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New Application of Electronics Technology: Developed here in G’da |
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Saturday, 02 December 2006 |
An engineer has recently
completed the
Design, Prototype Construction
and Testing
phases, of an innovative
Remote Controlled
Compact Fluorescent
Lamp (Energy Saver
Bulb) with attractive
energy saving and control
features, all done
right here in Grenada.
 ENGINEER EDWARD HEYLIGER DISPLAYS THE PROTOTYPE ENERGY SAVER BULB.
Mr. Edward Heyliger, a
qualified Electrical/Electronics
Engineer, in giving
a background to his
research and development
work for this product, says
that he is constantly in
search of ways to apply his
design skills to either create
new products or
improve on existing ones.
He expressed the confidence
that Electronics
Technology enables him to
design devices or systems
that can transform simpler
products and add
sophisticated features not
previously available on
them without adding significantly
to their cost.
Product development on
this product, he says,
started a few years ago
and was a logical follow up
to previous products that
he had developed while
working as an Engineer at
W & W Electronics. He
was instrumental in collaboration
with a few
other talented local engineers
who teamed up in
2001 to produce Remote
Controlled Dimmers that
were exact replacements
of ordinary Electrical Wall
Switches. He says that the
success of that experience
inspired him to continue
working on several related
product ideas since then.
In attempting to do something
with more appeal to
average homeowners, so
they can more readily use
technology to improve
their everyday lives, he
began to focus on development
of a range of Home
Automation products and
more specifically this
product, An Intelligent
Compact Fluorescent
Lamp.
The Bulb has the exact
appearance of an ordinary
Compact Fluorescent
Lamp and its installation
requires no special skill. It
is a direct replacement for
any screw type or bayonet
bulb in a home or office. It
can be switched on and off
from an electrical switch
just like an ordinary bulb
as well. You therefore have
the option of not using any
of its advanced features
which include control by
other means.
One attractive and very
convenient feature of the
bulb is its remote control
capability that allows you
to control it from as far as
30 feet away using any
Universal Remote. This
gives new meaning to the
term ‘Energy Saver Lamp’
since you no longer need to
make long walks to the
light switch to turn it on or
off. This may seem trivial
for the normally active
persons but can make a
huge difference for the
aged, disabled, those with
infirmity or even the
young healthy individual
that is simply less inclined
to leave the couch.
To begin using a remote to
control the bulb, you simply
teach the bulb the code
for the specific button on
the remote that you want
to use to control it. To do
this, you simply power it
up, point the remote and
press the button. Once the
bulb accepts the signal it
is programmed and the
remote can be used thereafter
to turn it on or off.
Several bulbs can be
simultaneously controlled
in the same room without
interference simply by
being programmed to different
buttons on the
remote.
Additionally, a great energy
saving feature is its
Auto Shutdown Timer
which can be invoked
when needed, allowing
you to set the bulb to automatically
shut down after
an adjustable time delay,
so that it is never accidentally
left on to waste power
indefinitely. This makes it
ideal for any situation
where one is likely to fall
asleep, leave home or otherwise
forget to turn off a
light.
In order to put the product
into perspective he
explained that a little
background information is
necessary. For nearly one
hundred years since the
development of the incandescent
light bulb, there
were very few changes in
the methods used to produce
and control the electrical
light that we use in
our homes, offices etc.
It is an established fact
that the incandescent bulb
produces light inefficiently
and about 90% of electrical
energy consumed actually
gets converted to heat.
The use of a dimmer
allows you to reduce this
consumption and wastage
of energy. In the early
1930s fluorescent lamps
with better efficiency
became widespread and
then the development of
smaller and lightweight
electronic ballasts allowed
the introduction of the
Compact Fluorescent
Lamps in the 1980s.
Control aspects of electrical
lighting however,
remained unchanged for a
long time and is basically
still a switch on the wall
which you physically turn
on or off. Although there
are sophisticated lighting
systems that use electronics
to activate lights they
require a significant cost
outlay.
The electronics used in a
typical Compact Fluorescent
Lamp is very basic so
a lot of challenging work
was required to design
electronics hardware that
was small enough and yet
sophisticated enough to
make possible all the features
of this product. The
circuit required at its core
a State Of The Art Microprocessor
running a special
program that monitors
and controls the lamp
while allowing communication
and control through
other external means.
He is confident that, the
success of his venture can
serve as an inspiration for
other like minded individuals
with creative abilities
and engineering skills to
challenge themselves to
find novel ways to apply
those skills so that new
ideas and products can
continue to emerge from
Grenada and the region as
a whole.
Although Mr. Heyliger is a
Guyanese national by
birth, he completed his
studies in Brazil and had
the opportunity to accumulate
a vast amount of
technical experience working
on sophisticated Electronic
Equipment including
high kVA UPS Systems
and Electronic Power
Protection Systems in
Barbados, Guyana and
other Caribbean islands
before settling here in
Grenada some eight years
ago.
Apart from Electronic
Product Development,
Mr.Heyliger is also an
experienced Computer
Software Developer and
Programmer and also
devotes some time to coordinating
and running
training programs covering
Electronics and other
subject areas.
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