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What is the Difference Between A Light Source and U30 Light Source? What are Their Respective Applications?

3nh

2025-03-06

On the panel of the standard light source box, we can see many types of standard light sources, among which the more common ones are standard A light source and U30 light source. Many users do not know much about the difference between these two light sources. This article introduces the difference and application of standard A light source and U30 light source.

A light source

A Light Source


The meaning of A light source and U30 light source:

1. The meaning of A light source

A light source is a tungsten filament lamp with a color temperature of about 2856K. A light source is mainly used in home and window lighting. A light source has soft light and warm color, which is suitable for creating a comfortable lighting environment.

2. Meaning of U30 light source

U30 light source is a kind of commercial fluorescent lamp in the United States. Its full name is U30 fluorescent lamp. This light source mainly uses fluorescent powder to emit light, and has the characteristics of high efficiency, energy saving, and long life. U30 light source is widely used in lighting in shopping malls, supermarkets, exhibition halls and other places.

Color temperature of A light source and U30 light source:

1. A. Color temperature of light source

The color temperature of light source A is about 2856K, which also belongs to the warm color temperature range. This color temperature makes light source A suitable for home, window lighting and other occasions, and can create a comfortable lighting environment.

2.U30 light source color temperature

The color temperature of the U30 light source is 3000K, which means that its color is warmer. The color temperature of 3000K makes the U30 light source suitable for occasions that require a warm atmosphere, such as shopping malls, supermarkets, etc.

Spectral characteristics of A light source and U30 light source:

1. A light source spectral characteristics

The spectrum characteristics of A light source are soft light and warm color. This light source is suitable for home, window lighting and other occasions, and can create a comfortable lighting environment. The spectrum characteristics of A light source make it a popular lighting source.

2. U30 light source spectral characteristics

The spectrum characteristics of the U30 light source are high light efficiency and color reproduction. It can better display the color of the goods and make shopping malls and other places have better lighting effects. In addition, the U30 light source also has the characteristics of energy saving and long life, which is conducive to reducing lighting costs.

U30 light source

U30 light source


Application of A light source and U30 light source:

1. Application of A light source

In color measurement, CIEA light sources are often used to measure the spectral energy distribution of lighting equipment or other light sources. CIEA light sources can be used as a reference light source to evaluate the color temperature and color reproduction performance of other light sources.

In addition, the CIEA illuminant can be used to determine the response of a "standard observer", that is, to study the human eye's response to color by studying a color palette based on illuminant A.

2. Application of U30 light source

With the popularity of commercial fluorescent lamps, in order to meet the increasingly prominent color requirements in the commercial field, CIE recommended the F series of fluorescent light sources. Among them, F1-F6 are ordinary fluorescent lamps, F7-F9 are high color rendering fluorescent lamps, and F10-F12 are three-primary color fluorescent lamps. This is the origin of the standard light source F.

The F series light sources here use different lamps in different countries and regions. In Europe, the F12 light source refers to the TL83 light source produced by Philips, while for American users, the U30 lamp is often used to achieve the F12 light source.

The color temperature and color rendering index of the two light sources are the same, so U30 is equivalent to TL83, but it is called U30 in the United States and LT83 in Europe. So there is no big difference between the two, and they can be mixed in the color matching light box.

Evaluation of A light source and U30 light source:

1. Evaluation of A light source

The evaluation of CIEA light sources focuses on the consistency of their spectral distribution. As we all know, different lighting equipment and light sources have differences in spectral distribution, which often leads to different performances in color reproduction. By using the CIEA light source standard, we can compare the performance of different light sources in color reproduction and better understand which colors are more natural to the human eye.

2. Evaluation of U30 light source

The technical indicators of the U30 standard light source must meet the color evaluation and color matching lighting regulations of the CIE International Illumination Commission and the CY3-91 standard. It can be used all day long in various industries involving color observation and color matching, such as textiles and clothing, dyeing, printing, paint, ink, plastics, electronics, etc. Throughout history, human visual perception of color has been cultivated and established under sunlight and firelight. With the progress of industrialized society, natural lighting can no longer meet the requirements of continuous production in the color product manufacturing industry, so there is a demand for artificial light sources. When performing visual color matching under these standard artificial light sources, visual differences caused by non-standard or different light sources can be avoided.

In summary, the spectral characteristics of the A light source and the U30 light source have their own advantages. The A light source has soft light and warm colors, which is suitable for home and window lighting. The U30 light source has high light efficiency and color reproduction, which is suitable for lighting in places such as shopping malls. When choosing a lighting source, you should choose a suitable light source according to the actual application scenario and needs.