“Teaming up with Lynx was an easy decision for VCC,” said Andrew Zanelli, CEO, VCC. “Strategically, our companies share a core focus that revolves around delivering the highest quality service to our customers.”

Lynx Micro, a woman-owned company, was established to provide exceptional value to customers through collective business experience by providing superior online marketing with a first-class sales model.

“Adding a world-class optoelectronics supplier like VCC to our line card allows our customers to access more than 40 years of optoelectronics and electromechanical experience,” said Michael Pecoraro, vice president of marketing for Lynx Micro Electronics LLC.

“VCC’s ability to understand the customer’s design needs from initial concept and prototyping to final assembly is a valuable asset for any company. The growing demand for LED products in the OEM base is a perfect fit for our two companies and will allow us to penetrate various market verticals.”

For more information about VCC products and their availability through Lynx

Micro Electronics, please visit www.vcclite.com or www.lynxmicro.com.

About Lynx Micro Electronics LLC

A franchised stocking distributor, Lynx Micro was founded by a team of seasoned professionals. Their expertise includes all aspects of the electronic components distribution channel, lending a credible alternative to the competition in their market. Lynx Micro understands that the majority of distributors focus on the 20% of customers who bring them 80% of their revenues. The mission at Lynx Micro is to target and service the often overlooked, yet equally valuable, 80% of customers and manufacturers who remain. They do so by offering worthy alternatives for purchasing franchised electronic components.

LEDs are often used in backlighting applications and come in three basic forms: white,   RGB and a full array of LEDs  whose brightness cannot be controlled individually . White LEDs are most often used in applications such as computer monitors and use a technique developed in the mid-nineties where a phosphorus coating is applied to a blue LED and mixed with a yellow downlight to produce light that appears white. RGB LED backlighting can add enormous brightness and color spectrum to a display as they use three additive colors to produce a light that closely matches the colors in the LCD pixels. This improves efficiency and creates more vivid colors. Design flxibility and variety is increased exponentially when a full array of LEDs are used. There are unlimited options for messages, pictures and animated imaging when each LED is controlled individually.

The use of LEDs in computer monitor displays has been growing and now, virtually every manufacturer of monitors and laptop screens utilizes LEDs in their backlighting applications. This includes Apple (the first), ASUS, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Lenovo, Sony, Samsung and more. The move to LED backlighting is due to the efficiency and uniformity improvements that have been made over the last decade to LED devices.  In addition, LED backlighting is highly reliable with long life and low maintenance, requires less power, produces a larger color array, reduces blurring, increases brightness, improves contrast and is environmentally friendly.  Panels with LED backlights can be built thinner as LEDs use less space and have much better heat dissipation than the cold cathode (CCFL) light used in traditional LCD displays.

The first commercial LED backlit LCD TV was introduced in 2004 by Sony and used RGB LED arrays to produce a color spectrum that was twice that of a conventional CCFL LCD television. This television series became quite popular as consumers rapidly noticed the enhanced viewing experience which included brighter, more vivid colors, better dimming and contrast and less bleed-through channels.

VCC offers a range of LEDs that can be applied in a large gamut of backlighting applications whether it be television, monitors, cameras, message displays or the next innovation that causes a breakthrough unforeseen at this time. Our engineers have extensive experience in selecting the right type of LEDs for you backlighting applications as well as the right configuration and implementation will be needed to achieve the best results. Contact VCC Optoelectronics today for advice, materials and even prototyping and production assistance. We are dedicated to meeting all of your LED design and application needs.

“We are working closely with our customers so that we remain at the forefront of contemporary LED indicator design,” said Andrew Zanelli, CEO, VCC. “It was an opportunity to discuss new aesthetics that are becoming more appealing, the performance criteria that are becoming more critical, and other trends that are becoming increasingly important as the industry grows.”

The meeting also allowed participants to join breakout groups that discussed new VCC products that were in development and provide feedback on the designs and functionality.

“The two most important things we learned at this symposium were how indicator form/shape and lens design (aesthetics) have changed in recent years,” said Mark Baker, sales director, VCC. “Traditional lens styles such as Fresnel rings are still popular, but now designers are interested in more contemporary looks that deliver more of a glow effect.”

Those interested in taking part in the next symposium should contact Mark Baker, at mbaker@vcclite.com.

VCC Optoelectronics has been a participant in allowing companies this option in the Engineering field. Our value-added services allow you to increase your Engineering Infrastructure with little more than a phone call or e-mail. We enable you to leverage the power and economic benefits of cloud resources to solve engineering problems by providing design support, rapid prototyping, manufacturing services, supply chain connections and global logistics to move you forward.

The benefits of Engineering from the Cloud are many, including:

Reduced Costs: In any economic climate, especially today’s, there is a drive to reduce costs. Contracting additional Engineering services from the cloud will meet this goal by permitting you to hire additional staff to perform various services without bringing them into your facility on a full-time basis. This saves the cost of insurance, training and other benefits, as well as finding the space to house them in your offices.

Shorter Time-to-Market: Hiring an expert with knowledge of your product and field will help decrease the time it takes to design, develop and manufacture a new product, enhanced feature or develop a fix for a current feature.

Elasticity: Engineering services in the cloud allow more than just scalability, they offer elasticity. You can quickly scale up or down quickly to meet the demands of the market whether they are expected or unexpected.

Availability: Our value-added services are available at any time. When a sudden increase in design or production is needed, when additional supply and logistics demands are required, cloud services are readily attainable and can be accessed at will.

Expansion of Market Share: Cloud based Engineering and Production services help you expand without a large increase of capital investment.

• When contracting our value-added services from the cloud, it is important to do the following in order to achieve optimum results:
• Develop a strategy early in the process to migrate data and design information from your current platform to VCC.
• Plan and discuss performance, security, reliability and availability expectations and requirements at the beginning of the project cycle.
• Work with VCC to adopt a set of procedures that assure high visibility, traceability and control to maintain communication between companies and allow seamless integration.

Our expert engineering, production, supply and global logistics experts are available around the clock to discuss your needs and how we can be instrumental in helping you achieve your goals. Contact VCC today for more information on the quality, speed and cost involved in implementing our services to increase your efficiency and profitability.

The available color rendering and uniformity of LEDs have essentially opened up a new palette of color for designers to use when designing an LED based color display. The added characteristics of saturation, sharpness and controllability allow for a display that is not only clear, attractive, attention grabbing and reliable but can be harmonized to complement the finished product. In cases where uniform illumination is required but not for display purposes, such as facility illumination or equipment indication, LEDs still offer increased benefits over other lighting types.

The ability of LEDS to produce an instant on and off, make them especially powerful when used with an automation system. Whether it is a full-fledged Building Automation System where the LED system is automated for increased power efficiency, in a factory where a PLC controller creates sequence understanding or communication displays that are changed regularly for public messages and information sharing, LEDs provide a flexible and fully programmable lighting source. The programming of the LED system can be set-up to the point where user’s can access and adjust brightness, color and patterns from virtually and local PC or web address that has been tied into the automation system allowing ‘on the fly’ changes. This is particularly powerful in marketing, backlighting and both public and private safety or informative messages.

Uniformity can also be further increased when LEDs are used in conjunction with light tubes or pipes. Attaching a light pipe to the LED, provides a flexible means for extending the light to a panel or display in an even more uniform way. There is simply no lighting source available that will provide more uniform display and illumination options.

If your head is swimming just thinking of the possibilities and generating questions about specific applications, the knowledgeable professionals at VCC are here to assist. They can answer questions and will provide advice on which LEDs or LED/Litepipe configurations will meet your design requirements. Contact us today to get started.

Indoor LED Visibility Challenges

Indoor LED visibility challenges can range from bright ambient lighting to obstructions, temperature, environmental chemicals or the operating voltage and current being applied to the circuit. LEDs have been proven to be substantially more reliable than other lighting options but there are still considerations that must be addressed when selecting and implementing LED circuitry.

LED use in wet locations such as kitchens, where cleaning elements are present or a variety of production scenarios where chemicals or compounds can damage electrical components must be planned for and addressed. When LEDs are being implemented for panel indication or facility communication, obstructions, temperature and lighting will be your major challenges.

Outdoor LED Visibility Challenges

Planning, designing and implementing LEDs in the outdoors faces all the challenges of indoor applications and also presents new challenges. Once nature and the environment enter the picture, weather conditions such as fog, extreme temperatures, humidity and storms come into play as well as nighttime glare and the phantom effect caused by the sun, where sunlight gives the appearance of illumination.

Testing Visibility

There are a number of options for testing visibility, from human testing to software testing applications and permanent inline intensity testers. For obstructions, nothing beats having the world’s oldest tester, a human, testing visibility around obstructions both during and after design.  In the midst of production, an inline tester can be put in place that will give intensity and thus visibility readings. After production, a light probe can test intensity by measuring the current. As current increases, the intensity follows.

Specially designed LEDs are produced for wide viewing angle applications, daylight viewing and nighttime glare solutions. There are also LEDs materials and assemblies that are designed to be tamper-proof and are fully sealed to protect from the elements and environmental hazards. Selection of the correct LED device for these applications is crucial in overcoming the environmental characteristics.

One or a combination of these testing options and correct selection of LED components will ensure that your LED circuitry will be visible and provide the communication required for any specific application.

LED Selection Assistance

If you’re facing special visibility or environmental challenges, teaming with the right supplier can ease your mind and ensure that you will select and implement the right LED as well as provide information about various testing procedures and devices available on the market to meet your visibility testing needs. Contact VCC for these and all your LED needs.

The strides that are being designed to promote the functionality and independence of weak-sighted persons encompass LED use. A few countries, states and cities have already implemented LED based signal lights that assist the visually impaired with traffic signals. These specially designed signals include features that can be interpreted and used by those with extremely limited sight. Recently installed elements for assisting the sight impaired with public traffic control include a variety of configurations from push buttons integrated with LED lights, vibrations and/or audible sounds. Difficulties with these units include clear sounds, clear understanding of the tone meanings and the ability to vary that tone from other environmental sounds.

The latest developments utilize a personal and individual receiver that can communicate with traffic signals and the impaired person utilizing a Global Positioning Software (GPS). This software provides communication with the satellite positioning system, the traffic signaling base and the user. A series of LEDs that are integral to the system allow those with very limited site to see a colored LED that can permit determination of the current safety conditions. This is especially helpful for persons that are sight and hearing impaired. The ability to provide a simple, yet vital message is being further developed with the intended result of applying this technology to a myriad of environments such as production floors, malls and other public events or places that are currently hard to navigate.

As these projects move forward, the ingenuity of engineers and designers has been beyond compare. Future LED application developments are not limited by anything other than imaginations of those involved. We at VCC are impressed and available to help your company move forward with innovations such as the LED personal traffic system for the visually impaired or whatever brilliant ideas you have in mind to push your company into the future and drive the genius made possible with LED devices. Contact us today to get started on your path to helping others through technology.

A society can be defined by the way it treats and cares for it’s elderly and handicapped. The strides that are being designed to promote the functionality and independence of weak-sighted persons encompass LED use. A few countries, states and cities have already implemented LED based signal lights that assist the visually impaired with traffic signals. These specially designed signals include features that can be interpreted and used by those with extremely limited sight. Recently installed elements for assisting the sight impaired with public traffic control include a variety of configurations from push buttons integrated with LED lights, vibrations and/or audible sounds. Difficulties with these units include clear sounds, clear understanding of the tone meanings and the ability to vary that tone from other environmental sounds.

The latest developments utilize a personal and individual receiver that can communicate with traffic signals and the impaired person utilizing a Global Positioning Software (GPS). This software provides communication with the satellite positioning system, the traffic signaling base and the user. A series of LEDs that are integral to the system allow those with very limited site to see a colored LED that can permit determination of the current safety conditions. This is especially helpful for persons that are sight and hearing impaired. The ability to provide a simple, yet vital message is being further developed with the intended result of applying this technology to a myriad of environments such as production floors, malls and other public events or places that are currently hard to navigate.

As these projects move forward, the ingenuity of engineers and designers has been beyond compare. Future LED application developments are not limited by anything other than imaginations of those involved. We at VCC are impressed and available to help your company move forward with innovations such as the LED personal traffic system for the visually impaired or whatever brilliant ideas you have in mind to push your company into the future and drive the genius made possible with LED devices. Contact us today to get started on your path to helping others through technology.

Careful planning and preparation when adding a new product will help not only leaders, but also lower level employees embrace and efficiently implement changes. Proper communication will also provide support for associates who must incorporate changes in their daily work schedule.

Our own recent addition of Value Added Services, inspired us to share some of the ways VCC was able to plan, design and incorporate this product addition to our offerings. The most important components of managing product changes are covered below.

• Real Time Data – The ability to generate reports based on the latest data is essential to planning, analyzing and actualizing new production practices and concepts. No successful changes can take place if plans are made based on outdated or invalid data. In actuality, it can cause a bump in the road that slows the change process or even derails it entirely.
• Communication – One of the most important aspects of managing a product change or addition is to make sure that people are fully informed about the change, especially those parts of the change that most directly affect their job. Typically, the more information employees have, the less uncertainty they feel, and the greater their level of acceptance for the need to change. Take action to ensure that all levels of your production and design teams are informed about the change and that change-related information is not “lost” or “distorted” as it passes through the company communication channels.
• Impact Analysis – After gathering the latest data and receiving input from valued team members and employees, impact analysis is the next most important component of change management. From production schedules to employee task modifications and identification of third party integration requirements, defining the impact of your change is critical. Not only do it permit you to be prepared for process changes but also enables your organization to recognize possible stumbling blocks but to address them before they become an obstacle to success.
• Challenging and Inspiring Personnel – Communicating a change or addition to the product line can be done in such a way that it creates an environment of cooperation and positive, proactive attitudes among team members. This is accomplished by encouraging questions and discussions about proposed changes and seeking the input and suggestions of those who will be affected.

Without accurate data, successful change is just a dream; without team member input; efficient implementation is out of reach; without believers in the process; the change will meet indeterminate amounts resistance and without effective Product Change Management, the process will not be as streamlined and cost effective as it could be.

Contact VCC professionals today for more on effective product change management. VCC will effectively manage your projects by working closely with all of our dedicated manufacturing partners daily across multiple time zones. We can provide advice, design support, manufacturing resources, global logistics or complete turnkey solutions for a successful product change or addition.

Below we explore the basic parameters that must be considered when implementing an LED device into your design.

Electrical Parameters of LEDs

Maximum Electrical Ratings

Power Dissipation: It is the maximum power that can be dissipated in LED before it gets permanently damaged.

Continuous Forward Current: It is maximum permissible forward current through the LED. Exceeding this value will result in circuit failure.

Reverse Voltage: It is the maximum permissible voltage that can be applied to the diode in reverse polarity. An LED will not conduct with a reverse voltage applied but if that voltage is over the maximum reverse voltage capacity, LED failure will occur.

Operating Temperature: It is the range of temperature over which the LED can be safely operated. Effective heat management can be accomplished with the use of heat sinks and fans.

Reverse current: It is the maximum permissible value of reverse current.

Forward Voltage: It is the maximum allowable forward voltage across the LED for safe operation. Forward voltages are dependent on the LED material but are typically around 2-4VDC.

Nominal Optoelectrical Characteristics

Luminous Intensity: It is a measure of the light output produced (Candela –Cd orLumen-Lm) at given forward voltage and forward current. This value is critical in the design and purpose of your LED circuit. Different LED applications can require a large range of luminous intensity requirements.

View angle: It is the angle from the center of the light source to the area or device receiving the light. Maximum viewing angles allow for the greatest flexibility in design and production. When LED indication is part of the process, the viewing angle becomes a vital element of LED design.

Color – Color is actually one of the first LED characteristics that are selected. Red, Blue, Amber, White or some combination can be used to indicate a condition or communicate process factors.

Who Can Help Me Select the right LED device for my application?

When you are looking for an LED supplier, choosing VCC will ensure that you have a professional and experienced team of engineers and sales people who will find the right fit for each one of your projects. VCC will work directly with your design team to ensure manufacturability of new designs, assist in LED configurations to maximize panel space and use while minimizing costs and adhering to your project specifications. Contact VCC today for all your LED design needs.