When it comes to machine vision lighting, lights can be left on constantly (Constant-On Operation), Strobed (also referred to as pulsed), or Overdriven.
(See our Constant On or Strobe Article to get a better understanding of these concepts).
The difference between strobing and overdriving is that strobing will output a similar amount of light (measured in Lux) as constant on operation while overdriving can output significantly higher amounts of light (10 times as much in certain cases!)
In their on state, LED's will output 100% of their rated brightness, but additional brightness can be achieved by increasing the current to the LED's for brief controlled periods of time. The OverDrive series of lights from Smart Vision Lights includes an integrated strobe driver for complete LED light control. The integrated intelligent driver monitors the strobe operation and maximizes the lights output during inspections of the vision system.
Won't Overdriving LED's cause premature failure?
The OverDrive™ Driver offers SVL's SafeStrobe technology. LED's can prematurely fail or degrade when subjected to high levels of heat which can be a byproduct of high currents, but Smart Vision Lights' OverDrive driver makes sure that the LED life is sustained. This is achieved through SafeStrobe Technology. This unique technology applies safe working parameters to ensure the LED’s are not damaged by driving them beyond their limits. This is especially beneficial for overdriving today’s new High Current LED’s.
Is the Overdrive driver the same for all light wavelengths?
OverDrive technology automatically sets the limits for different LED’s. With SVL's driver, each color or wavelength of LED’s performance is individually optimized producing the highest output LED lights in the vision industry. UV, IR, White, Red, Blue, Green and Cyan all have different maximum current limits and Smart Vision Light's OverDrive technology controls every color light.
Do I need to provide a Sinking or Sourcing Signal to trigger the Light?
The integrated OverDrive controller offers both NPN (Sinking) and PNP (Sourcing) strobe input for easy integration to today’s smart cameras. Lights have high speed reaction times that offer extremely fast repeatable pulse times.
Are there Limitations to OverDriving?
Due to the thermals generated by OverDriving and LED, there is a duty cycle limitation of 10%.
- Maximum Duty Cycle: 10% (0.1)
- Maximum Strobe Time: 125ms - note this value will be limited by the strobe rate
- Minimum Strobe Time: 10µs*
- Max Strobe Rate: 2000 Strobes/Sec (some lights are rated 5000+ Strobes/Sec)
*Note: Standard Lights from SVL (Without Overdrive or Multi-Drive) can strobe for shorter periods, however cannot be overdriven. If you require a faster strobe than 10µs then please contact our support team to help you find the best fit light for your application.
Which Lights contain OverDrive Drivers?
Washdown lights with the OverDrive Driver
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Article Sources: Smart Vision Lights; OverDrive Series for Machine Vision Lighting
