More on LED Engines – Updated comparison against the Sutter DG-5

About a month ago one of my coworkers, Aaron Lum Ph.D and I, had a chance to compare various light sources and to measure the power they provide. Most importantly, we were able to compare LED engines against other conventional light sources. As a followup, Aaron was able to work with Logan Grosenick from Stanford (Thanks Logan!) , to compare the Spectra light engine against the Sutter Instruments DG-5. The results are graphed below. The vertical axis is in mW.

My conclusions to the data are  fundamentally unchanged from the previous report: LED’s stink at producing short wave UV. The real market application for the DG-5 continues to be calcium ratio dyes like FURA. As of now, no LED source can compete at anywhere the power level needed for FURA imaging (at 340 & 380nm lines) like the DG-5 can. I expect, as with numerous other examples of disruptive technology, this will change over the next few years. LED powered systems should be considered for all other  applications.

-Austin