Reflectors intrigal to both assembly and as seperate at times are to be had, as with constant advances in
LED technology.
Fixtures such as the Color Blast have individual reflectors on the individual - what do you
call them lamps, even if not really. While a
wash fixture, there is probably 80 MR-8 sized of them within one assembly. Remember that the more compact the
point source of light within a
reflector, the more efficient that
reflector can become in focusing the light beam.
"Myth Busters" showed in breaking the myth something in the past about a
Fresnel Reflector as mis-stated in being called a
Fresnel reflector specifically, as used in burning down some ships. They prooved for the most part that by way of number of individual reflectors, you could not get a efficient enough focus of light to do the work.
In real world terms, the more compact and pin
point that source of light within a
reflector, the more efficiently the
reflector can focus the beam of light. You can at some
point place a hundred
LED lamps within a
reflector and not get a good beam of focused light. It will have huge output, but the efficiency of the
reflector will be nominal. On the other
hand, you can put one
LED and while more efficient potentially than 100 lamps within a
reflector, two
LED's will be twice as bright within reason given the exchange of
reflector efficiency verses double the output for 1/2 the square size in larger
filament or source of light. Four lamps than in being double the area would have four times more light but only double less efficient a
reflector. There is a balance somewhere in lamp output based upon numbers in making for a larger
point source of light, verses using the
reflector - director of light given off most efficiently.
I'm stating this because there needs to be a balance in quantity of sources thus the quality of what's reflected over quantity in general.
LED lamps as they develop are starting to have nuances between something in general and something specific just as if lamps.
A year ago, a vendor rep. from Philips took great pride in some
LED lights he powered up in demo while blinding me that they were bringing to market in coordination with another company. On the other
hand, just this week I saw a news article on a industrial lighting news letter E-Mail, probably Lighting.com which noted the brightest yet in
LED technology for an individual lamp. This Philips lamp now even if bright for it's day now it would seem is old hack. This all as opposed to some
LED cyc lights I saw early on in products new to the market that were so dim they would be hard pressed to light a studio theater
cyc sufficiently.
If of help, balance the number of sources with the accuracy of the
reflector when it comes to the beam of light. Certainly a
wash beam of light will be able to have a larger
focus point than a spot of light. Much less two lamps will be often brighter than one, but still
base that off
reflector efficiency by having something that's now 1/2 the square of it's
filament/arc source -
point source of light as it plays a factor into
reflector design.
Than we get into
reflector design, and
color temperature of
LED over output and life as I'm sure it's stil going to be a factor in what's the most bright either seemingly by way of
color temperature or as exchanged for luminous output but a
dimmer beam of light, or life in general.
A flash light ha? What a great project to study what will be the next generation of technology from. Give kudo's to your instructor for this challenge in studying stuff, as it would be a good thing to learn lots about.
As trade off in
fixture/lamp design, I thus present you the challenge of more output by way of quantity, verses efficiency by way of both lamp and
reflector efficiency of
point source, given also differences specific to individual reflectors.
Good project.
Based upon this micro technology, perhaps a solution might become some sort of internal
reflector LED lamps that already are say 20% more efficient in directing the light beam that otherwise is absorbed. Read into the Osram HPR lamp for that internal lamp
reflector concept. Than putting a balance of sources of the most efficient of them verses a single
point source of light into a
reflector that in a design curve has the most efficiency verses output balance. Let's say 16 high efficiency
LED lamps with already internal reflectors on them within a
reflector overall and best of quality
fixture reflector for the assembly. Than if possible, go for high
color temperature lamps to
throw you over the top in it's own balance of high luminous output verses what seems brighter by way of
color temperature.
Perhaps given the
filament of a
LED can be smaller than that of a
halogen mini-lamp, the
reflector size can also be reduced, and given some sort of adjustable
platform the lamp/reflectors mount to, you can have smaller reflectors, yet also focus or flood multitudes of reflectors into one Mag Light assembly. In going back to the Myth Buster's example, it was not possible given loss in
reflector, much less accuracy of individual verses individual reflectors to focus a beam of light efficiently enough. Were it one
reflector, possibly. Given not only internal
reflector lamps, perhaps four per
reflector, and a few mini multi-lamp reflectors on a adjustable focus mounting to them, you than might get something approaching that of a
laser in output and efficiency of light beam. This in addition to the most efficient of lamps to date. This while if anything similar to a
filament lamp, operating ever so slightly say 110% over rated
voltage for greater still output on the lamp.