C3 Menu Systems Division

LEDs are 50 to 60% more energy-efficient than T-8 fluorescent lamps.

At C3 Lighting Menu Systems Division, we warranty our LEDs for 60,000 hours, which virtually eliminates the cost of maintenance for fluorescent lamp change-outs.

LEDs do not radiate infrared heat (IR), which reduces building heat load and decreases air conditioning costs

C3 Lighting products qualify for energy and tax rebates due to their greater energy efficiency.

The light emitted from LEDs contains no harmful ultraviolet (UV) or infrared (IR) radiation, which greatly reduces the fading of graphics displayed in C3 Menu Systems Division product line.

C3 Menu Systems Division products incorporating LED technology are shallower in depth and weigh less, resulting in reduced shipping costs.

LEDs are environmentally friendly and, unlike fluorescent lamps, do not require heavy metal pollutants nor toxic and flammable gases to operate.

LEDs are solid-state light engines, requiring no filaments or glass, which makes them extremely rugged, shock-resistant and highly reliable.

LEDs use low DC voltage, making them safer in a commercial application.

LEDs can operate in harsh environments and withstand temperatures ranging from -40° F to +185° F.

Not all LED illuminated display products are created equal. Just because a lighting fixture uses LED technology does not mean that the product has been properly designed to take full advantage of LED technology. C3 Lighting's product line, with Direct LED Backlighting (DLB), delivers the following advantages over competitive solutions:

An extreme loss of luminosity, or brightness, occurs when LEDs are used to edge-light acrylic panels. This is caused by the loss of light when it is transmitted through the additional layers of acrylic required for edge-lighting, as compared to direct back-lighting of an acrylic panel. Edge-lighting requires an increase in the wattage and/or the number of LEDs needed to properly illuminate the acrylic panel. Edge-lighting of fixtures results in marginally acceptable brightness and uses substantially more electricity than direct LED backlighting. When acrylic is edge-lit, the concentration of LEDs along the edge of the housing creates localized heat build-up, often making the product unsafe and/or too hot to handle. Since LEDs are directional and do not emit light in all directions as with fluorescent light sources, direct back-lighting with LEDs provides high illumination efficiencies greater than 90%. For these reasons, C3 Lighting does not use edge-lighting for illumination of acrylic panels.

Back-lit fixtures using LEDs must be designed to remove the heat generated internally by the LED. If the heat generated by the internal “LED Junction” is not dissipated away from the base of the LED and into the fixture, the life of the LED will be greatly reduced. At C3 Lighting, we use high quality LEDs, and mount them onto special panels (PCB’s). Our light panels are fitted with a large array of LEDs that are driven at very low power. These panels have a very large surface area and act as heat sinks to properly dissipate the LED’s internally generated heat, allowing the LEDs to operate at or below their recommended operating temperature. Using this configuration instead of using fewer but higher powered LEDs allows the specified life expectancy of the LED to be reached.

If an efficient power supply that is properly matched to the LED array is not used, a large amount of the energy efficiency obtained by using LEDs as a light source will be lost. C3 Menu Systems Division uses only properly matched, highly efficient power supplies to drive our LED arrays. In addition, when requested, C3 Menu Systems Division can supply external power supplies, which can run a bank of fixtures and be placed in remote locations, such as above a drop ceiling or external to a building.

Because LED fixtures can be efficiently dimmed to save additional energy, C3 Lighting can supply dimming power supplies that will adjust the illumination level of a fixture to provide no more than the required output. Using electronic switching, fixtures with LEDs can be dimmed from 0% to 100%, with no variation in the color temperature of the illumination, and can be instantly turned “on” to full brightness. C3 Lighting's dimming power supplies integrate C3 Lighting Controllers to provide even greater energy efficiency through digital lighting control.