The History of LED Lighting
The history of commercially useful light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, began in the 1960s with the creation of gallium-arsenic-phosphorus LEDs that produced a characteristic red light used as indicators in a number of electronic devices. While these first LEDs produced very dim red light, they soon became popular and more and more types of LEDs were invented. One oddity of these first LED lights was that as more electrical power was supplied to them, they became dimmer rather than brighter; this limited their usefulness for commercial applications. In the 1970s, several significant advances in LED lighting were achieved; by using different elements and wavelengths, a variety of bright, visible colors were created in the laboratory. It was not until the 1980s, however, that LED lighting truly came into its own with the creation of the gallium-aluminum-arsenide LED. This innovative LED lighting solution was capable of being manipulated to display red, yellow, orange, and green light and was ten times brighter than previous LED models. With the development of indium-gallium-aluminum-phosphide LEDs in the latter part of the 1980s, the LED lighting field became one of the dominant commercial lighting solutions for all sorts of applications.
Today, LED lighting is one of the most innovative and cost effective means of providing visibility for emergency vehicles throughout the country. Because LED lighting requires less energy than previous types of emergency lights including halogen and incandescent bulbs, it is an environmentally-friendly way to illuminate fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances. Additionally, LED lights produce less ambient heat than other light sources; this allows them to be used inside the vehicle while keeping the passengers cool and comfortable. LED lights last longer than traditional incandescent and halogen bulbs; this saves on repair and replacement costs for emergency lighting.
LED lighting is available in a wide range of styles, from traffic advisors to colored light bars and even low-profile concealed lighting solutions for undercover vehicles. More and more police departments around the country are choosing LED light bars for their police cruisers due to their lower operating costs and brilliant, highly visible light spectrum. Extreme Tactical Dynamics carries a full range of high-quality LED lighting solutions and has the expert knowledge to advise you on which LED lights are right for your needs.
