Lenses Make LEDs Shine Brighter

By integrating lenses into their package, a new series of surface-mount LEDs are able to concentrate the emitted light into a 70° (typ.) viewing angle, doubling the on-axis light intensity of non-lensed versions of the devices. This makes the new LEDs particularly well-suited for illuminating buttons and switches on panels and for transferring more light to optical light pipes used to illuminate panel legends. They also qualify for use as status indicators on computer panels, datacomm equipment, routers, printers, and more.The HSMx-L640 LEDs come in red, high-efficiency red, red-orange, orange, amber, yellow and green colors and reside in a 3.0 x 1.5 mm SMT package that can be handled by automated manufacturing equipment.