Bell-Southcn is ISO17025 accredited by the International Accreditation Service (IAS) to perform IES LM-84 testing

The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) Approved Method for Measuring Luminous Flux and Color Maintenance of LED Lamps, Light Engines, and Luminaires (LM-84-14) is a document which addresses the changes in photometric performance of SSL systems over time.

In recent times the term "LM-84 testing" has become part our lighting lexicon and has been treated in some cases as a lighting program all its own. While many lighting programs reference LM-84 procedures, it is not in and of itself a lighting program with specified requirements and pass/fail criteria.

The primary considerations for this test method are lumen maintenance and color maintenance. The term "maintenance" here refers to how a particular metric (lumens or color) performs over time. In the case of lumen maintenance, it is a simple ratio of lumen output at any given time in the life of the product, to the initial lumen output of the product. This essentially means that LM-79 testing is performed initially at 0 hour burn time, and at each required interval over the chosen operating cycle.

The operating cycle in which maintenance testing is performed is up to the customer and may have as many interval tests as needed. For instance, a typical operating cycle for a product seeking Energy Star compliance is 6000 hours, with interval testing at 3000 hours (for interim qualification) and 6000 hours for full certification. ITL can test at any interval over the operating cycle that the customer prefers.

If you would like to know more about LM-84 testing and associated applications please give us a call at 0755-29405577. We would be happy to discuss your LM-84 testing needs.