LED lights failing

[JohnW2]

I suppose it depends upon how one interprets "a short time" and upon when the capacitor was installed (clearly at some time after Monday morning of this week).

 

[Simon35]

Fitted Tuesday afternoon, lights have survived since then.

 

[JohnW2]

Fitted Tuesday afternoon, lights have survived since then.

Thanks. So does that mean that they were failing earlier than that in the pre-capacitor days?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Simon35]

Thanks. So does that mean that they were failing earlier than that in the pre-capacitor days?

Kind Regards, John

Yep. Almost immediately on powering on.

 

[bernardgreen]

Was the switching on the secondary (230 v ) side on on the primary side. ?

Is it a wound transformer or is it an "electronic transformer" ? The fact that a capacitor across the secondary seems to cure the problem strongly suggests that the out put from the "transformer" is not a clean AC 50Hz waveform as would be expected from a inductive transformer.

 

[JohnW2]

Is it a wound transformer or is it an "electronic transformer" ? The fact that a capacitor across the secondary seems to cure the problem strongly suggests that the out put from the "transformer" is not a clean AC 50Hz waveform as would be expected from a inductive transformer.

Kind Regards, John

 

[bernardgreen]

My error, I missed that.

 

[JohnW2]

My error, I missed that.

I suppose that, more correctly, you forgot it ( ) - since, soon after Simon posted that, you responded with ...

Care is needed when using transformers with multiple taps on the windings to supply equipment that does not have good ( if any ) filtering on its mains supply. If the end taps are not used then the end portion of the winding is an un-terminated ( unloaded ) auto-tranformer coil....

It remains to speculate about what the capacitor is 'suppressing'.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Simon35]

Was the switching on the secondary (230 v ) side on on the primary side. ?

Is it a wound transformer or is it an "electronic transformer" ? The fact that a capacitor across the secondary seems to cure the problem strongly suggests that the out put from the "transformer" is not a clean AC 50Hz waveform as would be expected from a inductive transformer.

Yes, switching on secondary side. A wound transformer.

When I spoke to the transformer manufacturer, they said that at the flux densities they design to, there shouldn't be any harmonics generated by the transformer core. Transformer design is not my specialist subject by a long chalk, so I took them at face value.

 

[JohnW2]

When I spoke to the transformer manufacturer, they said that at the flux densities they design to, there shouldn't be any harmonics generated by the transformer core. Transformer design is not my specialist subject by a long chalk, so I took them at face value.

If you have not done so already (which I presume you probably have, not the lest about warranties!), I would think that there is a very good case for 'having words' with the manufacturer of the LED fittings. It seems definitely wrong that they are producing and selling products which fail very quickly when fed 'in good faith' with the correct voltage from what sounds like a perfectly reasonable/appropriate wire-wound transformer.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Simon35]

Happily for me, I procured the lights and transformer as a package from a single supplier so they have replaced the failed fittings at their cost.

 

[JohnW2]

Happily for me, I procured the lights and transformer as a package from a single supplier so they have replaced the failed fittings at their cost.

That's good, but I think my point remains - that it would probably be appropriate to talk to the manufacturer about the fact that they appear to be selling lights which die rapidly when fed with the right voltage from what sounds like a perfectly reasonable/appropriate wire-wound transformer. If capacitors are needed in such a situation, should they not be in the lighting units?

Kind Regards, John

 

[SUNRAY]

Does this transformer have a weld both sides across the laminations?

 

[Tommyplug]

Sunray got it in one, control transformers are optimise for control work and shoudnt be used for other purpuses.

 

[Simon35]

Sunray got it in one, control transformers are optimise for control work and shoudnt be used for other purpuses.

Ok. The manufacturer of the transformer was perfectly happy with its use in this application.

I'm not a transformer expert. What would a weld across the lamination do.