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The BrightON-II LED .vs The Principal Qwik Mod 2 LED


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The BrightON-II LED  .vs  The Principal Qwik Mod 2 LED

 

So....we've been getting lot's questions on how our New High-End BrightON II LED compares to The "New" High Efficient Principal Qwik Mod 2 LED

 

 

Well, we did a quick "side by side" benchmark comparison to find out.

 

They have some basic similarities.  

 

• .8 watt modules

• Both 170˙/175+ Optics

• Both have Aluminum PCB

 

We compared both LED modules and placed them in 24" x 4.5" x 5" channels using a standard Plexiglas MC white #7328 white acrylic face to simulate a wide channel letter stroke .  Modules spaced 6" OC from one another and 3" from the channel walls.

 

 

Now to find out what the differences are...

 

 

BrightON%20vs%20Qwik%202.jpeg

 

 

Once we lit the channel compartments one big difference was the white appearance of each light source.

 

The Principal Qwik Mod produces more of a yellow white illumination on the sign face, whereas the BrightON II is more of a True White.  The pictures here may not do justice as it's hard to capture Real Time and Real Life along with how your display may be calibrated.

 

Both BrightON II & Principals's Qwik Mod are .8w modules....The BrightON II is 24V LED module, the Qwik Mod is 12V LED module.  

 

24V means half the current flowing through the system of a 12V system, which translates to lesser heat, lesser resistance than a 12V system.  A 24V system is more reliable and a longer life system over time for the very reasons I stated.

 

A 24V system allows you to use a larger single watt channel PSU (96w).  The BrightON LED system uses the France Lighting Solutions "True Power" LED Drivers to complete the system, "True Power" means users are able to load the PSU to 100%, where as other LED PSU's are recommended not to go beyond 85% of the rating.  A full load 96W France PSU can load 120 BrightON II LED modules.  France Lighting Solutions LED Drivers are the only Drivers to date that are 100% loadable.

 

With a 12V system a single channel 60W LED PSU is typically loaded at 85% or 51W of a 60W unit, or 63 Qwik Mods.  You can load more modules on a single unit but you would have to be looking at using a 120W PSU that is a dual 60W channel unit.

 

Luminance

Right away the biggest take away from this LED comparison in the image below is the Sign Face Surface light output results in Foot Candles using a ExTech Light Meter measuring the High's and Low's in the 7" x 4" rectangle area of the acrylic face.  

 

The BrightON II has a Foot Candle Average of 209 versus Principal's Qwik Mod coming in lower at 171 Foot Candles.

 

BrightON%20vs%20Qwik%20Mod%201 2.jpeg

 

 

Constant Current

A HUGE difference which will play big in lighting and in life is how the current is driving across each module.  The BrightON II is of course Constant Current, NOT Constant Voltage.  The Qwik Mod is Constant Voltage.

 

The quickest, simplest explanation and differences is this.  On a Constant Current system, each module has a current regulator chip which means each module is current regulated, and protected not to overdrive and create more heat and run hotter.  The first module on a Constant Current string is equally as bright as the last module on a string....the result is consistent lighting.   If you've ever paid attention to the light testing we have been doing on The Sign Syndicate since 2009', you would know that the best and lowest light degradation or Lumen Maintenance results always came from CC LED systems, Constant Voltage or "Eco" Modules not so much.

 

In a CV System you better hope your LED PSU is not driving above the intended voltage of 12 volts.  A slight increase in a fraction of a volt... say...12.2V can kill a LED system fast depending on the makeup of the Modules.  When we did our Light Testing "The Great White Hope" we had a incident where a LED PSU operating at 12.25 was used on a Permlight "El Plato Module which was CV and in under 30 days the original output dropped 30%.  We had to kick out the PSU and start over with another string of EL Plato's using a manual adjustable LED PSU to assure not to go above 12V.

 

On a typical CV System on long runs the first module will be brighter than the last module on the same string, inconsistent lighting, with a not well regulated LED PSU CV LED will tend to run hotter and brighter in some areas causing a shorter life.  The system is solely dependent on the module resistors for protection.

 

In Short....

Constant Voltage = Lesser LED life over time

Constant Current = Longer LED life over time

 

 

 

IMG_6315.jpeg

 

 

 

 

Lighting Angles

 

Below.....you can take what you want from this part...

 

We used equal underexposed shots from both LED light sources from a Canon SLR Camera instead of Real Time to show our audience where the optics is transferring light

 

We used a lighting angle chart that we created, made up of 1" grids just to help in displaying where the optics and throwing light.  Both Module have wide angle optics, I would just say that the Brighton II throws more light towards the edge of the chart and a little higher up the middle.  

 

 

BrightON%20vs%20Qwik%20Group.jpeg

 

 

 

What It All Means

In closing, the biggest differences that can be taken away from this benchmark comparison and what separates the BrightON II are a couple of big factors.

 

• The BrightON 24 volt system which has half the amperage, heat, & resistance than the 12 volt Principal Qwik Mod LED system.  You're also able to load more LED modules on a 24V system than a 12 volt system

 

• If you're looking for a more "Purer" white light source, better bin, then the BrightON LED Module family is for you.

 

• More light for less power on the sign surface....better chip efficiency... that was just displayed and shown in Foot Candles....BrightON II  209 FC over Principal Qwik Mod 2  171 FC

 

• Probably the single most important factor?  The BrightON LED Family is Constant Current rather than a lower costing system that uses unregulated current in Constant Voltage.  What that means for user is....Longer Consistent Life Over Time

 

 

The New BrightON LED

The previous High-End BrightON LED version has had a lot of success since the launch.  What is new?  Only some miner changes were made to make a already superior LED module even better.  Same high efficient chip, improved 6500 Kelvin, different optics.  

 

Not that we needed it but, the BrightON is, and has always been underdriven but....we changed from a Fiberglas PCB Board to Aluminum.  Aluminum provides better thermal cooling, but again, it wasn't needed....it's just nice to brag about it and say we have Aluminum.

 

The New BrightON LED Family will in stock by early May 2021.

 

 

**UPDATE**

The BrightON LEDs can now be purchased from our our online store HERE, or you can order over the phone (858) 880-1400orders@thesignsyndicate.com

You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. - Winston Churchill

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  • Erik Sine changed the title to The BrightON-II LED .vs The Principal Qwik Mod 2 LED

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