LEDs become easier to use for railway applications

LED lighting modules from CML-IT allow the environmentally friendly replacement of inefficient incandescent lighting and offer increased performance, increased life of approximately 50000h against 3000h for traditional incandescent lights, reduced maintenance and up to 80% reduction in energy consumption. When total life costs of lighting systems are considered, modern LED-based lights nowadays already come at a comparable cost to traditional incandescent lights.

Due to their solid state nature LED lighting units can cope easily with extreme temperatures (cold start without risk) and are highly suited to impact resistance and vibrations, making them ideal for railway applications. Light output can be controlled by a simple device to vary intensity and, in the case of RGB devices, to offer subtle colour changing.

Part of the Connect&Glo program and specifically targeted at train interiors is the Acsentio series of LED accent lights. Easy to fit and install, the lights feature an internal heat management system enabling them to run at relatively low temperatures. Acsentio offers subtle shades of light and are available in blue, red, green, yellow and white as part of a complete LED-based interior lighting system for commuter and underground trains.

Also part of the Connect&Glo program from CML-IT are LEDules, a behind-the-scenes system of LEDs mounted on PCBs in a whole variety of shapes and sizes and designed to allow designers to mount lighting into whatever shape is available. LEDules feature 1, 3, 4, 8, 9 or 14 Watt power and a consistent unit-to-unit colour temperature. Available colours are cool white, warm white, blue, cyan, green, amber and red. A new RGB version (featuring red, green and blue LEDs) enabling subtle colour changing for ‘mood’ lighting applications has also been added to the range. LEDules can include all the elements required to implement an LED-based lighting product – LED, lens, driver circuitry, heatsinking and packaging with several different fitting options – meaning designers only need to connect the devices to the appropriate power source. LEDules are ideal for use as reading lights for example but can also be used for general illumination applications in train interiors. The devices can easily be customised towards specific customer requirements.