What are the Best LED Chips?

There has been huge growth in the LED lighting industry. People now understand the benefits of energy efficiency, so they look for ways to save energy. LED lights are energy efficient, and so the demand for this type of lights is increasing. Many lighting manufacturers are now producing LED lighting products. The manufacturers need to select the best LED chip to design and produce LED light fixtures. There are hundreds of chip manufacturers available. Before you select one, you need to understand what are the best LED chips.

What are the best LED chips?

You should select LED chips that provide high luminous efficacy, color temperature, brightness, and durability. You need the best quality LED chip for general lighting applications such as parking area lights, roadways, etc.

In modern lighting design, LED strip lights are getting popular. The architects are using the best LED strip light in their residential and commercial projects. When buying LED strip lights or other lights, you need to buy one with the best LED chip. You can now choose from a wide selection of LED chips. You should remember that there you won’t find one ‘best’ chip. Each chip has its advantages, and it depends on the application. Here we will discuss the various types of LED chips and find out which one is better.

Dual In-Line Package (DIP)

These chips were developed in 1962. The chips remain inside a plastic bulbous head. There is two straight parallel connecting pins. These LEDs can produce 3 to 4 lumens per LED. These chips are used in accent lighting even today. But the modern LED chips are more efficient than DIP LEDs.

Surface Mounted Diode (SMD)

It produces more lumens per watt compared to the DIP LEDs and is more durable as well. These chips are smaller and flatter than DIP LEDs. They also consume less energy than the DIP LEDs. SMD chips can produce about 16 million color combinations. The maintenance cost of these chips is also low. You can place multiple diodes on the same chip. These chips produce more brightness, and it can easily change colors. These chips are widely used in LED strip lighting, LED flood lights, etc. There are many types of SMD LED. These are discussed below.

5050 SMD LED

This chip gives off more brightness than the 3528 SMD chip. These lights are used as accent lights, cove lighting, sign lights, bar lights, etc. It can also be used as primary lighting in corridors or other areas.

5630 SMD LED

This chip is small, but the output is more than 5050 SMD chip. It can produce up to 50 lumens per SMD. You can use these chips for stair lighting, deck lighting, trail lights, etc. They are widely used in restaurants, malls, theatres and other places as decorative lights. These chips are also used as architectural lighting, emergency lighting, sign lights, etc.

3014 SMD LED chip

This chip is smaller and more efficient than the older SMD models. The diodes are small, so it can be placed in PCB strip, giving more brightness. As their size is small, two LEDs that produce different white shades can be placed close to each other. So, you can mix a palette of various white-light tones.

2835 SMD LED chip

It is a new model that is very efficient. These chips are available for white LEDs only. These chips can be used instead of 5050 SMD LED chip and can produce 20% more light using less power.

You will find new models of SMD LED chips in the market now. 2835, 3020 and 3014 SMD LED chips to produce brighter lights. They are smaller and have a longer lifespan than the previous models.

Chip-on-Board (COB) LED chip

COB is a new model, and it uses 9 or more diodes. It produces more light and is smaller than the other models. These chips are used in smartphones and cameras. These chips are also used as spotlights or floodlights. This chip has better thermal resistance and more light efficiency. These lights are used in warehouses, factories, and other industrial applications. These lights are also used in street lighting and parking lots.

In the future you may get other chips like MCOB, SCOB, MCCOB, etc. These chips will have a longer life and will dissipate more heat. These chips won’t decay, and the smaller design will produce more brightness. The LED technology is improving. The new models will yield brighter light and high-quality light as well using less energy.

You should choose the LED chip depending on your application. You should determine the size of the chips and the number of chips needed for your project. The LED lights are now more efficient and cost-effective.  The different models of chips vary in size and brightness. You should choose the one that is most suitable for your project.

When buying LED strip lights, you should find out what type of lighting you require; for example, task lighting, color lighting, feature lighting, etc. You should determine the color of the light and how much brightness you want. In the future, you will get more efficient LED chips in the market.