Swap spotlights

[Frank1990]

Hi,
Hopefully very straightforward but want to check....
Got old halogen spotlights all over the house and they are wires up to take the pointed needle type spotlights. I want to replace for led. Can I just straight swap the cabling into the plastic box and fit a twisty bayonet LED spotlight in?
Thanks

 

[opps]

I assume that your existing halogen bulbs are 12v.

If you want to use 230v GU10 LED bulbs you will need to pull the transformer out and remove it.

If you don't want to remove the transformers, you will need a low voltage GU10 bulb.

GU10 21 LED Spotlight style bulb for GU10 fittings on low voltage lighting

GU10 21 LED Spotlight style bulb for domestic GU10 fittings on low voltage lighting as found on boats and caravans battery systems.

bedazzledledlighting.co.uk

You can however get LED bulbs that will work with your existing fittings.

LED 12V MR11

LED 12V MR11

www.ledlightbulbs.co.uk

 

[Rodders53]

Can I just straight swap the cabling into the plastic box and fit a twisty bayonet LED spotlight in?

NO as they are 12V ac halogens fed from (centralised?) transformer(s). MR16 bases - 16mm between the pins or maybe MR11 (11 mm spacing), although less likely imho.
MR16 lamps are usually 50mm diameter overall. MR11 35mm diameter.

GU10 (twisty bayonet, your describe) are 240 V ac and they will not work at all. (You'd need to rewire completely to go down that route).

2-pin, AC 12V led are the ones to try. NOT DC 12V! It's not easy to tell / find in the specs and DC ones may work initially but can damage the ac transformer long term.

You may also have problems if the load on the transformer is too low with leds (@ say 3-4 Watts each, cf 50 Watt halogens). You can get flicker and other issues. Then you'd need to replace the transformer as well.

Colour temperature choice: 2700 K / 3000 K is same as halogen aka warm white. 4000K is 'colder' and 6500K is aka daylight (cloudy, north light).

Beam angle choice: wide or narrow spot may also come into the selection.

 

[opps]

NO as they are 12V ac halogens fed from (centralised?) transformer(s). MR16 bases - 16mm between the pins or maybe MR11 (11 mm spacing), although less likely imho.
MR16 lamps are usually 50mm diameter overall. MR11 35mm diameter.

My bad, I mixed up my MR16s and M11s

 

[EFLImpudence]

MR16 bases - 16mm between the pins or maybe MR11 (11 mm spacing), although less likely imho.
MR16 lamps are usually 50mm diameter overall. MR11 35mm diameter.

MR16 & MR11 are the diameters of the lamps in eighths of an inch.

The straight pins are GU5.3 and the twisty ones GU10 - the distance in mm. between the pins.

 

[Murdochcat]

Swap them for GU 10 fittings is my advice. Then you’ll only have a bulb to go wrong rather than a bulb or a lv cable or a transformer

 

[Rodders53]

MR16 & MR11 are the diameters of the lamps in eighths of an inch.

The straight pins are GU5.3 and the twisty ones GU10 - the distance in mm. between the pins.

OOPS Many thanks for the correction. Waning powers was why I got made redundant

 

[opps]

I forgot to add that if you do remove the transformers, you will need a chocbox for the connections given that they will be mains rated.