What are LEDs and LED accessories?

An LED, or a light-emitting diode, is a type of semiconductor light source designed to emit light when current flows through it. They are usually available in different intensities of visibility and brightness. LEDs come in a range of colours that include cool, warm, and neutral white tones, often depending on the materials used. Some LEDs are also capable of switching between different colors. LED accessories are important electrical components of LED lights.

Types

LEDs and LED accessories are available in a wide range of varieties, other than colours, visibility and brightness. These include:

• Visible LEDs: Visible LEDs are the most common types of LEDs, which are designed to convert electricity into light. These use the movement of electrons to emit light. 
• IR LEDs: IR LEDs, or Infrared Light Emitting Diodes, are designed to emit light in the infrared spectrum. These are solid-state lights and offer a cheaper and more efficient way of generating infrared light. A multitude of electrical devices use IR LEDs, including remote controls, infrared cameras, machine-to-machine communication, and so on. 
• LED Light Pipes: LED light pipes are designed to transmit light from an LED on a circuit board to a position where the light needs to be visible. These allow easy changing of the position of the LED light without altering the position of the LED itself. They are easy to install as well and come in three different varieties.
• UV LEDs: UV LEDs, or Ultraviolet LEDs, are designed to emit light in the UV spectrum, much like the IR LEDs. They are available in different wavelengths and are widely used in detecting counterfeits, validating critical documents, currency, and licenses, etc. A type of UV LED is also used in biomedical applications.

Applications

LEDs and their accessories are important components used in modern optoelectronics. They have extensive uses that include:

• Indicators and signs
• Visual signaling
• Lighting and illumination
• Data communication and signaling
• Biological detections 
• Machine vision systems