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James R. Benya

James R. Benya's Posts

  • Letter to the Editor

    by James R. Benya

    Jim Benya urges the lighting community to focus on LED lighting quality.

  • Although early forms of fluorescent lamp technology existed at the beginning of the 20th century, it wasn't considered a commercially viable light source until German inventor Edmund Germer filed a patent in 1926–1927. By the mid-1930s, engineers at General Electric were busy at work, and launched an entire research and development group dedicated to it. GE introduced a fluorescent lamp prototype at the 1939 World's Fair, and a new segment of the lighting industry was born overnight, producing a wave of luminaire and reflector design as well as ballast developments. As the lamp has been improved for performance and efficacy, its diameter has been reduced, opening up more possibilities for luminaire design and installation. Linear fluorescent lighting solutions have come to define commercial interiors and office spaces. Although legislation is now in place to eliminate the oldest of the fluorescent lamps—the T12—starting July 1, its forerunners—the T8, T5 and T5HO—remain some of the best performing and most cost-effective lighting options available.
    AL's 25th Anniversary

    by James R. Benya

    A look at the lamp, luminaire, and general lighting technologies—some with staying power and others not—that have shaped the evolution of an industry and the arsenal of available solutions in the lighting designer's toolkit.

  • by James R. Benya

    Glare is a fact of life. All of us certainly know it when we see it. But believe it or not, glare is not so easy to define in technical terms.

  • Diagrams illustrating the relationship of the power supply, LED driver, and individual LEDs for a constant-current circuit (top) and a constant-voltage circuit (above).
    AL LED Fall 2009: Technology

    by James R. Benya

    In the brutal world of high-voltage, high-amperage energy systems operating at high temperatures, there stands alone one small but very useful device—the light-emitting diode (LED), also known as solid-state lighting (SSL).

  • Jim Benya diagrams lamp ballast efficacy—the efficiency based on mean lumens per watt—using current market product offerings.

    by James R. Benya

    Jim Benya looks at the latest in lamps and ballasts

Events Calendar

ASI Global Partitions Studio Session
Kingspan Studio Session

Projects

Casa Luce
Casa Luce
Spruce Ridge Cabin
Spruce Ridge Cabin
Dry Creek Cabin
Dry Creek Cabin
Candlewood Cottage
Candlewood Cottage
107 Loft
107 Loft
A Mourning Dovecote
A Mourning Dovecote
Barton Hills Residence
Barton Hills Residence
casita OBSCURA
casita OBSCURA
Hale Kiawe
Hale Kiawe
Leit House
Leit House
Pearl Block
Pearl Block
Mar Vista
Mar Vista
City Park
City Park
OFFbeat
OFFbeat
Sunset Cabin at Lone Oaks Farm
Sunset Cabin at Lone Oaks Farm
Project Legacy
Project Legacy
Willamette Pool House
Willamette Pool House
Stealth House
Stealth House
Arbour House - Fireplace
Arbour House - Fireplace
Atwood
Atwood
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