2 ms·

They're fast until you start trying to use them to transmit data at a few tens of megabits/s. Laser diodes, on the other hand, are fast

• chc 11y ago
  What does this have to do with anything?
  • hamiltonkibbe 11y ago
    It's a different perspective, I've spent a significant amount of time working with LEDs in a context where the rise time is important, and the fact that LEDs are slow (in this context) provided a significant challenge. I guess the phrase "LEDs are extremely fast" struck me the same way a pedestrian telling you "walking is the fastest way to get around" when you're stopped at a red light in a Lamborghini would
    • mrob 11y ago
      "Extremely fast" doesn't have any absolute definition. We were talking about human visual perception, so "fast" in this context could reasonably mean "fast enough to have no visible smoothing". A typical LED is much faster than that, so in the context of fake candles I think "extremely fast" is fair. In the context of data transmission it would mean something else.
      • hamiltonkibbe 11y ago
        Yeah I understand it's entirely relative. I made that comment based on my immediate reaction. Compared to an incandescent bulb, LEDs are like the Lamborghini in my analogy