lights

[cornishjoinery]

Hi guys, have been asked by 2 clients to source some led lights . I would like them to plug into the mains and have a switch. I used some from screwfix in some bookshelves but needed a sparky to fit a plug in. Anyone found any like this?

 

[Lons]

There are hundreds available including strips which plug together. I've just fitted some under wall cabinets of the last kitchen I completed. There is also a huge variety of replacement bulbs which fit straight into standard light fittings.

What is the application you need them for?

Bob

 

[cornishjoinery]

One is above a bed and the other in a wardrobe. The ones I bought from screwfix are like mini spotlights that can be set into the timber, worked really well but want something like that that I can plug into a socket and have a switch. It can always be a strip light also

 

[Lons]

Striplights like these http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00119419/ are great for cupboards, only a few mm thick and low voltage - have a transformer built into the mains plug. Loads of designs that would go over a bed. I suggest you look in B&Q, Ikea et al for inspiration and don't forget that in most cases you can substitute bulbs for normal fittings.

I have a couple of 3 light fittings in my den / office which had 50 watt GU10 bulbs total 300 watts. I swapped them about 12 months ago for 5 watt leds, at least as bright but only 10% of the previous power usage. Leds have evolved a lot in the last year or so and prices are dropping like a stone.

Bob

 

[petertheeater]

Try 'loox' from hafele (online) you can choose mains or socket. They also come with the drivers and a number of interesting switch options. All very easy to install as its pick and mix. I've used them a few times and found them excellent.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I'm trying to work something out at the moment - can I fit 12v lamps into 230v fittings (not powered by 230v, obviously)?

 

[cornishjoinery]

I don't think what I want exists. :lol: I have had alook at hafele but with no luck. I cant understand why they don't produce an led light, with a mains 3 pin plug with a normal switch on (not a bloody iPhone, touch, airless swtich!) there must be a reason.

 

[mseries]

You mean an inline torpedo switch like traditional beside lamps ? Can you not just fit one then fit the three pin plug ? What am I missing here ?

 

[Eric The Viking]

I bought some LED units from Ikea recently, to experiment with. Some strip lights:"dioder", and a "work" light, "Jansjo", which is a single LED on a goosneck fitting with a heavy base. Both would be easily adapted for all sorts of purposes (what I intend) and weren't expensive.

Why Ikea? Cheap, and easy to get. Cheap enough to have a set as spare if I do use them, too. Ikea quality is variable (I find, YMMV), but these seem good enough for the job.

LED lights use very small amounts of power usually (but then they're not usually very bright either). What this means is that you can probably leave the mains power supply on all the time, and just swich the low voltage wires to the LED itself. In fact, both the ones I bought have exactly that sort of switch.

The polarity of the power cable from the 'wall-wart' to the actual LED matters. Unlike ordinary light bulbs and CFL bulbs, LEDs actually use DC*, so you'll find the plugs can't be reversed - the Ikea ones seem to use a blade and pin design for this reason. As long as you keep the polarity correct (be careful with this), you can extend the cables to the wall adaptor, or shorten them as necessary.

You can also power the actual LEDs from another source of DC, such as a battery, as long as you use roughly the right voltage. This will almost always invalidate the warranty, but hey, it's a LED with two wires and a switch!

The Jansjo one, incidentally would be dead handy as a work light (with a bit of modification). If it's no good for the wardrobes, the one I got will probably find a home on the bandsaw or something...

E.

*They will work on AC, sort-of (LOW voltage, not mains!), but they only come on for half the time, and flicker at 50Hz. Most people find this more annoying than fluorescent tubes because fluorescents flicker at twice the mains frequency (i.e. at 100Hz), and the way they are constructed tends to mimise the effect too, whereas it's very obvious with LEDs. LEDs can't be usefully dimmed either, without a complex circuit.

 

[cornishjoinery]

This is for a customer so don't want to be cutting and joining wires lol

 

[Eric The Viking]

I don't see why not.

If it's done badly, that's one thing, but if done well there shouldn't be a problem.

Anyway, if you want to pass wires through small holes, as you well might when putting LED strips into furniture, it's quite unavoidable. I have a niggling feeling that the Ikea stuff uses DIN loudspeaker connectors, in which case solderable versions should be available from Maplins or eBay, and they're relatively easy to do neatly. I've never used those DIN things in anger as they were rubbish for loudspeakers. I probably have one in an oddments box somewhere though. If I can find it I'll check and report back - would be handy if true.

It's extremely easy to be neat anyway, using heatshrink sleeving. You can even get a type that has a melt-able plastic lining that oozes into the gaps after it shrinks, making the joint watertight. Done properly, it's just a slight, neat bulge in the cable, about two inches long (if I'm doing one!), and as strong as the original.

 

[Lons]

LED lights use very small amounts of power usually (but then they're not usually very bright either). What this means is that you can probably leave the mains power supply on all the time, and just swich the low voltage wires to the LED itself. In fact, both the ones I bought have exactly that sort of switch.

The polarity of the power cable from the 'wall-wart' to the actual LED matters. Unlike ordinary light bulbs and CFL bulbs, LEDs actually use DC*, so you'll find the plugs can't be reversed - the Ikea ones seem to use a blade and pin design for this reason. As long as you keep the polarity correct (be careful with this), you can extend the cables to the wall adaptor, or shorten them as necessary.

*They will work on AC, sort-of (LOW voltage, not mains!), but they only come on for half the time, and flicker at 50Hz. Most people find this more annoying than fluorescent tubes because fluorescents flicker at twice the mains frequency (i.e. at 100Hz), and the way they are constructed tends to mimise the effect too, whereas it's very obvious with LEDs. LEDs can't be usefully dimmed either, without a complex circuit.

I understand what you're saying in the context of what you've bought Eric but it might be a bit confusing if taken as a generalisation or out of context.

There a multitude of mains voltage LED bulb available which are at least as bright as the standard bulbs they replace. My 5 watt, 3rd generation GU10 bulbs are very bright indeed and can't be polarity sensitive as you can insert them just as you would any bulb. i.e. turn them 180 deg and put them in again. LEDs have evolved rapidly in the last couple of years.
I also have several 12 volt fittings that are very bright. No warm up times like the old energy savers and I've not noticed flickering of any kind.

cheers
Bob

 

[Eric The Viking]

LED lights use very small amounts of power usually (but then they're not usually very bright either). What this means is that you can probably leave the mains power supply on all the time, and just swich the low voltage wires to the LED itself. In fact, both the ones I bought have exactly that sort of switch.

The polarity of the power cable from the 'wall-wart' to the actual LED matters. Unlike ordinary light bulbs and CFL bulbs, LEDs actually use DC*, so you'll find the plugs can't be reversed - the Ikea ones seem to use a blade and pin design for this reason. As long as you keep the polarity correct (be careful with this), you can extend the cables to the wall adaptor, or shorten them as necessary.

*They will work on AC, sort-of (LOW voltage, not mains!), but they only come on for half the time, and flicker at 50Hz. Most people find this more annoying than fluorescent tubes because fluorescents flicker at twice the mains frequency (i.e. at 100Hz), and the way they are constructed tends to mimise the effect too, whereas it's very obvious with LEDs. LEDs can't be usefully dimmed either, without a complex circuit.

I understand what you're saying in the context of what you've bought Eric but it might be a bit confusing if taken as a generalisation or out of context.

There a multitude of mains voltage LED bulb available which are at least as bright as the standard bulbs they replace. My 5 watt, 3rd generation GU10 bulbs are very bright indeed and can't be polarity sensitive as you can insert them just as you would any bulb. i.e. turn them 180 deg and put them in again. LEDs have evolved rapidly in the last couple of years.
I also have several 12 volt fittings that are very bright. No warm up times like the old energy savers and I've not noticed flickering of any kind.

cheers
Bob

The mains ones only come in standard packages (for safety at least, I'd guess), and have driver circuitry included. I'm not sure how the DC is derived, but they should flicker at 100 Hz minimum, if at all.

I've got a 12V LED unit failing in the downstairs loo at the moment. It's a LED cluster, and a group of individual LEDs are flickering at probably 50 HZ, whilst the others are steady. I haven't worked out how it's wired.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've one of the cheap three spot light (non replaceable) LED clusters from Lidl over my lathe. The light is brilliant, but they do make the lathe "strobe" - which I thought only fluorescents did.

 

[Lons]

I've one of the cheap three spot light (non replaceable) LED clusters from Lidl over my lathe. The light is brilliant, but they do make the lathe "strobe" - which I thought only fluorescents did.

That's interesting Phil, I have a couple of cheap Ikea ones above and behind mine and never noticed any strobing effect, maybe I need to go to Specsavers. :lol:

Eric
How old is your failing LED. They are reported to have a long life and maybe it's just old technology?

Bob

 

[Eric The Viking]

News just in from the downstairs loo...

... the bulb in question now has a dark patch in the middle, where about four or five individual LEDs are off. I did count them (sad or wot?) and there are 28 altogether. Anyway it's stopped flickering now :-(.

My guess is a component has failed on the circuit board. The individual LEDs are all in a 4mm package, common in panel indicator applications, rather than the modern ones for lighting applications.

IIRC, a white LED has a forward voltage of around 3V, so it makes sense that they're in clusters of four. I have one that got broken (electronics OK), which I'll properly dismantle one day...

 

[Bod]

I'm trying to work something out at the moment - can I fit 12v lamps into 230v fittings (not powered by 230v, obviously)?

Yes

http://www.bedazzled.uk.com/ Look at this site, they supply the inland waterway boats.
If you are doing 12v lights, run from an engine, & battery set up the voltage varies from maybe 11v (engine off, flat battery) to 14.5v engine running, some cheap 12v LEDs can't take this variation.
Usual disclaimers, no connection with Bedazzled, other than a satisfied narrow boat customer.

Bod