AC Powered LED Circuits

[Jim Rojas]

I am interested in making my own AC powered LED lighting.

I have replaced all my incandescents with the Home Depot style compact
flourescents. I was surprised on how short lived they all are. I am tired of
going back and forth to replace them (free exchange).

I am also looking for a 3 way lamp LED lighting diagrams for all my table
lamps. I would like the same 30-60-100 watt lighting output as the compact
flourescents

Thank you

Jim Rojas

 

[Ian Stirling]

I am interested in making my own AC powered LED lighting.

I have replaced all my incandescents with the Home Depot style compact
flourescents. I was surprised on how short lived they all are. I am tired of
going back and forth to replace them (free exchange).

I am also looking for a 3 way lamp LED lighting diagrams for all my table
lamps. I would like the same 30-60-100 watt lighting output as the compact
flourescents

You are willing to spend $500 or so on a 100W lighting output fixture?

 

[Anders F]

I am interested in making my own AC powered LED lighting.

I have replaced all my incandescents with the Home Depot style compact
flourescents. I was surprised on how short lived they all are. I am tired of
going back and forth to replace them (free exchange).

I am also looking for a 3 way lamp LED lighting diagrams for all my table
lamps. I would like the same 30-60-100 watt lighting output as the compact
flourescents

I think you'll end up with the conclusion it's a "no-go".
Flourecents are currently /more/ effective than LED (assuming you want
"white" light). Premium LEDs are around 5W so you'll need more than 20 of
those (expensive) babies to acheive 100W.
May I suggest trying a new brand of flourecents? Possibly go for a
electronic HF solution - they will usually exhibit very long "tube" life...

Rgds,
Anders

 

[Walter Harley]

I am interested in making my own AC powered LED lighting.

I have replaced all my incandescents with the Home Depot style compact
flourescents. I was surprised on how short lived they all are. I am tired
of
going back and forth to replace them (free exchange).

I am also looking for a 3 way lamp LED lighting diagrams for all my table
lamps. I would like the same 30-60-100 watt lighting output as the compact
flourescents

If LED lighting were cost-effective, they'd have it at Home Depot...

I share your frustration with CF lamps. But something to be aware of is
that some of the CF lamps were intended to only be mounted with the base
pointed downward, like in a floor lamp; if you mount them in an overhead
fixture or in a table fixture where the bulbs are sideways, they won't last
as long. At least for a while, the lamps tended to be explicitly marked (on
the packaging) if they were able to be used in all positions, or in the fine
print (inside the packaging) if not. Don't know if that's still the case.

 

[Guy Macon]

I have replaced all my incandescents with the Home Depot style compact
flourescents. I was surprised on how short lived they all are. I am tired of
going back and forth to replace them (free exchange).

The life of a flourescent lamp is mostly determined by number of starts.
turn them on at dusk and off when you go to bed instead of turning them
off whenever you leave the room.

 

[Jim Rojas]

In some of my 3 way flourescents, they aren't lasting anymore than 3 weeks
before they start blowing out.

Jim Rojas

 

[Ben Bradley]

In some of my 3 way flourescents, they aren't lasting anymore than 3 weeks
before they start blowing out.

Could there be something else wrong? Might your line voltage be
higher than normal, or perhaps it spikes up when the washer or dryer
are turned on (because their motors are on the other 120V phase)? This
might shorten the life of incandescents as well (perhaps even more
so), but it's another thing to check into.

 

[Don]

I had found out that it is also the builder of them some are allot better
than others as QC sucks on some. I have three CFL that are 3 years old/ 35
watts in eq to 150 wattbulb , and still going strong , then I have others
thay only lasted for two weeks, and some from LOA that did not last.
Nowdays there should be lamp fictures made for the new CFL that would allow
the heat out. I have seen some people put them in a encloced ficture and
complain that they lasted only for a few days, NO wonder.

 

[Nitro]

I have been looking for similar lighting or a DIY ckt.

I did fine this site with some standard 120V lighting options.

Directional:
http://www.ledtronics.com/ds/dec-r20/
3D lighting " Direct Incandescent Replacement -- Up to 90% Energy Savings":
http://www.ledtronics.com/ds/TRF-A19/

http://www.ledtronics.com/datasheets/25mm_medbase_index/25mm_med_index.htm

A bit pricy? (although I don't know if I could buy 75 white LEDs for this
price.) the 3D light is:
$132.00, White, 120VAC, 3.60W, 75 Elements, 450 Iv (cd).

Don't know the output (in cd) of a 100W incandescent so I have not made the
comparison.

Bart

(Standard disclaimer, I have not connection with this site, Just found it
in a search)

 

[Ian Stirling]

I have been looking for similar lighting or a DIY ckt.

I did fine this site with some standard 120V lighting options.

Directional:
http://www.ledtronics.com/ds/dec-r20/
3D lighting " Direct Incandescent Replacement -- Up to 90% Energy Savings":
http://www.ledtronics.com/ds/TRF-A19/

http://www.ledtronics.com/datasheets/25mm_medbase_index/25mm_med_index.htm

A bit pricy? (although I don't know if I could buy 75 white LEDs for this
price.) the 3D light is:
$132.00, White, 120VAC, 3.60W, 75 Elements, 450 Iv (cd).

Don't know the output (in cd) of a 100W incandescent so I have not made the
comparison.

100W incandescant produces on the order of 1400 lumens.
A cd is a lumen per steradian, a unit of brightness, rather than amount
of total light produced.

In order to produce a beam of 450 cd, a 100W incandescent would need
a reflector fitted to produce a beam of around 100 degrees or so.

What's the beamwidth of the LED light?
Most white LEDs are about the same efficiency as incandescent bulbs.
The very best are about 1.5-2* as good.

 

[Pooh Bear]

I am interested in making my own AC powered LED lighting.

I have replaced all my incandescents with the Home Depot style compact
flourescents. I was surprised on how short lived they all are. I am tired of
going back and forth to replace them (free exchange).

I've been using compact flourescents here in the UK for up to 10 yrs maybe.

Unlike your experience I have found them to be astonishingly long lived - way
beyond the suggested 10,000 hrs. In fact sometimes they need replacing because
they finally become dim rather than not work.

I've noticed recently that cheap CFs seem to have a shorter advertised lifetime.

Suggest that you change brand - esp from a store own brand. I've had good
results with Philips and Osram ( possibly not available in the US though ) but
Philips also now make cheap ones too, so look for the fine print.


Graham

p.s. just checked an Osram I have as a spare - it says 15,000 hrs life on the
box.

All of the CFs I've used have 'electronic ballasts' btw.

 

[Pooh Bear]

In some of my 3 way flourescents, they aren't lasting anymore than 3 weeks
before they start blowing out.

There is something deeply wrong there.

Bad batch at your Home Depot ?

What's a '3 way flourescent btw' ? Term not known in the UK.


Graham

 

[John Woodgate]

I read in sci.electronics.design that Pooh Bear <rabbitsfriendsandrelati

Excuse me hi-jacking, PB, but Jim's post didn't appear.

You can shorten the life of a CFL very greatly by allowing the
electronics in the end cap to get too hot, especially the filter
capacitor, even if it's a 105 C rated part. Some fittings (luminaires)
that are OK for incandescent lamps cause this overheating of CFLs.

 

[Jim Rojas]

3 Way is as follows:

Off, 30 watt, 60 watt, 90 watt, Off

Off
Turn the lamp on once: 30 watt
Turn it on again: 60 watt
Turn it on again: 90 watt
Off

Jim Rojas