LED lights on lighting circuit

[mellie_man]

HI
I am looking at LED lighting for under cabinets. Alot of them seem to be individually switched and supplied with a plug. I want the lights to be operated from a wall switch with the main lights can this power supply be wired into mains lighting circuit.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12vDC-WATERPR...=item260375192709&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262.


Do LED lights have differnt loading rules as per halogen and tungsten

 

[ericmark]

The LED has a threshold voltage and current limit the voltage is normally around 1.2 volt and current around 30ma to run off 12 volt with require a current limiting resistor so 10.8v / 0.03A = 360 ohms this is a lot of messing about so most people buy LED arrays where a group of LED's are encapsulated together these are available in a range of voltages 6, 12, 36 and even 230vac one has to be careful as some need a very steady supply where as others can be used in caravans and boats and will work with 11.5 to 14.8 volt supply. They also come in many colours and even changing colours and with spot light version assorts of angles for the beam.

I tried a GU10 LED and Cold Cathode lamp in the bedroom as reading lamps. The Cold Cathode worked well but the LED was too dim to read by.

However my web cam has inferred LED lamp at the front which will light about 3 meters in front of the camera and works well.

I am sure the 11W disco lamp works well

and at £60 it should odd it does not give voltage in Maplin web site I will guess 230vac

But there are so many types of LED

that really you do need to give a little more information as to what you want to do?

 

[bernardgreen]

The actual LED element must be fed with DC in the correct polarity via a current limiting resistance. Applying a DC voltage of the incorrect polarity will damage the LED element even at low voltages. For som types of LED the damage is instant and total. For others the damage is small but will affect the efficiency and /or life time of the LED.

Most packaged LEDs have the necessary protection built in as part of the package but not all do.

 

[plugwash]

If the set of lights come with a conventional plug and not a wall wart you can cut the plug off and wire them into the lighting circuit (via a FCU if you are paranoid but IMO a B6 MCB is good enough protection). If they have a wall wart it will have to be plugged in and this is where life gets a little tricky. Putting 13A sockets on the lighting circuit is frowned upon (though afaict it does not actually violate regs and provided the socket is in a location where it is unlikely to be used for anything else and clearly labeled I don't see a huge issue with it) because if someone plugs in a large appliance it's breaker trip time.

Since afaict there is little if anything in the way of standardisation for LED power supplies I strongly reccomend getting the lights and the power supply as a kit from the same vendor.

 

[ColJack]

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Lighting_Menu_Index/LED_Strips/index.html

plug together LED strips, sticky backed, corners, tees, drivers, links...