Led spot bulbs

[trevorbayliss]

Someone mentioned to me the other day i need to change my spots in the bathroom to be led ones. I just have some standard ip44 rated spots above the bath from screw fix and are about 5 yrs old.

Can i just buy new led bulbs for these spots or do i need whole new units ?

 

[ericmark]

Spot light normally means a MR16 lamp, these are made with GU5.3, GU10, E14 and E27 holders the former is normally 12 volt AC. With 230 vac it is normally a simple job of replacing the lamp. With the 12 volt version it gets more complex.

So with 12 volt lamps you can have either a transformer or an electronic transformer the latter is not really a transformer but a regulated 12 vac power supply. With electronic transformers they are often rated 20 ~ 105 watt or similar and it is the minimum of 20W which causes the problem. The real transformer and even some electronic transformers will go down to zero watts so will work with some LED lamps. But those with a 20W minimum normally will not work LED's due to LED being too small.

Not all 12 volt LED's are AC although often they have a rectifier to allow connection either way around, also not all LED's will stand the spikes given out with a switch mode regulated AC power supply. So safe way is either to go to DC or to go to 230 vac. The latter is likely best idea. All LED's have to have some current limiter often build into the lamp called a driver. But it seems any power supply designed for LED lamps is called a driver be it controlling current or voltage so one has to be very careful to get a 12 vdc power supply not a 3 ~ 12 vdc power supply so easiest is to go for 230 vac.

 

[trevorbayliss]

I have bought some mr16 - 5w bulbs and just swapped them over. All seems ok.

 

[ericmark]

As I said MR16 means multifaceted reflector 16/8" diameter which encompasses many bulbs, I assume you have a 12 volt GU5.3 base bulb which will be powered from a power supply normally AC which could be a simple transformer, or a complex electronic transformer and the latter may or may not work with low output.

I fitted 4 LED lamps 12 volt to my real transformer and they worked for around 3 months. But my 230 vac LED's have been running for a couple of years not one has failed.

 

[trevorbayliss]

Think the lights have a simple transformer.