+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: LED bulbs

  1. #1
    Join Date: Feb 2010

    Location: Moved to frozen north, beyond Inverness

    Posts: 2,602
    I'm Dave.

    Default LED bulbs

    Really bummed off about LED lights. Bought a batch recently, and they all flicker. Had a similar set not too long ago which were good - though in fairness they may have been mixed in with other lights. I suspect that the problem is that the wiring includes a transformer for halogen lights, which are effectively no longer obtainable.

    I have seen this problem twice recently. In one case the light ensemble would be a pain to rejig - very much a bespoke unit. If my suspicion about the transformer is correct, then to get that to work with the new lights the unit [heavy and large suspended from beams in the ceiling] would really have to be lowered to fit a different transformer, then the whole thing put back up again with new LED lights. In the other case, which is a complete light fitting with three lights, probably containing its own transformer, but wired directly into the 230/240V lighting cirguit in the ceiling, my hunch is that the light unit itself needs to be discarded and replaced with something similar.

    Maybe this is the price of progress, but the LED lights bought from Amazon were sold as "halogen replacements" - MR16 - clearly not quite. Mixing these in with similar MR16 LEDs - but with a yellower light in one case reduces/eliminates the flicker, but then the light is not quite so good. Not sure about the integrated light fitting with just three lights.

    Could probably get money back from Amazon - but it's a pain anyway. We just want the lights to work!
    Dave

  2. #2
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    yup even if they are halogen erplacement types that work with a tx, they often are still not perfect and flicker.. its to do with thresholds.. best replace them if you cant pick up some halogen ones.. you sometimes see them
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  3. #3
    Join Date: May 2012

    Location: Toulouse, France

    Posts: 6,562
    I'm Kevin.

    Default

    I have replaced halogens with LEDs in my bathroom, and they do not flicker.
    They have been in there for a few years now. LightingEver (LE) brand. They work for me.
    Kevin

    Too busy enjoying the music....

    European loan coordinator for Graham Slee HiFi system components..

  4. #4
    Join Date: Feb 2010

    Location: Moved to frozen north, beyond Inverness

    Posts: 2,602
    I'm Dave.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by CageyH View Post
    I have replaced halogens with LEDs in my bathroom, and they do not flicker.
    They have been in there for a few years now. LightingEver (LE) brand. They work for me.
    The previous set - same make from Amazon - were OK. Had two batches (one of same make, one of different make) which do flicker.

    One decision is whether to ask for a refund or complete replacement, or just accept that some work - but it's not good.

    I don't particularly like halogen ones - they get too hot, and can cause problems with the fittings, but they don't usually flicker.
    The ones I particularly want are the bright very white ones - but I suspect that having more than three at once on the same transformer causes the problem.

    In one case the flickr is not pleasant but manageable. In the other [the 3 bulb fitting] case the flicker is intolerable.
    Dave

  5. #5
    Join Date: May 2016

    Location: Notts

    Posts: 2,741
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    Last year I bought some LED bulbs on Amazon. They are 12w Cool White but equivalent to 100w conventional bulb. They do not require any warm up time and are at full brightness on switch on. No flicker of any sort and really bright. I have one in my home office with a Chinese style paper lampshade. Really, really bright and only 12w.

  6. #6
    Join Date: Oct 2012

    Location: The Black Country

    Posts: 6,089
    I'm Alan.

    Default

    It could be that your fitting/transformer is an electronic transformer.
    These have minimum power levels as well as maximum to work properly.

    Substituting all LED could put you under the minimum level. You could try fitting one halogen with the others LED, if you have one.
    I love Hendrix for so many reasons. He was so much more than just a blues guitarist - he played damn well any kind of guitar he wanted. In fact I'm not sure if he even played the guitar - he played music. - Stevie Ray Vaughan

  7. #7
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,846
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

    Default

    All the lights in my house are now LED types, with I presume a built-in transformer (they are quite heavy). Some of them were bought from a supermarket, and I found that with a couple of them, a short time after switching on would drop in brightness. All that did so were made in China. It was very annoying

    So I bought a dozen or so new LED bulbs from Amazon (probably still made in China), and all behave themselves: instant start, no flicker, and no change in brightness. They are all "100W" but actually consume 15W.
    Barry

  8. #8
    Join Date: Feb 2010

    Location: Moved to frozen north, beyond Inverness

    Posts: 2,602
    I'm Dave.

    Default

    I notice that Amazon have some LED lights similar to the ones I bought, but dimmable. I wonder if they might work any better - though I'm not at all sure. I also had some dimmable LED lights recently which I wanted for a bedside lamp which has a touch dimmer. Those worked OK at full power, but when dimmed they made a noise - so not really good for a bedroom. I had a refund for those. The incandescant bulb has gone back in!
    Dave

  9. #9
    Join Date: May 2016

    Location: Notts

    Posts: 2,741
    I'm Geoff.


+ Reply to Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •