Cerno Groups designer and engineer explain the important roles both play in designing for an LED era.
Nick Sheridan, designer: We start with a function - lighting a desk, filling a space. And immediately, we think of the lighting packages weve researched. It starts with the LEDs, the heat sinks, the dimmers. I have images of these components on my computer and can drag them to create initial design concepts.
Dan Wacholder, engineer: Im constantly scouring the world for components. I read all of the LED newsletters and go to the trade shows. Ill educate Nick on what I think might suit the concept. Ill say, "I think this is best for this package," and give him a drawing. "Lets dim it this way" and "This material is going to be the most cost - effective."
Sheridan: The form is informed by the function of what were trying to achieve.
Wacholder: You rarely find a component or design gesture that doesnt need to be there. Everything usually has a functional requirement. For Silva, one of our more popular designs, I tried to come up with heat sinking solutions that allowed us to get a powerful LED package in a small space.
I identified the LED array, matched it to a heat sink and said to Nick, "I need a place for this dimmer and this little driver."
Sheridan: In part, Silva was about the wood body. We needed materials and thicknesses appropriate for the scale of the build. That was a big consideration. But it was also about little things - the head articulation, where the neck passes, how to include the heat sink. It was a back and forth with Dan.