Laser-Med – LED street light FARA LED LAMP®

Weidmüller’s BCF 3.81: the sturdy, maintenance-free female connector that is being used to support the durability of the innovative FARA LED LAMP® LED street lights

Laser-Med – LED street light FARA LED LAMP®

Wireless communication, smooth palletisation

The FARA LED LAMP®—an LED street light manufactured by Laser-Med, a specialist for industrial and medicinal laser products—is energy-efficient, eco-friendly, and versatile. The lights were developed in cooperation with Vishay, one of the largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductor components and passive electronic components in the world.The FARA LED LAMPS® are being sold by the Kirchzarten-based company ECOMAL. The FARA LED LAMP® is an innovative and environmentally friendly outdoor lighting solution that distinguishes itself from the competitors by its remarkable durability and sturdy construction.

A sturdy solution for connecting signals

Older street lighting often contains poisonous mercury and uses wasteful amounts of electricity.

This is why these street lights are being phased out by the EU and must be removed entirely from the market by 2015. LED lighting offers a promising alternative because of its superior energy efficiency and long lifespan.

“Users of the FARA LED LAMP® will achieve at least a fifty percent reduction in their power use. Depending on the type of lighting that is being replaced and the dimming function that will be used, it is even possible to save up to eighty percent on electricity. This results in a 130 kilogram reduction in CO2 emissions per light, per year and also significantly reduces electricity expenditures—and along with all these savings also comes clearly improved lighting conditions,” explains ECOMAL CEO Martin Behlke about his product.

“Our top priority has been the durability of each component that has gone into this lighting. That is why our lighting requires practically no servicing during a typical lifespan of 50,000 operating hours over 12 years. Weidmüller provided us with a solution for connecting signals that was both compact and durable.”

Excellent contact reliability with a compact design

“During development, we were confronted with demanding environmental requirements including possible temperature fluctuations between -40 °C and +120 °C and high air humidity. We also needed to take into consideration that the circuit board offered only a minimum amount of space for the connection which needed to have a large number of poles,” explains Weidmüller salesman Hubert Beck.

“We suggested two alternative solutions in 3.81 mm pitch to meet these challenges: a PCB terminal solution and a plug-in solution. We were able to quickly provide prototypes and 3-D files to ECOMAL and thus convince them that our components were suitable for the FARA LED LAMP®.”

The developers first chose Weidmüller’s LSF- SMT 3.81 20-pole terminals for the LED lighting. These are PCB terminals which can be assembled on the circuit board using the fullyautomatic SMT reflow process.

The terminals are equipped with the PUSH IN connection mechanism. This spring terminal connection provides excellent contact reliability within a very compact form – and that was exactly what the requirements for the lighting had called for.

Users of the FARA LED LAMP® will achieve at least a fifty percent reduction in their power use. Depending on the type of lighting that is being replaced and the dimming function that will be used, it is even possible to save up to eighty percent on electricity. This results in a 130 kilogram reduction in CO2 emissions per light per year and also significantly reduces electricity expenditures – and along with all these savings also comes clearly improved lighting conditions.

Martin Behlke, ECOMAL CEO

Components for supporting the vibration resistance of the LED lighting

ECOMAL chose the BCF 3.81 plug variant as a high-quality alternative solution that could be more versatile during maintenance work.

“This female connector is extremely flat with a height of only 7.9 mm. Yet it can be connected with wires up to 1.5 mm² including ferrules with plastic collars,” explains product manager Gerd Richter on the advantages of the BCF 3.81.

“Prepared wires can be connected very quickly with the PUSH IN connections where they are then held reliably even in vibrating conditions. Our components differentiate themselves by supporting the product during vibrations – for example if the street lamp is shaken during an act of vandalism – so that the LED lighting can remain operational.”

Since both the terminals and the plug-in connector variants have the identical PUSH IN connection mechanism and 3.81 mm pitch, the lighting can be assembled with either component, depending on the cost requirements of the end customer, without any change in the lamp design.

These components will help the FARA LED LAMP® to illuminate streets, paths, yards and large halls with their targeted LED lighting. The Weidmüller products will ensure the reliable flow of signals in these lamps for many years to come.