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However, emergency / egress lighting solutions are those that illuminate paths of egress and/or indicate to building occupants what the fastest exit route is in which direction when there’s an outage or emergency. This can take the form of Emergency LED lighting solutions, LED Exit signs (with or without chevrons) or combination EXIT and Emergency lighting to provide a path of egress during outages.

Fixtures that have LED lighting heads on top of an otherwise standard EXIT sign.

Different areas of the country have different specific code requirements for Exit Emergency egress lighting solutions, and especially New York and Chicago that have their own egress lighting standards. (Fulham carries several most popular LED Exit egress lighting units which meet the specifications for use in these markets.)

Additionally, Fulham carries a wide variety of everyday EXIT signs and Emergency egress lighting fixtures. This could mean common wall-mount varieties made of white or black plastic – with red or green lettering illuminated by LEDs. It could also mean more durable options (vandal- resistant) or LED edge-lit varieties that create a clear or floating appearance to the word “EXIT” itself.

However, beyond mere EXIT signs and standard Emergency egress lighting units, Fulham’s innovations with Exit Emergency egress lighting are many fold and award-winning. They have helped Fulham build a reputation around the Emergency (EM) category as a company specialization, only less synonymous with the Fulham brand next to its famous WorkHorse brand.

It all started with the HotSpot 1 LED Emergency System that adds LED emergency lighting capability to existing luminaires by installing a supplemental battery pack and LED array within the fixture cavity. The emergency system operates (in emergency conditions) completely independently of the luminaire’s normal light source, ensuring compatibility with many types of luminaires or all technology types.

A carry on to the HotSpot 1 was the HotSpot 2 LED System innovation. The HotSpot2 emergency lighting solution drives existing constant current LED modules (otherwise normally used by the fixture in normal operation) during power outages. A complete HS2 system is comprised of an emergency driver, emergency battery, and output wire harness with a wide range of lumen outputs and achievable run times.

Fulham also has the Lighting Industry’s Smallest 4W Emergency constant power LED Driver. It measures only 5.34” x 1.69” x 1.01” allowing for a lot of versatility for OEM manufacturers to fit it into slim, elegant, architectural luminaires – where other emergency drivers simply cannot fit.

Additionally, Fulham has developed versatile Programmable LED Drivers & Emergency Systems / egress lighting solutions. For instance, the revolutionary HotSpot Plus LED Driver & Emergency System combines a dimmable, programmable LED driver, emergency LED driver, and replaceable backup battery into one compact egress lighting unit. Under normal, non-emergency conditions, this all-in-1 solution functions as a constant current driver. During power outages, the integrated battery automatically kicks in, providing reliable emergency lighting systems for occupants to safely evacuate a space. Programmable HotSpot Plus benefits include smaller size (to bring emergency LED capability to smaller luminaires) and easier installation.

As a completely new kind of egress lighting item unique to Fulham, we are offering the HotSpot ‘EZ Exit’ LED Emergency system as a new-fangled, spec grade, architectural alternative to bugeye fixtures that saves installation time / money and hides in the ceiling. The EZ Exit product is a linear extrusion in 2’ or 4’ lengths, and it can be used to directly replace a T-bar in a drop ceiling, completely disappearing into the ceiling. Or, its brightness can influence a reduction in the use of as many emergency fixtures, saving installation time and money when directly mounted to high warehouse ceilings. The Fulham HotSpot EZ Exit is the best of all worlds – inconspicuous, quick to install and money-saving.

Last but certainly not least, Fulham’s most recent egress lighting solution innovation includes a 25 Wall Micro-Inverter that works with any fixture(s), i.e. any technology type, of ≤150W for 25W of Constant Emergency Power for 90 minutes. Not just LED, but for any technology type. For clarity, It could operate, for instance, three non-dimmable 8W recessed cans at full brightness in EM mode (8W x 3 = 24 Watts <25W). Or, with dimmable fixtures, the 25 Watts will be divided up across the connected fixtures equally at a lesser Wattage than than full brightness in normal operations, e.g. if two dimmable 70 Watt UFO Highbays are connected to the 25W micro-inverter, each will operate at 12.5 Watts for 90 mins in emergency mode. This is a real money-saver and convenient.

All of these types of emergency egress lighting products and solutions, and many, many more, can be found throughout the Fulham product pages online. After all, what else would you come to expect from the Number 1 Independent Innovator of Globally-Mandated Emergency Lighting Solutions in the world?

Now, let’s take a step back to again be sure you’ve been tracking with us above. What exactly is emergency egress? It’s a means of egress / exit access for life safety purposes that, when there is a power failure, usually involves the use of emergency lighting systems to direct building occupants to safety. There are life safety code or building code lighting requirements for adequate means of egress illumination. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publishes the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code® which, according to their website “is the most widely used source for strategies to protect people based on building construction, protection, and occupancy features that minimize the effects of fire and related hazards.” They continue by describing the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code as being “unique in the field,” and that “it [the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code] is the only document that covers life safety in both new and existing structures.” You may look up the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code or any of their other codes at this address: https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/

Emergency egress lighting requirements are present beyond the U.S., however, and must comply with the respective international building code of any region that Fulham emergency egress lighting systems are exported and used.

Emergency lighting systems are used beyond providing emergency illumination indoors. Outdoor rated EXIT signs or emergency fixtures can also provide a means of egress or path of egress in exterior lighting emergency illumination. These means of egress have their own egress lighting requirements as recommended in order to conform with building code.

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Smart Technology could generally be described as reactive in some manner with the user, participant or occupant of a space or even a virtual environment. For instance, an escalator in a renovated space like an airport which only moves its steps when a sensor senses that someone is about to step onto it would be an example of a smart escalator, as compared with an everyday, standard, “dumb” one that runs all the time. Smart Lighting, as a subset of Smart Technology on whole, specifically describes a lighting fixture, a lighting solution, or a lighting system that is in some way adaptive or reactive to the users in an application setting, instead of always delivering the same color and intensity of light all the time, irrespective of environmental inputs or factors.

Product Features

Smart Lighting, therefore, includes LED light fixtures, for example, that have motion sensors — or other LED luminaires that may have infrared (IR) sensors or auto-shutoff switches and other such features. Smart Lighting also includes fixtures with sensors that monitor how much ambient light is already coming in through a room’s side windows, doors or skylights. Additionally, it will adjust the light output of the fixtures to deliver a consistent level of light in the room (a constant lumen output level) additive to the light from outdoors. Beyond the existence of mere on-fixture sensors as features, however, Smart Lighting can also refer to the ability to commission fixtures or connect and associate the performance of groups of connected lighting fixtures. This includes fixtures that are enabled with lighting control system technology such as Bluetooth® and / or that can be controlled or operated or monitored or optimized through a Smartphone app or some other remote monitor, terminal, tablet or computer. This is generally what is referred to as the “Internet of things” or “IoT” – in other words, connecting everything up via accessibility remotely (most likely wirelessly over the internet in some manner). The convenience of IoT-enabled, connected lighting devices cannot be overstated, as IoT allows for centralized, constant, and most efficient deployment of resources to service different installations across a wide area, theoretically globally and from anywhere. Rather than an additional technical support people in each timezone to troubleshoot across installations in any given geographical region, the IoT tech support representative could theoretically be sitting on a beach in Hawaii while taking support inquiries from Boston, Tokyo, Madrid and Cairo.

Energy Savings

The types of issues these Customer Service representatives are able to address in a centralized way run the gamut and can include anything from how to address installation questions to how to commission the lighting, especially when the connecting lighting systems group fixtures to function together across different kinds of ‘scenes.’ For instance, one scene that may be configured in a smart control system could be to turn all of the lights in a room ON. Additional scenes that could be pre-programmed as intelligent lighting IoT solutions could use buttons on a Smartphone interface or wall panel that turn ON only the connected lighting in the back of a large room while turning the front lights OFF, if someone was showing a presentation on a screen (if the situation required it to be dark for the projected slides that everyone is looking at in front of them, but still wanted some lights on in the back of the room). There are very few limits on smart, connected lighting systems in terms of lighting control (and energy efficiency, since manipulating lighting to act smarter often means only using it where it’s needed). For instance, smart lighting systems can also be programmed to auto-dim to a minimum output level (unless they sense motion, etc.) between the hours during which daytime staff leave an office and cleaning crews enter later. For safety reasons, lighting is usually not completely shut OFF during that time frame, but if it were dimmed instead when nobody was there, think of the energy efficiency it could achieve! The lighting industry has known about these benefits for years now, and early adopters of this kind of smart, connected lighting system technology have been driving down their energy costs and usage via energy efficient lighting for quite some time.

The Importance of Design

Smart Lighting doesn’t only relate to lumen output, however. Sometimes it refers to the quality of light that emanates from a luminaire. Circadian rhythm has been of recent interest in the lighting industry. How we humans react in terms of overall alertness and efficiency based on the lighting we experience during different times of day, compared with the natural lighting that occurs outside at those same times, has been proven to be a factor in employee happiness and productivity. So, suppose a lighting system equipped with IoT applications that includes changing the Kelvin color temperature (CCT) of light is employed in a space. In that case, it can help room occupants who may be sensitive to this type of environmental input. We are now also seeing that luminaires are being equipped with more “Dim-to-Warm” or “Warm Dimming” LED technology whereby two LED chips are used within fixtures so that the light automatically blends to create a lower Kelvin output at lower lighting levels. This, in concert with a smart lighting IoT solution, could be beneficial.

Security & IoT

As with any Internet-based technology, IoT-enabled technology does come with some degree of risk. It is important to select IoT lighting specialists that you can trust as providers of IoT devices (hardware and software) since these smart lighting systems will be accessible online, by definition (the Internet of Things IoT). As such, individual Internet of Things IoT lighting system components (particularly software) can be vulnerable to the hacking attempts of bad actors. Lesser known, lesser established or foreign entities offering IoT-enabled devices may not be as up to snuff with security protocols as better known, trusted ones or those working with specialists in developing these devices and programs. Fulham’s EliteControl IoT product assortment consists of SIG Qualified mesh drivers, sensors and devices that enable building system interaction and linkage via the Cloud. This includes sensors, switches, software and a Bluetooth Internet of Things IoT gateway, some of which were developed jointly with specialists specifically for security purposes. As time marches forward, it seems inevitable that the world (and the lighting industry at large) will progress and migrate toward incremental adoption of smarter, reactive IoT technologies and connected devices for convenience, to become more energy efficient, and to realize money savings. As IoT-enabled components and finished goods production ramp up and overall adoption of these IoT-enabled technologies occur across industrial, commercial and residential areas of life, prices for them will also start to adjust accordingly. This can cause efficiencies of larger-scale production and the forces of Supply & Demand to favorably affect price levels. The energy savings and convenience of the smart, connected lighting solutions available today far overshadow the upfront costs for many of these technologies through intelligent lighting IoT technology. When considering the return on investment (ROI) of Smart Lighting technologies, if one has the cash flow / the comfortable cash position to embrace smart technology in the short run, it pays for itself down the road, contributing to cost savings and greater competitiveness. IoT is not a fad and it’s not dead; it’s just getting started and here to stay.

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1. What are LED drivers used for?
2. How do LED drivers work?

Fulham’s rapidly expanding lines of ThoroLED LED drivers and WorkHorse programmable LED drivers provide reliable, energy-efficient, versatile, and convenient LED solutions for virtually any situation. Constant current and constant voltage LED driver models are available – with DALI, 0-10V, and TRIAC dimming protocol options.

Emergency LED solutions are also available as a Fulham product program under the FireHorse or HotSpot LED brand names. The LED solutions provide backup power (in conjunction with modular batteries) to LED modules within luminaries during power outages.

Power outages are whether the LED modules are supplemental to the primary light source or are part of the primary lighting system.

And the Lumo Series is Fulham’s European LED driver line suited for fixtures sold to European OEMs & distributors or for fixtures exported into Europe.

Fulham’sWorkHorse LED brand of programmable LED drivers offers unmatched flexibility, ease of use, and SKU reduction. “Programmable” means that the output current can be set to meet the in-field or factory application needs.

This flexibility is advantageous when finding creative ways to substitute or replace difficult components to source during component shortages (since electrical components are much harder to come by right now, and are expected to be a challenge through 2023).

It can also mean larger orders of one type of item / one SKU, for economies of scale when ordering in bulk/volume pricing (and lower per- unit pricing), versus buying smaller quantities of dedicated usage LED drivers with relatively more limited, specific purposes.

Fulham’s ThoroLED LED product program relates most often to more general-purpose, non-programmable LED drivers for general lighting. However, some are also suited for specialty applications, such as driving LEDs in refrigeration cases, freezers, Germicidal UV fixtures, etc.

Generallyspeaking, if you know in advance the exact needs and specifications for your luminaire, then ordering a dedicated Fulham ThoroLED LED driver is likely to be more economical than a driver with more built-in versatility, but that is the trade- off.

If your needs change along the way or if you do not use up all the drivers as anticipated, then the remaining unused LED drivers are only suited for specific purposes with that exact output current. By contrast, programmable ones can be repurposed for many other uses, other fixtures, other jobs, other applications, etc, as long as you have the correct power supplies.

The HotSpot Emergency LED product program is also incredibly notable for Fulham; innovations in LED EM solutions have become synonymous with Fulham, only second to the recognition in the market that Fulham has enjoyed for decades with its WorkHorse ballasts.

Another brand name used by Fulham in conjunction with its Emergency systems is the FireHorse brand, FYI.

Last but not least, the Fulham LumoSeries family of LED drivers is specially designed in our European Design Centre to meet the demands of the European market. Fulham LumoSeries LED drivers are built on core engineering design principles for exceptional performance and reliability standards in LED lighting systems.

The highest grade critical components, together with design features for thermal management, ensure excellent reliability. Low ripple designs create flicker-free LED lighting and perfectly smooth dimming.

The simplicity of specification and installation is a vital characteristic of all Fulham LumoSeries LED drivers, hence the wide voltage and current ranges and industry-leading low inrush current.

And lest we forget, Fulham India has expanded its LED driver offering to include several outdoor, wet-rated driver options and its ample assortment of indoor LED drivers for the domestic India market. These are also marketed under the ThoroLED brand. Still, there are India-specific brands, too, such as the IronHorse outdoor LED drivers, RaceHorse LED drivers and WorkHorse Plus LED drivers – exclusively in India.

What is an LED driver?

Now let’s take a step back to ensure that everyone is tracking with all of the terms and explanations on this page. An LED driver itself is an electrical component (a power supply) that is to an LED modules/arrays as an electronic ballast is to a fluorescent tube (or as an induction generator is to an induction lamp, a transformer is to a halogen lamp, etc.).

“Driver” is the name used to refer to the power supply component for LED lighting systems that, together with LED modules/arrays, comprises an LED Light Engine. LED drivers “drive” power to LED modules for optimal light output in different applications and different intensities, with different currents and using different dimming protocols. Each driver’s spec sheet contains standard technical details such as: input voltage range, output voltage range, certifications, output current, dimming range, THD, Power Factor, Sound Rating, Number of Output Channels, etc.

Types of LED Drivers

There are two types of LED drivers: Constant Current LED drivers and Constant Voltage LED drivers. Factors considered when deciding whether to use Constant Current or Constant Voltage LED drivers in your LED fixture design include how the system will be installed, how it will be configured, and overall system efficiency requirements.

With Constant Current, the LED driver feeds a steady current through all LEDs on the module. Since each individual LED requires a specific voltage for the current to flow (known as Vf), the driver must provide enough voltage to equal the total of all the voltages of that module’s LEDs.

Note that while the LED module is designed frequently with all LEDs connected in one continuous serial electrical chain, it is also possible to create branches that split the current flowing through the module. Therefore, it is essential to understand the design of the module’s circuitry and the electrical rating of the LEDs themselves when connecting a Constant Current driver to Constant Current LED modules.

Constant Current architectures offer higher operating efficiency than Constant Voltage but less flexibility in connecting different modules and LEDs to the driver. With Constant Voltage, on the other hand, the LED driver provides a steady voltage supply that enables power to flow through all LEDs connected.

Since any given current flow requires a specific amount of voltage for each individual LED, it is necessary to buffer or regulate the voltage with a resistor (or equivalent component) in line with the connected LEDs.

With proper resistance selection, the series-connected LEDs receive reasonably — never excessive — voltage to regulate the current inflow. The Constant Voltage approach is most commonly used when LED modules vary widely from different installations or product designs.

Programmable vs. Non-Programmable LED drivers

As discussed with Fulham WorkHorse Programmable LED drivers versus ThoroLED general usage LED drivers of dedicated current (above), programmable drivers give users the power to create the right driver for any situation.

Programmable attributes include output current, dimming curve, and lowest dimming percentage, allowing the driver to match the output of existing luminaires or serve as a flexible platform for new luminaire designs. Programmable drivers that are readily available in stock can also substitute for dedicated LED drivers of more limited function when they are harder to come by during electronic component shortages.

Regular LED drivers of specific outputs are specifically and only suited for that one purpose and cannot be changed later. Generally speaking,they are likely to cost less than programmable drivers, but you can also do a lot less with them.

Being in the field, programmable LED drivers allow for SKU reduction and time savings since you don’t know what you’ll encounter on a job site. Having a programmable driver replacement could make the difference between needing to revisit the electrical distributor with precious time or using that time to program a driver. Finish your job and go!

How to install an LED driver

Installation instructions are available with Fulham LED drivers (and a programming guide for the WorkHorse Programmable ones). In a retrofit situation, the driver is likely to fit in the same cavity as the legacy technology was removed from, e.g. the fluorescent ballast cavity after the fluorescent ballast is removed).

Many Fulham drivers are designed with a small overall footprint to be used discreetly in thin or narrow, elegant architectural fixtures.

Quality

As with all of Fulham’s products, our LED driver program is built on the promises of high quality and standing by our items as a 25+ -year old company with a U.S. headquarters and a U.S. warranty.

This can make a material difference compared to buying from unknown foreign sources that most likely haven’t been in the business much longer than their warranty expenses. Additionally, you don’t know how long their business will last or if they will honor their warranty if challenges occur.

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The Fulham FireHorse FHUPS1-UNV-25L-SD is a 25 Watt Micro-Inverter / Emergency Power Supply that delivers power to any lighting fixture in emergency lighting mode at 25 Watts for 90 minutes.

Its uniqueness and differentiability from commonplace emergency lighting inverters stem from its ability to run a lighting fixture greater than 25W (which previously required higher cost, higher wattage emergency lighting inverters) using built-in 0-10V dimming wires.

It works with any lighting fixture ≤150W for 25W of Constant Emergency Power for 90 minutes.

For example, these Fulham FireHorse emergency lighting inverters will scale down the power of a 150W fixture to 25W in Emergency Mode, allowing customers to use this inverter system in high output applications where previously a costly inverter was the only solution.

The FHUPS1-UNV-25L-SD can support one luminaire rated for 150 Watts or multiple fixtures whose system wattage adds up to 150W in normal operation (although anything greater exceeds the input power rating of the unit.) This reduces the number of SKUs needed for emergency lighting fixtures to save money (and to add convenience).

• Uninterrupted Power Supply
• Universal input
• UL listed and CEC Title 20 compliant
• 120-277 VAC output
• Dims luminaires of up to 150W down to 25W (45VA) in an emergency with 0-10V dimming; 25W(45VA) max without 0-10V dimming
• 25W output
• 0 – 50°C ambient rated
• 12hr recharge time
• Conduit for leads
• Under- voltage protection
• Short circuit protection
• Overload protection
• Easy installation time: no need to open up a luminaire to connect this device to the driver
• It can be used with luminaires where the driver is not accessible, e.g., UFO high bays
• Saves money: higher wattage fixtures previously required higher wattage/higher cost emergency lighting inverters
• Self diagnostic standard
• RJ11 port allows Bluetooth compatibility
• Common applications include offices (recessed cans), retail outlets and warehouses

Let’s refer to some lighting examples to clarify how the 25W micro-inverter works:

Scenario 1: Non-Dimming Lighting Fixtures

The inverter will support a fixture or fixtures up to 25 Watts for 90 minutes.

Example: Three 8 Watt fixtures will run for 90 mins on a single inverter. (3 x 8W = 24W < 25W).

How bright will each fixture be?

Full Brightness at 8 Watts each

Scenario 2: 0-10V Dimming Lighting Fixtures

The emergency lighting inverter will leverage the dimming circuit in each lighting fixture to provide 25 total Watts divided across the number of fixtures being operated on the circuit.

Example: Two 70 Watt fixtures will run for 90 mins on a single emergency lighting inverter at 12.5 Watts each

How bright will each fixture be?

Multiply the efficacy of the fixture by 12.5W. In other words, if the efficacy of the fixtures shown in the example are 150 lm/Watt, then the total light output is 150 lm/Watt x 12.5W = 1875 lumens each

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Multitudes of SunHorse ballast models have been useful over the past two decades in optimally operating UV lamps inside OEMs’ purification and sterilization equipment for best light output and lamp longevity.

Applications had normally come in the form of lighting equipment used in air ducts or chambers, in HVAC units, in water purification or sewage treatment systems, or in free-standing UV lighting equipment.

Granted, these systems have always served an important purpose; with the pandemic, however, they have also been deemed even more essential / no longer niche.

(Incidentally, Fulham SunHorse ballasts have also been used for many years in tanning beds to power UV light tanning lamps most efficiently and for best performance. Although this application has lessened in popularity across time, it did help Fulham to establish greater expertise and experience with this technology – a far cry from that of any new market entrant who may be trying to cash in specifically in response to today’s challenges.)

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