LED = Laser ?

[gafftaper]

I just got two LED gooseneck lights for my sound sound board. These lights are made by Allen and Heath for their consoles. I really like them. But I was puzzled by the packaging. On the box there was a warning about not looking directly into the LED's because they are a "class 1m laser". HUH?

Is there some sort of official legal definition of class 1m laser that applies to certain LED's as well? Are the folks at Allen and Heath just using that warning to scare you? What's going on here?

[fredthe]

Sounds like over-protective lawyers...
According to wikipedia:

A Class 1M laser is safe for all conditions of use except when passed through magnifying optics such as microscopes and telescopes. Class 1M lasers produce large-diameter beams, or beams that are divergent.

I'm not sure why they would classify the LED light as a laser... but I guess you shouldn't look at them through a magnifing glass.

-Fred

[jwl868]

Too much time on my hands.

Looks like laser safety standards come from IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission). Looks like at one time LEDs were part of IEC's laser safety standards, but in 2007, LED safety was transferred to another standard. It sounds like the label reference is slightly out-dated.

See a couple links below. The first two are articles, the third is a link to a Siemens LED product sheet that shows the laser standard as being applicable.

LED safety and the evolution of international standards

http://mondoarc.com/technology/LEDS_39.pdf

http://www.nerlite.com/PDFs/BL47X59-6593XX.pdf


Joe

[avkid]

Originally Posted by gafftaper

These lights are made by Allen and Heath for their consoles.

Sure they are.

[gafftaper]

Originally Posted by gafftaper

These lights are MADE by Allen and Heath for their consoles.

Originally Posted by avkid

Sure they are.

I was told Mr Allen and Mr Heath personally hand assemble them in a small back room.

[SHARYNF]

most of the dpss lasers today use a diode that emits light in a specific wavelength, so it was easy at one time to lump led's into the same low power catagory as diode lasers
Sharyn