VLT

VLT has been in the process of updating their LEDs so that they now have 1 bin tolerance as apposed to the 5 from their previous versions. All of their LEDs come from Nichia. They also have a new pich-less board that is fully diffuse with their frosted lens even in their smallest extrusion the 7SL. They also have a new series of extrusions that are thinner and lighter than the previous versions and have a new lens design. This new extrusion and lens allows for longer runs whereas the previous was limited to 12'.

VLT has updated their backlit panels. They now have two diodes per node. The diodes can either be the same color temperature for a higher output or can be different color temperatures for a tuneable system. The nodes are also spaced closer together, this allows you to have the material you are backlighting closer to the panel.

Another new product VLT is offering is their LED driver power panel which can house up to 14 drivers. This panel makes housing multiple drivers easier since you are able to bring in one power input for all of the drivers. These panels can be stacked up on top of each other to make organization easier.

Lumino Lighting

Lumino Lighting stopped by the office to update us on some changes they have been making to their Vector family line. One of the great new improvements we liked is that starting with the V12 extrusion size they will now offer the strips with a fully diffused lens as standard that will be similar to their previous fixture the V20 Super Linear.

All of their Vector fixtures can be dimmed to 1% as standard but they now offer a component from eldoLED that will allow for 0.1% dimming. The interface uses 2-wire connection and can be incorporated to existing installations as well. All of the extrusions can be run up to 26ft without a voltage drop and are available in 2" increments.

The V36 fixture has been updated to incorporate optics instead of just a clear or diffuse lens. The options available are 45°x18°, 18°, and 37°. Unlike the rest of the Vector fixtures, the V36 Optic runs with constant current as opposed to constant voltage.

LED Linear

LED Linear have been upgrading their tapelight as well as their encapsulated linear strips. There are several qualities of tape that LED Linear offers, the Hydra is the highest quality. With all of their tapes including the Hydra, they offer it in either a low density or a high density in terms of spacing. The Hydra is field cuttable in 5" and 2" increments respectfully. The benefit of the LD version of the tape is that it comes with a 30% cost savings compared to the HD. The HD, however, can be node free in an extrusion with a frosted lens and can be specified up to 1000 lumens per foot.

The ECO line is a more cost effective tape with a savings of at least 50% compared to the Hydra tape. It has the same low density and high density variations as well.

For all of their tape under 5 watts/ft, an additional heat sink is not required. Color temperatures range from 2000K to 4500K.

They are able to encapsulate their tape so that it can have an IP67 rating. However, this does shift the color to be cooler than the original tape. They have the shifted color temperature listed on the cutsheets. They recommend when specifying the fixtures that you list the desired color temperature in parentheses. For the encapsulation, it can be on the tape itself or in an extrusion. With the extrusion, the lengths are limited.

The Hydra Lux is a version of the Hydra tape that is already encapsulated to be IP67. It is field cuttable with a male feed only. It cannot be connected to other pieces in the field. It is available in a full or half reel.

Tivoli

Tivoli have revamped their tapelight. It all uses Nychia LEDs, have a 90+ CRI and can be dimmable with 0-10V or MLV as standard. They have an aggressive pricing for tape in the industry. All of their tape can be provided with an IP67 rating. The big thing that Tivoli is also now providing is extruded aluminum channels. They are using the channels provided by Klus that most tape manufacturers are using. It is nice to have them all in one place and makes specifying it simpler without having to go through the third party.

Tivoli has also brought back their variable white tape. It ranges from 2200K to 3000K.

Finelite

Finelite stopped by to show us what they have been up to recently. Finelite uses mid-power LEDs which are driven at low currents and are able to extend their lifespan. Because of that, they are offering a L90 of 100,000 hours with a 10-year warranty. Most products have a 10 day lead time for shipping once the order is processed. They have been developing FineTune, which is a tunable white LED board system. FineTune offers color temperatures ranging from 27K to 65K. It can be controlled with DMX, DALI, or with two 0-10V controls. This will be offered in most of their fixtures including pendant and cove fixtures.

We also got to see their slim cove fixture, the Series 11 Micro Cove. It has as slim profile allowing for thinner cove construction. It also features a 12" telescoping option that lets you achieve custom lengths in the field. The cove is also available as a curved fixture which is offered in 1' segments connected to one another with a quick-connect low-voltage cable in between. It has a minimum of 2' length and requires a driver every 8 segments. We liked the quality of the light and the construction of the fixtures.

Vokslyte

Vokslyte is a lighting company that specializes in curved linear fixtures either as a recessed or pendant fixture. They do all of their manufacturing in-house. Vokslyte has taken great care so that their fixtures are their purest form by eliminating visible screws and the seams are very minimal.

The fixtures are 2" wide and are made custom order with the smallest radius being 12". Vokslyte has the ability to do straight pieces as well if needed. The lenses are laser cut to ensure that they fit with any curve. The bends for the pendant fixtures can either happen in the horizontal or the vertical plane. Currently the color temperatures available are 28K, 30K, 35K, and 4K. They are working to get a 19K board as well.

Because all of their fixtures are custom per order, their lead-time is 12-16 weeks.

Optic Arts

The main bread and butter for Optic Arts is linear LED tape light. They want to eliminate most of the issues that arise in the field so they do a 3 day test of all of their products before shipment. That way they can resolve issues such as color shift or resister malfunctions. They build their own boards so quality control and consistency can be monitored in house. For most of their products they recommend MLV drivers, but they do offer others depending on the linear footage and desired dimming levels. On their website there is a chart that shows all of their driver options and how they low they can dim to which makes specifying easier.

Most of their product is 90+ CRI. new cut sheets are coming out soon with higher efficacy numbers. Typical lead times are 2-4 weeks. The DC strips can be offered with an IP rating with a minimum color shift from the casing.

We took a look at their AC strip which operates on 120v with ELV reverse phase dimming. The strips can be run up to 100' on one power feed. The strip is 95 CRI and has an IP rating.

There is also a dynamic white product that ranges from 6K to 24K and is controlled with DMX. they are currently developing a 2-wire control option. We also talked to them about the possibility of doing a 4K to 24K strip which they seemed open to looking into.

Optic Arts has a strip with notches that will allows it to bend laterally which makes it ideal for curved applications and does not require you to cut and re-solder the strips back together.

There are multiple extrusions that they offer including one that uses a milky lens and has no visible LED nodes.

Fiber optics is another area that Optic Arts excels at especially custom work. They are in the process of updating their website but we can ask for more information by reaching out to O'Blaney Rinker Associates.

Overall we were impressed with their products and it is nice to find linear strips where quality control is a priority and can accommodate varying project requirements.

Ecosense

Ecosense initially introduced their new line of linear fixtures, the Trove, at Light Fair this year and stopped by to show us the full range of the products. They have reduced all of their lines to two profiles. Both are offered with 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 watt per linear foot. The body of the fixtures has been redesign to allow for maximum flexibility in each installation. You can adjust the fixture in increments of 15° up to 180° without the need for different mounting brackets. Ecosense also provides an attachment for hot aiming that gets you between 0° and 16° adjustment.

The L35 is the smaller profile of the two and is only available with a wide distribution and for dry installations.

The L50 is larger and has more options including having a wet location rating. It has various optics intended for grazing, washing and also asymmetric applications. You can also specify a ground stake for landscape applications with the wet location fixture.

Another improvement to the Trove is that they can do longer runs. With the 2 watt/ft fixture it can be run up to 200' with one leader cable. Both of the fixtures come standard with ELV dimming to 0%. The L35 and L50 can come in either 80 or 90 CRI. The higher CRI is only a 10% cost differential.

Lumino

Lumino has now opened up their U.S. headquarters in New York City. The F40 is a flexible linear strip that has LEDs 40mm on center and is a great option for coves. The fixture is IP67 rated when the fixture is installed facing down. It is available in 2600K, 2900K, 3300K and RGB.

The largest extrusion Lumino has had previously is the V30, but it is now being replaced by the V36. It is available in a surface or recessed channel. Lumino has improved their frosted lens with the V36 to be more effiecent and allow for more light to go through while still eliminating the node image. They provide standard lengths, but custom lengths are available as well. An IP68 in-grade version is also available.

Lumino is in the process of developing optics for their lenses that will be used across the board on their linear products. They hope to have them ready by this fall.

The SolidEdge is an extruded knife edge LED linear fixture that comes in two sizes. It can also come with adjustable spotlights that mount to the extrusion.

Lumino is also going to be transitioning their strips to use a different LED manufacturer and will offer a high CRI of 95+. The color temperatures will change slightly from what they currently offer and will start as low as 2000K. We got to see a sample of the 2000K. Sometimes when the color temperature is that low it can appear orange, but this one was a nice warm white.

We also found out about the EQ series that Lumino is offering. It is a cheaper option than their standard strips with a looser bin. It is a good option to consider when it comes to VE stages. There is a 30-40% cost savings.

A Light

A Light is moving towards being a primarily LED company and has developed a new line of fixtures that are designed specifically with LEDs in mind. The New AccoLED line (ACL) is similar to the D series but with a smaller profile. It has a pendant mount, direct, indirect, direct/indirect, surface, recessed and regressed perimeter options. They are going to be coming out with an asymmetric version soon that has the reflector recessed in the fixture. A Light now offers their fixtures in either constant voltage or constant current boards. With constant voltage, you are able to cut the boards in the field in set increments, but dimming is not integral to the driver so it requires an additional dimming module. The constant current boards are only available in 6" increments from the factory and cannot be cut in the field. However, dimming is integral with 0-10V to 1%.

One important thing we found out is that they will default to constant voltage boards if lengths do not fit within the 6". It is something they are trying to address and make sure during submittals that the correct boards are chosen.

The Pendant K is now available in LED. It's a very bright fixture. Because of the way the fixture is built, it cannot have a lens on the top. We noticed a harsh line on the side and slight discoloration.

They have also developed a new co-extruded lens that has a white reflector integrated with the lens. This increases the efficiency by 20% and will be available for all of their fixtures soon. It also blended the light better to reduce the center brightness of the fixture from the LEDs.

Another new fixture we took a look at is their edgeless cove. It is only available in their integrations section. It offers inside corners as a standard option, but could potentially be provided with outside corners as well. They recommend 12" from the ceiling.

SSL

SSL introduced us to some of their latest products including their exterior and interior rated cove fixtures, which are both line voltage. They pride themselves on the care and precision which each LED is handled and installed on the boards. Because optics are so important with the cove fixtures, it is nice to see a manufacturer pay attention to how each LED relates to the other, whether it is color temperature consistency or even just alignment. Multiple beam spreads are available for both interior and exterior, as well as multiple outputs. Standard lengths are stocked in 1’ and 4’ increments, but they can do 2’, 3’, 5’ and 6’ fixtures as well. However, it might be a longer lead time. They showed us their new under-cabinet fixtures. They have a line voltage as well as a remote driver version. Both fixtures boast thin profiles. The remote driver version is half as thin as the line voltage on at 0.3”. With the frosted lens it was almost node free.

All of the linear fixtures that we saw are dimple standard down to 10%, and they will be able to bring it down to 1% soon.

We also got a look at their linear color fixture, which comes in an array of seven static colors. They create the colors using remote phosphors as opposed to colored LEDs. In the sample they showed us, it was a line of 7 fixtures with all of the color options available. When you pulled them away from the wall it looked like white light which was an interesting effect. The fixtures are line voltage and dimple to 3% standard with ELV or trailing edge. One thing we were cautious with is the consistency that you would have to get with the phosphors each time to maintain the color throughout the fixtures you are using.

Cooledge Lighting

Cooledge Lighting has thin led products that are all UL listed. The material itself is a heat sink so you don't need any extrusions or additional material. You can simply mount straight to your material of your installation.

There are different sizes available starting with 1.4". The strips are field cuttable with rolls up to 30'. For the thinner strips there is not a way to add lengths to the end of the run so a new power supply would have to be run from the other end.

Cooledge also has sheets that are 12" x 12". These sheets can also be cut in the field. The great thing about the sheets is that they are connected with snaps to one another which makes for an easy installation. Because the LEDs are close together you can get uniformity backlighting materials with 2-3" depth. All of their products are 0-10v dimming standard.

Cooledge provides their products with a reasons price point making them a standout to their competitors and worth consideration.

Fluxwerx

Fluxwerx is a new company that recently entered the market with a revolutionary product. They have been able to re-imagine how LEDs are distributed. Through two different types of optics, Fluxwerx has developed a series of fixtures that provide a similar distribution from traditional linear fluorescent fixtures but from a vertical surface. Through an anidolic optic the LEDs are directed down through the acrylic extrusion and then distributed out through sides. This allows the light to be blended and remove the striations that are typically apparent when LEDs pass through glass or acrylic surfaces. Fluxwerx has three fixtures, View, Profile and Transform, all utilizing anidolic optics. Dimming is standard with no adder in all of their fixtures with 0-10V to 5%. Fluxwerx guarantees 2 MacAdam Ellipse and are usually even tighter. Right now they offer 35K and 4K, which both appeared warmer than we normally see from other manufacturers.

They pay very close attention small details. When joining fixtures for longer runs than their standard 4' and 8' lengths allow for, they have overlap joint that eliminates seams.

For the View and the Profile fixtures the driver is located in the canopy, or can be located remotely. They can offer integral emergency battery backup option as well as daylight sensors.

It's always interesting to see fixtures that think outside of the box and Fluxwerx definitely does that.

Dado Lighting

Dado Lighting is a new manufacturer that we were introduced by Oblaney Rinker and Associates. They specialize in thin profile linear LED fixtures that are the thickness of 5/8" gypsum board. This opens up more possibilities in terms of installation without having to be concerned with studs running through. The fixtures are offered in 1 1/2", 2 1/2" and 3" widths. They provide the fixtures in two pieces, the extruded housing and the LED boards. The contractor can field cut the housing to the nearest mm. The LEDs are edge lighting the boards which allow for the fixture to be so slim without seeing any nodes.

Not only is the slim profile a great aspect of the fixtures, but they can provide up to 24' with a continuous lens. Dado can also do curves and corner pieces as well as rounded, angled or straight end pieces.

Dado also has a couple of deeper fixtures, the Liftline and the Hardline. The Liftline uses direct facing LEDs as opposed to the side mount like the other shallower fixtures.

Mirrorline was a fixture we were very interested in seeing. It uses the shallow profile and is intended to be mounted behind sandblasted mirrors. Since it has the slim profile, it does not require any special framing.

Visual Lighting Technologies

Visual Lighting Technologies have been updating their fixtures as well as developing new ones and stopped into our office so we could look at them. We are always looking for solutions for backlighting surfaces. VLT has two different panels for these types of applications, ELP-L and ELP-G. Both have been revamped to offer the same light output as before but with lower wattages. Both panels offer different qualities to accommodate various project restrictions. The ELP-L is preferable for backlighting materials such as onix, frosted glass and acrylic with large LED spacing, while the ELP-G is ideal for stretched fabric ceilings with its tighter spacing. For projects that require a lower wattage and have shallower depth allowance, and a larger budget, the ELP-G is a good fit. And the projects that have a lower budget but have a deeper allowance, ELP-L can also work for stretch fabric installations.

We also got a look at some display lighting they have developed. They have a new 4watt puck light that is dimmable standard and is available in 15°, 30° and 60° beamspreads. We did notice a little bit of discoloration at the edge of the beam but they said they can add some diffusion at the edges to help smooth it out.

The Orb is an adjustable accent for display cases with a 45° housing. It can come in one, two, four or six heads. The heads are fully adjustable and lockable so that once they are aimed properly you don't have to worry about someone bumping into it and having to redo it.

VLT is developing another version of their Light Run fixture, which is one that we really like and have used on several projects since it is a completely diffuse line of light with a small extrusion. The new version of the fixture incorporates a dynamic strip allowing you to tune the white to any color temperature through the use of two circuits.

We asked about a possible version of the Light Run in a 45° extrusion and they said that they are developing a prototype in the next month and should hopefully have a solution to it soon.