17Color Kinetics ReachElite Product Guide
Delivering lumens exactly where you want them
LED luminaires are commonly marketed by their
lumen output, or how much light they emit. Punch,
on the other hand, which is essentially how much of
the emitted light is delivered to a targeted area, is not
often discussed when describing LED luminaires. The
difference between lumen output and punch is simple:
Lumen output is the amount of light emitted from a
luminaire, while punch is how much of that light goes
where you want it. These two specifications are related,
but illustrate two very different characteristics of a LED
luminaire.
Flood lights are generally used to illuminate large areas,
so lumen output far out weights punch. On the other
hand, a spot light used to direct light on a specific area
is more effective with a high amount of punch. Lumen
output is important, but it is far less valuable if the
majority of the light isn’t hitting your target.
ReachElite provides the best of both worlds by offering
a truly unprecedented amount of punch in a LED
luminaire. ReachElite’s native beam angle of 2.6°, as
well as with the 5° diffuser lens, delivers light to an
extremely precise target area with an exceptionally
high punch rate. The high punch rate is the due to the
narrowness of the beam angle. The tighter the beam,
the more concentrated the light is. A wider angle more
typical of a standard flood light can be achieved by
adding a 10°, 20°, 40°, 60°, or 80° diffuser lens to the
luminaire. But if you want high punch, keeping the
angle below 5° will yield incredible results.
LM-79-08 is an approved standard for measuring
electrical and photometric data of Solid-State Lighting
(SSL) products. One of three types of goniometers are
used to measure the data of the luminaire:
Type A—Luminaire rotates on the horizontal axis
while fixed on the vertical axis (used for automotive
lighting).
Type B—Luminaire rotates on the vertical axis while
fixed on the horizontal axis (used for display and
flood lighting).
Type C—Same as Type B, except that the luminaire
burning position remains unchanged (recommended
for general lighting systems).
Although ideal for most luminaires, Type C goniometers
are not designed to measure large luminaires with
narrow beam angles 5° and under like ReachElite.
Whereas most luminaires project light across a
larger area up to a certain distance, luminaires with
narrow beam angles like ReachElite send light to a
smaller, more concentrated area further away. Type C
goniometers can make photometric measurements
of narrow beam luminaires, but the readings will only
show a portion of the luminaire’s Luminous Intensity
Distribution as Type C goniometers only measure up
to 60 ft.
Accurate testing
For luminaires with narrow beam angles that throw
light out to distances of up to 100 ft and beyond,
Type C goniometers do not illustrate and capture the
luminaire’s full capabilities.
Commonly used on automobile head lights, Type A
goniometers are designed to measure long, narrow
beams of light up to 100 ft away, making them ideal
for LED luminaires like ReachElite. A luminaire with
a beam angle under 5° is designed to send light to a
precise target area at substantial distance, so a Type A
goniometer is better suited to illustrate this than a Type
C goniometer. A byproduct of the distance required for
Type A goniometer testing is the increased resolution of
the light beam. A measurement over a longer distance
is able to capture all of the granular increments of a
light beam.
As the LED lighting industry enters a new and exciting
“shaping of light” phase, luminaires like ReachElite
perform in ways thought impossible only a few years
ago. With innovation comes new applications, but also
the need for updated testing methods. Historically the
lighting industry has not seen luminaires with such
significantly narrow beam angles, but as they gain
acceptance it is important to establish photometric
testing methods that provide complete, accurate, and
reliable information.