A snap-in LED light (photos)

Is something like this the successor to the Edison screw-in light bulb base? It's the Helion LED lighting module from Bridgelux and partner Molex, a product the company plans to start producing early next year aimed primarily at commercial customers. The module includes the electronics called a driver needed for power conversion within the device, rather than as a separate "brick." That means the modules can be fitted into light fixtures and then upgraded by replacing the module without having to update the driver.

See related story, Inventing a new light socket for LED lighting.

A closer look inside the lighting component. The coin-size yellow disk is the LED light "engine," a semiconductor which produces light. LEDs produce blue light so there is a yellow phosphor which covers it to produce a white light. The color of LED lights can be adjusted depending on what sort of phosphor is used.

A look at how the LED module snaps into a demonstration fixture which Bridgelux and Molex designed. It's a track lighting product. The companies' prospective customers are light fixture makers who will incorporate the module into their products.

This demonstration light, which is made out of metal, includes a large heat sink, the left-hand side of this light. Heat sinks are needed to dissipate heat created by LED light sources, which helps ensure a longer life.