Product
AC COB is a new AC LED solution from Citizen Electronics. It comes with a lamp holder that contains the components needed to connect the package directly to the mains voltage. So basically, it is designed to make life easier for luminaire manufacturers.
What are the benefits?
AC COB has an integrated circuit that allows you to control the luminous flux more accurately. For all CCT and CRI versions, you can get exactly the same luminous flux from the package, such as 750, 1000, 1500 and 2000 lumens.
The 5 volt output enables you to use motion sensors, etc., so you can easily adapt external sensors and add functionality to your luminaires easily.
The driver does not generate additional losses, so you can get good efficiency even at lower power. AC COB with the new integrated circuit has good compatibility with dimmers, and you can dim this solution with triac (leading edge) and transistor (trailing edge) dimmers.
The small size and the absence of an external driver allow for more creative luminaire design. No need to worry about where to place the driver.
What do you need to consider?
The characteristics of AC COB are of course similar to normal COB, which means that warmer CCTs have lower efficacy than cooler CCTs. The luminous flux is fixed, which means there is a difference in power. So a 2700K Ra90 AC COB consumes more power than a 5000K Ra80.
Of course, AC is still AC. Without using more complex circuits to convert AC to DC, the AC characteristics will still affect the luminous flux. This mainly happens with AC LEDs, which means there is flicker in the light source. To reduce this effect, it is best to consider using secondary optics to reduce this phenomenon.
Conclusion
Although AC LEDs may have their limitations, it does have some advantages that make it a viable light source solution. It has ENEC certified components, is easy to use for designing new luminaires, and you can test this solution in different luminaires. Now it is time to consider where you can use AC COB to realize its advantages.