Dangerous Chinese LED Par cans!

[eveares]

The other day, I was after some DMX controlled LED par cans.

But did not want to spend to much and saw two 18w DMX controled RGB LED Par cans on ebay for £30.

For some reason, the price, lack of brand and many duplicate items from other sellers did not trigger any alarm bells for me, and I went ahead and bought them. (The item location was listed in the UK, the seller based in Hong kong.)

Anyway, while I knew outright I was not getting a known brand like KAM, ADJ, Chauvet, etc...; I was not expecting the items to be so Bl**dy dangerous!

Also the red LED's fail on both units within the first hour of use!


I shall now let the photos speak for themselves.

The Front of the LED Par can:

Untitled

• eveares
• 8 Mar 2015
• 1

0.75mm² right?:

Untitled

• eveares
• 8 Mar 2015
• 1

Definitely Not!:

Untitled

• eveares
• 8 Mar 2015
• 1

Another one of them unfused weird Chinese UK compatible plugs with half the earth pin insulated:

Untitled

• eveares
• 8 Mar 2015
• 1

That earth pin appears to be not solid brass:

Untitled

• eveares
• 8 Mar 2015
• 1

The back of the unit, spot anything dangerous:

Untitled

• eveares
• 8 Mar 2015
• 1

Have a closer look:

Untitled

• eveares
• 8 Mar 2015
• 1

Blue as Line/Live and Brown as Neutral!? (Yes, the blue wire does go the line/live pin on the plug):

Untitled

• eveares
• 8 Mar 2015
• 1

A general view inside the unit:

Untitled

• eveares
• 8 Mar 2015
• 1

The front of the mains PCB:

Untitled

• eveares
• 8 Mar 2015
• 1

The back of the mains PCB:

Untitled

• eveares
• 8 Mar 2015
• 1

In essence, Don't buy these sorts of unbranded products of ebay, and always buy from a UK/European based seller.

I should have just got the real deal, and not these cheap Chinese knock off's!

£30 wasted,

Regards: Elliott

 

[RF Lighting]

I nearly bought a few of these just the other week. Glad I saw sense in the end they look like utter tat

I bought some branded LED battens instead and they are brilliant.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

If your giving £30.00 away, I have a paypal account, you can send money to!
I a sure you it will not be a complete waste of money, I will enjoy it very much.

 

[Nozzle]

So... why is it £30 wasted, does it work? You can cut off that cable and re-solder a compliant lead and plug, and make safe the vent hole which has the PCB behind it. They have cut plenty of corners, you can undo that.

Nozzle

 

[ericmark]

I bought some battery chargers for my camera batteries I know they don't comply with regulations so I use them were no one else can touch them not a problem.

It's just a case of using common sense I would not give the chargers to my grandchildren to use but for me no problem.

 

[Aragorn84]

So... why is it £30 wasted, does it work? You can cut off that cable and re-solder a compliant lead and plug, and make safe the vent hole which has the PCB behind it. They have cut plenty of corners, you can undo that.

Nozzle

He said the LED's popped within hours!

 

[flameport]

I bought some battery chargers for my camera batteries I know they don't comply with regulations so I use them were no one else can touch them not a problem

Not a problem - until they overheat and cause a fire.

 

[bernardgreen]

I bought some battery chargers for my camera batteries I know they don't comply with regulations so I use them were no one else can touch them not a problem

If the charger fails and as a result over charges the batteries then the batteries may leak corrosive materials or explode.

If the battery is in the appliance when it leaks or explodes then the appliance may be damage beyond repair.

 

[Nozzle]

He said the LED's popped within hours!

ooops!

Noz

 

[ban-all-sheds]

eveares - please don't feel upset or hard done by. Your experience with this product is vital to our economy and the free and democratic society we enjoy.

Nothing must be done to put any obstacles in the way of Amazon making more money on which to not pay the taxes that might be used to fund government agencies which might make it harder for them to make money by facilitating the sale of lethal electrical goods.

You should feel proud to be a contributor.

 

[eveares]

If your giving £30.00 away

LOL, like I want to spend another £30.

So... why is it £30 wasted, does it work?

Yes they work, but are dangerous to use in their current state and I can not be bothered fixing all the issues on them including the dead red LED's. Also don't trust the mains PCB's, certainly don't want them catching on fire when I lend them to people for party's, etc...


Also, one of the plastic bezels on the front has cracked, the fans are noisy, and are awful at red and green colour mixing (hence yellow)

eveares - please don't feel upset or hard done by.

I don't, just wish had not bought them now and saved my £30.

On the positive, I have 2 x 12v DMX controlled RGB boards to play with and make something out of. [/quote]

 

[phatboy]

eBay will get you your money back!

 

[JohnW2]

... I can not be bothered fixing all the issues on them including the dead red LED's. Also don't trust the mains PCB's, certainly don't want them catching on fire when I lend them to people for party's, etc..... just wish had not bought them now and saved my £30.

As phatboy has said, without even having to argue about all the dangerous/illegal aspects, the mere fact that the red LEDs failed almost immediately (are you sure that it was actually the LEDs - seems a bit of a 'coincidence' if there are several of them - is it not more likely that whatever is driving the red LEDs failed?) is probably enough for eBay (or whoever) to be prepared/able to help you to get your money back?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Aragorn84]

I suspect the issue is that eBay requires the buyer to stump up costs for returning the item, and in exchange will provide a full refund including the original shipping costs, once the seller has confirmed its return.

This means the OP will have to spend £many in postage to send the item back to china, and also runs the risk that the seller will turn round and say "its never arrived" requiring fully tracked international postage. Furthermore, the OP has clearly dismantled the item.

Now ofcourse the seller could elect to provide the refund anyway, however the reality is that these sellers want to make it as difficult as possible to maximise their profits.

 

[JohnW2]

This means the OP will have to spend £many in postage to send the item back to china, and also runs the risk that the seller will turn round and say "its never arrived" requiring fully tracked international postage. Furthermore, the OP has clearly dismantled the item.

I agree with some of those issues, but ...

(The item location was listed in the UK, the seller based in Hong kong.)

Whether the listing was telling the truth or not, presumably the buyer would only have to return the item to where the seller claimed it was 'located' and despatched from?

Kind Regards, John