L70 is a common rating system used throughout the LED fixture industry. There is, however, some confusion as to what the standard does and does not define.
For example, it’s clear when an incandescent fixture reaches its end of life; it simply stops working. With LED fixtures it’s not as obvious because LEDs slowly get dimmer over time. The L70 rating was created as a way to measure when the LEDs of a fixture are no longer “useful.” This rating is determined from an outcome of testing to the LM84 standard and gives a representation of the amount of hours it will take for LEDs to depreciate to 70% of their original output.
The LM84 standard is complex and can take thousands of hours to complete. Because of this, ETC has elected to send full LED fixtures to a nationally-recognized, third-party test lab for comprehensive evaluation. This lab tests fixtures in an environment that replicates how you, the end user will use them.
One of the biggest misconceptions of the L70 rating is that it applies to the entire fixture when in fact, it only applies to the LEDs themselves. The way a fixture is manufactured, including the quality of thermal management systems, heavily dictates the life expectancy of the LEDs. This is why ETC sends the full fixture for testing – you should be confident that the LED rating for your fixture will not be impacted by additional hardware or software components.
ETC is proud to announce that upon completed testing several of their fixtures are reaching higher L70 ratings than originally anticipated.
Fixture before LM84 testing after LM84 testing
ColorSource Spot 20,000 hours 54,000 hours
Source Four LED Lustr+ 20,000 hours 54,000 hours
Increased warranties
ETC has always put product quality first and the recent L70 ratings reaffirm that commitment. To solidify this dedication to quality they’ve decided to pass the peace of mind along to you through increased warranties.
This warranty applies to the following LED products sold after January 1st, 2018
All full ETC LED fixtures now hold a:
- 5-year full fixture warranty
- 10-year LED array warranty
All ETC Source 4WRD products continue to hold a 3-year warranty
ETC is proud to stand by a decade of coverage and a lifetime of support. Watch the video interview with industry consultant, Mike Wood and learn more about ETC fixtures at:http://www.etcconnect.com/LEDwarranty