Since the appearance of the first light bulb, mankind has been striving to create more and more economical sources of light. At first, the power of the emitters was reduced, but this led to a decrease in brightness. And the savings were not too big, in comparison with modern lighting fixtures. Then fluorescent lamps, CFLs, were created. And now the engineers have achieved maximum savings. In this case, no loss of brightness occurred. We are talking about LED lamps, the device, features, advantages and disadvantages of which will be discussed in the article.
LED lights: general information
Such devices differ from their predecessors in lower power consumption with the same brightness and durability. The scope of their application is very extensive. They are used as street, industrial and household lighting, in the automotive industry, medicine and even crop production. The use of LEDs inflashlights allowed them to be used much longer without replacing the power supply, and modern high-brightness chips left far behind incandescent bulbs. As for lamps, today products of various types and sizes are produced, which can replace obsolete analogues without unnecessary labor.
What types of such devices exist?
From the huge range of fixtures offered by the manufacturer on the Russian market, 4 main types can be distinguished:
- Embedded devices installed in stretch and suspended ceilings.
- Wall mounting option for mounting on a vertical surface. These can also be used on the ceiling as overhead.
- Linear - these include LED strip. This view is used as an optional.
- Rechargeable LED lights with or without charger. They are most often used to indicate emergency, fire exits, evacuation directions.
Each of these types can be used for various purposes - for indoor, local, emergency or street lighting.
Indoor and local lighting: device features
It must be remembered that LEDs are selected in terms of power in relation to emitters with an incandescent filament 1:8. This means that where an ordinary 80 W lamp was enough, a 10 W LED device will be quite enough. LED emitters have the same bases, which means that all that needs to be done whenreplacing simple ones with them is to unscrew the old ones and screw in the new ones.
As local lighting, the ideal option would be to use LED strips or spots, which are enough to direct to a specific area. Thus, you can perform zoning of the room. Often local illumination is carried out by desktop devices. In this case, it is enough just to screw an LED lamp with a matte diffuser into them. It will make the flow softer, which means it will not blind.
Ceiling LED lights: device and principle of operation
Such devices are often used for office space. Particularly widespread are lamps that are mounted on suspended ceilings "Armstrong". Previously, their place was taken by luminescent devices, but LED devices turned out to be much more economical. The light from them is not so irritating to the eyes, which is important for people who spend all day at the workplace.
Ceiling LED lights 600x600 are LED fixtures ideal for suspended ceilings. Their installation is quite simple. No fastening is required here. All that is needed is to hold the lamp diagonally into the square opening of the false ceiling, and then, having placed it evenly, lower it into the seat. It is more convenient to connect such devices through special WAGO terminal blocks (self-clamping or mechanical). Installation is very fast.
What to do with Armstrong fluorescent lamps?
Replacing oldnew lighting fixtures are not always extra costs. Fluorescent lamps should not be discounted. Since the design of LED ceiling lights can be called quite simple, old fixtures can be easily upgraded to new tubes. In this case, very significant savings will be obtained. The algorithm of actions will be as follows.
After turning off the power, it is necessary to dismantle the fluorescent lamp and pull out the lamps - they will no longer be needed. It is also necessary to remove the EPRU (electronic ballast) and wires, leaving only the seats for the bases. The removed wires are used for switching according to the new scheme. According to it, it should turn out that the phase is supplied to one side of the tube (the contact does not matter), and zero to the other. This is due to the fact that on the base of the LED tube, a pair of pins are closed inside. And they make tubes with two contacts only so that they fit the seats and look like fluorescent tubes. It turns out that the device of LED lamps "Armstrong" can be called not even elementary, but primitive. All main electronics are inside the tubular lamps.
Devices for lighting cabinets, shelves and niches
It often happens that when you open a closet, it is impossible to see what is in the depths of the shelves. This is quite easy to fix by sticking a seat for an LED rechargeable lamp with a charger on double-sided tape. With it, you canlabor to find the right things, and it turns on with one movement of the hand. Frequent charging of such a lamp is not required - it is enough to connect it to the network once every 3-6 months (depending on the intensity of use).
These lamps are very convenient when installed in a sideboard or even above the work surface in the kitchen. This will allow the hostess to once again not strain her eyes when carving meat or removing bones from fish. A storage room, a balcony, a dark corner of the hallway - there is a place like this everywhere where additional lighting is needed, but there is no desire to run wires while doing electrical installation.
Advantages and disadvantages of LED lamps
Such devices, like any other, have both positive and negative qualities, but the second is much less. Pros include:
- Low energy consumption with long service life (up to 50,000 hours);
- high coefficient of performance (COP), which is achieved due to low heat transfer;
- choice of any color, including multi-color LED strips;
- possibility of dimming, which allows for room zoning.
It is worth noting the harmlessness of LEDs for the human body. If you pay attention to fluorescent lamps, then over time they begin to pass ultraviolet through cracks in the phosphor. In addition, their disposal as household waste is prohibited due to the content of heavy metal vapors in the flask, includingmercury. The device of LED lamps does not provide for the use of substances harmful to the body.
As for the shortcomings, there are only two of them:
- The same LED strip requires the installation of additional equipment - an adapter, and sometimes a controller. But hiding these devices can be difficult.
- Degradation of crystals. Over time, the strength of the light flux decreases. The intensity of degradation depends on the quality of the chip itself and the power supply it works with.
Features of using and repairing such devices
The device and the principle of operation of LED lamps imply their operation only with conventional switches. Do not use circuit breakers equipped with neon lights. This may result in a faint glow when the power is turned off. In itself, this is not scary, for example, in the bathroom. However, such a glow leads to rapid degradation of LED elements.
Repair of ceiling fixtures and other types of LED fixtures is carried out only when the voltage is completely removed. Don't expect an open switch to be enough. Despite the fact that, according to the PUE, a phase must pass through it, some negligent electricians do not bother to check, breaking the neutral wire. In addition, even if everything is done according to the rules, electric shock is quite possible. This happens when the phase passes through an incandescent lamp to zero. If the installer is grounded at this time, thenelectric shock guaranteed.
Some information about the repair of such devices - in the video below.
Outdoor LED lights and how they differ
The use of such devices for lanterns is quite practical, but the energy consumption will be higher than that of devices for domestic use. The device of street LED lamps does not differ from those used in apartments. The only important feature can be called increased power. But despite this, their use is much more profitable than installing arc mercury fluorescent (XRL) or arc sodium tubular (HSS) lamps.
Installation and maintenance of LED lights
Each manufacturer gives their advice on this matter. That is why you should not ignore the instruction manual. Following the manufacturer's recommendations will significantly increase the service life of the product. In addition, it is easy to make a mistake when connecting, which is excluded if you follow the instructions.
All installation work should be carried out only after turning off the introductory machine. But even in the absence of voltage in the network, it is necessary to use only a high-quality tool with intact insulation. Any crack in the handle of the screwdriver should cause it to fail.
The starting device for LED lamps is not repairable (of course, if the home master is not a professional radio technician). Miniature SMDcomponents are very sensitive to overheating. And even if by some miracle one of them can be soldered, it will not work for more than two or three days.
Where to buy LED lights for the home? Selection Tips
It is better to buy such devices in large specialized stores that have proven themselves on the good side. It is better to refrain from purchasing such goods via the Internet - in this case, there is no possibility of checking the goods. While there are now online resources powered by reputable outlets, it's still not worth the risk.
Any electrical goods sold in Russia must be certified. Therefore, do not hesitate to ask the sales assistant to bring the accompanying documentation. If he starts to play up, and the buyer understands that there are no certificates for these products, then it is better to refrain from buying.
Don't go for the cheapest products - savings can cost more. Low cost hints at the same quality, and in the case of electrical goods, this is unacceptable. You also need to pay attention to obvious marriage: uneven coloring, dents, scratches - all this should be the reason for refusing to purchase.
And most importantly. After purchase, before installation, it is imperative to revise each lamp. Factory assembly is not human hands. It is better to double-check everything yourself for personal peace of mind and confidence that at some point someone will not be bombarded with sparks from a sudden short circuit.
What should I know when buying a garden street lamp?
Such devices are not uncommon. The device of this type of LED lamp implies a solar battery installed in it, which quite often fails. In addition to certification, there are no verification options, therefore, when purchasing such equipment, one can only hope for good luck.
Summarizing the above
The device of an LED lamp cannot be called complicated, however, like any other electrical equipment, such a device requires a careful attitude. And if it is chosen correctly, connected according to the instructions, and the manufacturer's recommendations are followed during operation, its service life can easily exceed the warranty. And this is an additional savings in replacement costs. After all, this is exactly what a person who decides to install LED lamps achieves.
