The Shed – September-October 2019

(singke) #1
solder, which doesn’t seem to last well. A
s i mple r e s olde r i n g w i l l r e t u r n it t o s e r v ic e
but make sure you do both connections.
The lamp connector is another source
of problems, as the metal pins lose
tension. These pins get hot from the
lamp and the 4.25A passing through to
a 50W lamp. Eventually they discolour
and need to be replaced. Take the old
one with you to make sure the leads are
long enough.

Price
Our modern society tends to shop based
on price, and after the technology and
volume gains are reached, it is quality
that suffers. Larger retailers can do big
manufacturing runs under their own
brand name, but buying LED lamps with
little or no manufacturer information is
not always a wise decision.
Many of the larger players in the
market have done testing and offer a
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in the price. ‘Mean time between failure’
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on testing under certain conditions.
Real-world exposure will show the
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to replace or requires paying someone
else then consider spending more on the
initial purchase, and always buy one or
two spares.
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no expectation that they will last, but they
will suit my intended use, and because of
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LED and dichroic lamps seem to
be similar in price, but other lamps
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time to recoup the cost in electricity
savings alone.
Like it or not, LED lighting is here
to stay and will continue to become
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use and this was one reason that the
Australian Government backed down
on its ban of incandescent lighting.
Hopefully, this has provided some
ideas for those wanting to make the
move to LEDs.

Buying LED lamps
with little or no
manufacturer
information is not
always a wise decision

Above: Mains connection (black) and
electronic transformer. Screws simply hold
the cover on despite the label
Right: Mains connector and internals of
the transformer

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