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steveastrouk
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Having "googled" into this thread, I was hoping you could help with my own "LED lighting" question. I have a cost-sensitive instrument application where I need to supply roughly 50mW to an assembly rotating on a motor shaft, about 6mm from the nearest support.
I wondered if I could use a solar cell to do the job, but I have begun to wonder if I can get a better power transfer by using two (or more) identical LEDs, one as a transmitter, the other as a receiver. My thoughts were that the (approximately) monochromatic light sources might couple power more efficiently than by using white light sources and standard solar cells, I am replacing a very small, elegant (hideously expensive) slip ring assembly, and I have considered electromagnetic coupling, but the elegance of light power is very attractive.
Does anyone have any handle on the likely power tranfer efficiency of my proposed link, before I try and test it ? Given that red LEDs can push out 50lm/watt , and given I know I cannot expect 1/50 watts/lm, what would one expect to see ?
Any comments would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Steve
Having "googled" into this thread, I was hoping you could help with my own "LED lighting" question. I have a cost-sensitive instrument application where I need to supply roughly 50mW to an assembly rotating on a motor shaft, about 6mm from the nearest support.
I wondered if I could use a solar cell to do the job, but I have begun to wonder if I can get a better power transfer by using two (or more) identical LEDs, one as a transmitter, the other as a receiver. My thoughts were that the (approximately) monochromatic light sources might couple power more efficiently than by using white light sources and standard solar cells, I am replacing a very small, elegant (hideously expensive) slip ring assembly, and I have considered electromagnetic coupling, but the elegance of light power is very attractive.
Does anyone have any handle on the likely power tranfer efficiency of my proposed link, before I try and test it ? Given that red LEDs can push out 50lm/watt , and given I know I cannot expect 1/50 watts/lm, what would one expect to see ?
Any comments would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Steve