The process for making a LED is very similar. So these are about 1/4 the size of the outgoing XR-E, and with a MINIMUM 114lpw efficiency. The reason I keep comparing them to the Ushio 10,000/14,000K’s is because of their spectrums as well: The Ushio’s are ‘white’, but with a very large volume of blue and even more actinic. These XP-G’s have a similar plot to the previous ones, but with a wicked blue spike. Even though the spike on the LED’s is larger, its also about 1/2 as wide as the Ushio… but since converting lumens to par effects actinic through blue about the same, I bet the conversion from lumens to PAR will be similar to the Ushio based on the spectral plot.

These LED’s look like a combo of a white and blue LED together, like a pheonix 14,000K and a ushio 14,000K side by side or something like that. They are almost blue enough on their own to not need anything more (if you get the right color rating of course). And that is the most exciting part. Orbitech cant go after the company that supplies their LED’s for making a LED that can be used in any fixture on its own to ’support marine life’. This LED pretty much makes the Orbitech impossible to enforce… just dont market it as a ‘reef’ or ‘coral growing’ lamp, and they have nothing. If Orbitech sued Cree, that would be shooting themselves in the foot. Speaking of… I know Cree doesnt like the Orbitech patent (creates a monopoly, hinders growth of an important early market… bottom line: kills their sales). Interesting that they came out with this LED then. I cant say its a ‘direct response’, but its pretty sweet none the less.

Here is a copy of an article someone from a builder’s site asked me to write as a contribution during MACNA. I think it was ‘too technical’, but I know reef clubs have been posting it in their own forums anyways:
http://www.wireefsociety.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2612