients who watch YouTube to learn how to do their own car repairs.
"One of my friends fixed his own break rotors," he said. "Of course, I was upset, because he didn't bring it to me, but it saved him some money."
But even shops will reference videos when they get a repair problem they've never seen before.
"The videos can be a great guide," he said.
2011年11月1日 星期二
Coca Cola reduce power consumption in vending machines due to Earthquake
Coca Cola in Japan has announced that it has voluntarily been striving to reduce power consumption in its vending machines in an effort to address the power shortages that have affected Japan since the earthquake. They have committed to continuing this effort during Winter.
The effort will run from December 2011 through until March 2012 and will conduct energy saving measures by stopping compressor functions in the peak hours. They will also further reduce power usage by reducing the amount of lighting used on the vending machines on the illuminated models outside during the day and will switch off all lighting 24 hours a day on vending machines that are installed in doors.
A spokesman for Coca Cola Japan said in a press release, "We will consider appropriate measures for other areas while taking into consideration the condition of power provision and the views of local and national governments as well as those of the power companies." It continued, "We have introduced roughly 150,000 heat pumps in the Coca-Cola system, and have been strongly promoting energy saving in vending machines by introducing vending machines that especially reduce energy consumption such as "ecoru/Solar" and "green roof" vending machines."
The heat pump technology mentioned is a technology which actually absorbs the heat from the surrounding atmosphere and converts it into electricity by using a compressor. Effectively, it means that vending machines with heat pumps can use the hot air expelled when cooling products to be used to heat up other warm goods in the vending machine.
Since the announcement, Coca Cola have also decided that starting in 2012 that, wherever possible, new vending machines will have LED lighting for the product displays which use much less energy than standard light bulbs. They are also looking for further ways at producing vending machines that use less energy without compromising the user experience.
It is expected that these new energy saving advances in Japan are likely to be used across the world in all new Coca Cola vending machines as a means of protecting the environment and costing less money to run.
The effort will run from December 2011 through until March 2012 and will conduct energy saving measures by stopping compressor functions in the peak hours. They will also further reduce power usage by reducing the amount of lighting used on the vending machines on the illuminated models outside during the day and will switch off all lighting 24 hours a day on vending machines that are installed in doors.
A spokesman for Coca Cola Japan said in a press release, "We will consider appropriate measures for other areas while taking into consideration the condition of power provision and the views of local and national governments as well as those of the power companies." It continued, "We have introduced roughly 150,000 heat pumps in the Coca-Cola system, and have been strongly promoting energy saving in vending machines by introducing vending machines that especially reduce energy consumption such as "ecoru/Solar" and "green roof" vending machines."
The heat pump technology mentioned is a technology which actually absorbs the heat from the surrounding atmosphere and converts it into electricity by using a compressor. Effectively, it means that vending machines with heat pumps can use the hot air expelled when cooling products to be used to heat up other warm goods in the vending machine.
Since the announcement, Coca Cola have also decided that starting in 2012 that, wherever possible, new vending machines will have LED lighting for the product displays which use much less energy than standard light bulbs. They are also looking for further ways at producing vending machines that use less energy without compromising the user experience.
It is expected that these new energy saving advances in Japan are likely to be used across the world in all new Coca Cola vending machines as a means of protecting the environment and costing less money to run.
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