>> Needless to say, to have any chance of achieving rated
>> lifetimes LEDs need to be driven in a constant current mode
>> at rated current or less.

They did a study over on candlepowerformums to check brightness of
the "extra bright" white LEDs available on eBay (from China),
compared to brand-name Nichia white LEDs.  Some of the imports
really were as bright as claimed, but they deteriorated much
more quickly than the Nichias, and VERY quickly indeed when
"overdriven" as common in flashlights (The chinese LEDs
deteriorated much more quickly when overdriven than the
Nichias.)

BillW

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