We expect LED lamps to act like incandescent lamps, but they don’t. Why is that, and what do we need to consider to make LED light beautiful? From flicker, to burn out, to the color just seeming “off,” there are reasons why consumers run into issues and report dissatisfaction with their LED light bulbs. Don Peifer joins Raelle and Liz, taking us through the key points to consider as we switch from a hot glowing wire (tungsten) to the glowing computer that is an LED.
Show notes
Don began his career in lighting as a designer for film and fashion. He designed the lighting for Annie Leibovitz, Steven Klein and a variety of award-winning cinematographers. He received his Masters of Architectural Sciences in Lighting from the Lighting Research Center at RPI. He designed the lighting for the Nike Media Store in NYC.  In 2007, he founded Lunera Lighting, a venture-backed start-up, which provided lighting for the fleet of Apple Stores and scores of Fortune 500 companies.
He has worked with many of the industry leading manufacturers including Acuity Brands Lighting, where he was the VP of Innovation and Legrand, where he held the position of Creative Director for the Lighting Sector. 
He is currently the founder of Smash the Bulb, a luminaire manufacturer that uses alternative manufacturing techniques, circular design and sustainable materials to address issues with the current paradigm of lighting. In February, 2022, Smash the bulb was awarded one of 4 L-Prizes by the Department of Energy. 
 
Don has lots of great information.  We put together a glossary to help out.  Send us an email at Podcast@ALALighting.com if we missed a term you’d like defined.
25°C = 77°F
85°C = 185°F
A Type Lamp
Electrolytic Capacitor
MOS-FET
Peltier cooling
Phosphor
YAGs - Yttrium Aluminum Garnet LED Phosphor
TAGs- Terbium Aluminum Garnet LED Phosphor
Tungsten
Underdrive
 
Lighting Agora has great lighting speakers, instructors and consultants. They put us in touch with Don, and can put you in touch with a lighting expert, too.
 
Loved listening to Don?  He talks more about his work on the Get A Grip on Lighting podcast.
We’ll be at Lightovation in Dallas June 21 – 24. Come to our free seminars in TM4826.
 
Raelle Bell – Host
Liz Ware – Host
Association Briefings - Producer