I see that Philips now have a standard fitting LED light bulb on the market, the one I've linked to is the equivalent of a 25 watt bulb, if you read the reviews people tend to think its actually brighter than that.
Philips also say that an LED bulb equivalent to 100watt is coming soon.
Philips Econic Standard Shape LED Light Bulb Econic 5Watt BC (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002OEBIN8?ie=UTF8&tag=datahopacom-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002OEBIN8)
B&Q are selling these bulbs and they're cheaper already.
http://www.theukhighstreet.com/Philips-LED-Econic-Standard-Shape-B22-7w-Dimmable_PDBandQ8727900899085
£15 for the 5W standard one and £25 for the 7W dimmable one.
I actually like the yellow tinted light. It's more like an incandessant bulb. I know 5800K is bright white (temp of the surface of the sun) and think I've read somewhere that these LED bulbs are 2700K.
I started out by replacing the bedroom ceiling light with florescent bulbs, I replaced the bulbs with Philips daylight version. The daylight version is a bright white light that makes the incasdesent seem dingy yellow. I later bought the Philips daylight florescent for the kitchen and liked the effect. I've just switched another ceiling fixture in the bedroom to Philips led lights, again the daylight, very pleased with them. Making my switch to LED lighting next is the bathroom.
Carl2
I have dimmable LED lights in my bedroom and find the 4 x 5W way too bright otherwise.
Mine are GU10 spot (https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Lighting_Menu_Index/Lamps_and_Tubes_Index/GU_Led_5w/index.html) type. Check out the spot angle and dimmable features before buying. Mine are 110 degrees.
I've got 2 ball shaped bulbs above the mirror in the bathroom, I'd like to replace them with the Philips Daylight, either florescent or led, just hooked on the bright white light, Philips doesn't make the smaller 18 inch or so tubes but I did see a florescent bulb that may work since it is a daylight.
Carl2
I got two of these at the weekend, they are amazing value, specs say that it's equivalent of a 40w bulb but to my eyes they are more like 60w, and look at the price, really very good 8)
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-5-9W-LED-B22-Mini-Globe-Lamp/p/141664 (http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-5-9W-LED-B22-Mini-Globe-Lamp/p/141664)
I ended up buying a 4 pack of the Philips daylight florescent bulb for the bathroom, cost 10 which I believe is a good value, same white light as the leds but costs less. Can not be used with dimmers, the dimmer makes a buzzing noise but leds can be used with dimmers.
Carl2
Good price :thumbsup:
My LED was about £7 - 9.00 or something like that.
I think I've got a halogen in the kitchen, it's bright and was cheap at Morrisons.
Never got into Halogen, if I remember correctly they get very hot and I stayed away from it. I've got 3 leds for about that price each, them and the florescents are warm to the touch which I feel is safer.
Carl2
Yes Halogen do got hot, I just tested it. I like the white light though.
Freddy,
Sorry but I'm not sure if you are talking about the halogen or the Philips daylight. " I like the white light though."
Carl2
I meant the halogen has a nice white light.
Quote from: Freddy on September 25, 2015, 15:39:41 PM
I meant the halogen has a nice white light.
Yes I would agree with that, those two LED bulbs I got are very similar to halogen light, whiter than warm light, a nice equivalent for less power. Looks very nice in the bathroom. 8)
I originally started with two circular florescent bedroom lights after talking with the salesman, paid a little more but when I tried them out I was so surprised at how much more light there was I stuck with there daylight label. I just hope the store continues to carry that brand for some time.
Carl2
I went back to Wickes to get 4 more of these babies:
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-5-9W-LED-B22-Mini-Globe-Lamp/p/141664 (http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-5-9W-LED-B22-Mini-Globe-Lamp/p/141664)
Want to replace all florescent with LED but they were out of stock, so I drove to the next Wickes, also out of stock, they seem very popular right now.
This is a UK thing.
Data, have you tried TLC/SETS? Newtown Road near the Goldstone Retail Park. They have a catalogue too. Lamps&Tubes (https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Lighting_Menu_Index/Lamps_and_Tubes_Index/index.html)
Thanks for that Snowy, they seem a bit more expensive than Wickes
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/LTGB3BCOP.html (https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/LTGB3BCOP.html)
£5.50 instead of £3.99
I've found them in stock at Wicks Burgess Hill, going to jump in the car and grab 4, it's such a nice day too, the drive will do me good :)
Here is an interesting video, it shows the light spectrum of light bulbs, no surprise really but the LED is the most efficient.
The old incandescent bulb makes a lot of infrared / heat.
Oddly the florescent bulb produces large spikes of colour.
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwp9wAKzRtc#)
The cheap LEDs flicker but the good ones don't, hmmm! I have both. The cheap ones seem to come in warm and cool versions. The good ones seem to be cool only.
Good to see they all don't give off too much blue. This is what keeps you awake at night and is the problem with screens. I do believe the iPhone (a new one anyway) cuts the blue light output depending on time.
That flicker on the cheap one must be being caused by the bulbs built in power supply, probably needs a bigger capacitor, however a larger cap probably wouldn't fit in the casing.
Don't notice any flicker on the cheaper ones I have, maybe they have improved them now.
Bear in mind that at 1,000 fps, the camera is almost completely eliminating what is called "persistence of vision", which is sort of like a capacitor for our eyes (in a sense, at least). We don't see the flicker because of the time it takes the cells in our eyes to adjust to changes in light. if we could "see" at that sort of speed, the flicker would be not only noticeable, but probably seizure-inducing. :)
Thanks for putting that in Dave, I was trying to figure that out.
Carl2
As I've got older my eyes have become more sensitive to light, bright light, light entering the side of my eye and flickering lights can all trigger a migraine. Got the situation under control at home with shades covering up all my bulbs and the monitor/TV on low brightness.
Going into shops is becoming more of a struggle, many are way too bright for me, I end up having to put sunglasses on. Have to be careful.
I remember going through a light sensitive phase in my lifetime, now it's about getting enough light to be able to read fine print.
Carl2
I ran across a small dead flashlight, rather than just trash it I found the battery pack was good but the negative connection did not make contact. It was disassembled and you could apply 4.5 volts and the leds worked. I believe the light coming from the leds is about the same range as what comes out of the Philips Daylight Led bulbs used with 120 v. Since I have 2 lithium battery packs from a camera that died it would be nice to put them together with the leds.
Carl2
From another thread...
I have found some really cool LED fittings (http://www.thelightingsuperstore.co.uk/products/muni-large-led-spherical-pendant-light) but wouldn't consider buying them 'cos they're all non standard. This picture doesn't do this light justice. It looks great up close.
You can get direct replacement LED tubes (http://www.screwfix.com/p/sylvania-led-tube-t8-daylight-850lm-600mm-9-5w/9156j) if you're going to the extent of changing the running gear anyway. The tubes are directional and may not suit every installation.
I have also found light panels (http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Lighting/d220/Commercial+Lights/sd2768/LED+600+x+600+36W+Panel+Light/p74236) but these are more for commercial applications. They fit the square dimensions of a suspended ceiling (600mm x 600mm over here).
I have also seen some cool TV hacks. If you have or find a dead LED backlit TV, you can remove most of the electronics and use it as a light panel.
Snowy, do these LED tubes fit in to the florescent fitting without any alteration, i.e. do you leave the choke, capacitor and starter in there ?
I've seen these LED tubes but did wonder about that.
I believe they do and they come with a dummy starter as they don't need one but the fitting does.
I've not fitted any yet so can't offer any more advice than that.
Sounds like they might be worth a try then, I'm thinking of my Dads place, he has 2 florescent tubes, I've already replaced the rest of his bulbs but now I should be able to get an LED tube too. Good to know :)
I had looked at these Led lighting tubes, it uses a T 8 style which is the thinner tube, the average price seems to be around $19, I had noticed on the packaging that some required wiring and some could just be put in. My fixture takes 4 tubes so that would be about $80, I ended up buying a 8 pack of the T 8 for $29 which is about $4 per tube. I think it will be like the bulb type leds, the price will decrease over time
Carl2
ScrewFix are pretty good on price, check them out and make an account (if you don't have one). They order like Argos.
On their website Q&A for that tube it says this...
Hi, these tubes are designed to be a direct replacement on magnetic ballasts. The tube comes with a 'dummy' starter that is used in place of the old one.
@Snowy I have an old RCA LCD TV (around 45" or so) that I'm planning on doing just that with. The power supply went out on the TV, so it no longer turns on, but I should be able to find a generic power adapter that I can use to make the light panel work. I may mount it on the ceiling above the computer once I get it all working.
Dave,
I'm pretty sure this TV I'm using for a monitor has Tubes in it, I'm pretty sure the newer TV's now use leds for back lighting, you're project sounds interesting let us know how it works.
Carl2
The give away on whether it's fluorescent or LED back lit LCD is how deep the screen is. An inch or less LED, 2 inches or more fluorescent.
This has been on the news today:
QuoteClimate change: LED lights making dent in UK energy demand
It's a matter of every little counts and now it's starting to have an impact 8)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46741346
I just ran across an article for motion sensing wireless led lights, I always found the motion sensing lights interesting and thought they would be useful but never put any in. Its pretty easy to just flick a switch. Not that sure about wireless, having to change a battery when you have to go into a room.
Carl2
Have you chaps seen these new type of LED Corn Bulbs, they come a variety of brightness and colours and they make some very bright versions too, if you really need some serious amount of light check them out.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Equivalent-Incandescent-Bayonet-Bulbs%EF%BC%8CNon-dimmable-Candelabra/dp/B08BLGWT2Q/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1
Haven't seen them. I still have lots of the regular JCB ones left, so haven't really been looking.
I'm skeptical about buying cheap brands or unbranded LED bulbs of any type.
They tend to have 2 flaws.
The most apparent is flicker. This is normally due to poor electronics and can also cause the power factor to be off (uses more electricity than you watt meter will show).
The second is related and is earthing/safety. Where the LEDs are not covered, it is possible to get a 240V shock (110V in the US) if you touch the wrong LED. Any COB/Corn bulb with no cover is NOT CE approved. The ones linked to appear to have covers.
Buyer beware.
I still have some G8 type similar to these. One didn't last long and the other I have in use is fine but I use it in a cupboard where the flicker is not apparent.
I'm not sure why but I have so many Led light bulbs around, I don't remember ever having to replace one and never had a flickering problem with them.
Carl2
It's the same with me, I haven't had any problems with LED bulbs in the house, there are probably one or two bad apples in the barrel at times I guess.
The new corn bulbs I linked to are CE and RoHS certificated and advertised as flicker free, the only down side for me is that they are not smart bulbs, hopefully in time some smart corn bulbs will become available, would like to give them a try.
Talking of smart bulbs, I'm going to get another one for the outside light, I want to be able to change the colour of the light at different times of the year, already have a smart bulb in the lamp but I will move that indoors.
Going to get one of these, great reviews and works with Alexa of course.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Google-2700K-6500K-Gateway-Required-Equivalent/dp/B07L3S2XLB/
The new smart bulb is up and running with Alexa, I have the bulb set to bright cool white light when I need it to illuminate the drive for getting the car out and have it set to blue for most other times, looks very cool, literally 8)
Just ordered a new outside light to go next to the front door, should look nice with the new smart bulb in it
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Outdoor-Exterior-Diffuser-Compatible-ZLC079CW/dp/B087RLK76B/
Nice, very modern looking 8)
Quote from: Freddy on November 29, 2020, 00:14:17 AM
Nice, very modern looking 8)
Yes we thought the same :)
I have it fitted now with the smart bulb in, the bulb is in blue mode.
Here's a pic.
Looks nice :thumbsup:
Data,
Very nice looking light.
Carl2
Thanks Freddy, Carl :)
I have the smart bulb in the outside light on a more Christmassy look now, got it cycling through all the colours, it changes colour every second.
Thought this was interesting and relevant here. Feel free to move it elsewhere and maybe link from here.
How to run your LED lights cool and more efficient and last longer.
https://youtu.be/biEZ1TbdhhU
And how to hack your standard lamp.
https://youtu.be/5HTa2jVi_rc
I do like this chaps videos, he speaks my language and educates us at the same time, very cool 8)
Just a foot note, you do seem to get what you pay for when it comes to LED bulbs and I personally like the Alexa smart dimmable bulbs, hardly ever run them at 100% they seem perfectly good enough at about 50% and should last a lot longer.
Today I spent a bit of time making the LED lights on my garage smart, now I have them set on a timer and can turn them on and off when in the house or out using the smart phone, controlled with Alexa of course :D
Took a pic this evening, they are really bright and give a lovely blue and white light.
Those look cool :)
I can't quite make out what all the lights to the left are, like Christmas lights. Are they on a gate?
Quote from: Freddy on May 04, 2022, 22:09:22 PM
I can't quite make out what all the lights to the left are, like Christmas lights. Are they on a gate?
They are a string on LED solar garden lights on a bit of fence to the side of the gate, we have them on the other side of the garden too, quite impressive actually, only a small solar panel but stay illuminated all night.