Converting Fluorescents to LED ?

[Evans Electric]

A commercial printer I look after  has some quality surface fluorescent  fittings in the Studio .  For various reasons I'd rather not take them down  but  convert them to LED .

 They are twin  X 5ft  , with Cat 2 louvres  ,  Crompton if I remember right  .   

I don't seem to get a straight answer  about fitting LED tubes ,  apparently they give you a starter canister  which some say is a fuse and others say is a shorting  device .   

What I don't get an answer  to is leaving the ballasts connected  ,  which to my mind seems wrong . 

The circuits are standard  Crompton chokes with FSU starters .     Surely I need to fit a LED driver and cut the chokes out .  

Anyone done this and was it successful  ?  

 

[kerching]

I have done quite a few

the 'starter ' they supplynis a fuse....the ones I have used say 'LED Fuse' on the can

i find the best way is disconnect the internal gear, get a pair of mains to one end cap.

LED Lamp,is marked at supply end. Put lamp,in, switch on, done  

 

[kerching]

It's also a handy quick way to sort out a dodgy gear tray on a run of interlinked weatherpak flus where swapping the fitting is a PITA

GUT fitting

 keep tray and endcaps

pair of mains to one end

simples

done loads at the stables......5 mins max per fitting including dropping cover clips on floor

 

[Evans Electric]

I like the sound of it .   Cheers.   I'll run that option past the main man next week . 

Just found a UK  You Tube demo   (  Can't be doing with  the American ones )     Its as you say  ...disconnect all the gear except the starter base  which becomes a fuse  ......and the LED driver electronics are at one end of the tubes.  

A couple of guys in the wholesalers were on about leaving the chokes in the circuit ,  I said that can't be right , but  you know the sort ,  been there , done it , got the tee shirt .....in actual fact know eff all !!.     (Can we say eff ? ) 

 

[bluetobits]

And don't forget a label saying "LED tubes only".

There's always a numpty somewhere following you

 

[ProDave]

TIP:

Do NOT just put an LED tune in  fitting with an HF driver. it does not work and blows the tube.

My mate did this.  B&Q gave him a refund when he returned the "faulty" tube.

 

[binky]

I reently converted a small underground car-park to LED to discover some of the fittings had been converted already, but leaving the ballast in and using the LED by-pass for the starter. You can see the result below.....

 

[Andy™]

imo, you should not be modifying the wiring to a fluorescent light to take an LED. especially when you put L&N on one end. if someone replaces with with a normal fluorescent tube (which i would say is a reasonable expectation) then there is going to be problems & a bang

and if you do, did you CE mark the light?

 

[Sharpend]

Well well, Andy has swallowed Sidewinder :innocent :run  

 

[binky]

LED tubes come with warning sticker, so you have to be extra dumb not to read it. When I modify fittings I re-use cable contained wthin it, so that's CE marked already, and as we are reducing voltages on end-caps that's not an issue, plus reduced wattage and eliminated heat damage from ballast - really can't see a problem if done with due care. I know what you are getting at Andy, but I believ the mod work improves the safety, unless you do the dumb ****e I posted above. PLus LED tubes come with instructions, so CE compliance probably lies with the manufacturer

 

[ruston]

LED tubes come with warning sticker, so you have to be extra dumb not to read it. When I modify fittings I re-use cable contained wthin it, so that's CE marked already, and as we are reducing voltages on end-caps that's not an issue, plus reduced wattage and eliminated heat damage from ballast - really can't see a problem if done with due care. I know what you are getting at Andy, but I believ the mod work improves the safety, unless you do the dumb ****e I posted above. PLus LED tubes come with instructions, so CE compliance probably lies with the manufacturer

I remove the gear too and put an unwired cap on the dummy end , so there is only the L-N left .

According to the manufactures of the tubes I fit it is wasteful of power to leave the ballasts fitted, and reduces the efficiency of the led replacement.

 

[Andy™]

Well well, Andy has swallowed Sidewinder :innocent :run  

maybe i try to do things properly and think about what might happen with stuff in the future?

 

[ruston]

maybe i try to do things properly and think about what might happen with stuff in the future?

I can see your point and it is valid , especially when they can be changed by uninformed people.

 

[Sharpend]

maybe i try to do things properly and think about what might happen with stuff in the future?

Yes I must agree I do like things to be done properly too, don’t see much of this these days, it seems to be taught out of the current generation.  

But there is an odd dilemma with this topic though, if you can buy the conversion  kit separately, what was it designed for if not to convert the old into the new? Is it not only the casing that remains unchanged? 

 

[ruston]

I agree, the problem is that once the cover is back on and the conversion is only one of a row . a subsequent person could be forgiven for not noticing that one of the line has been changed.  We all know how it goes

 

[Sharpend]

That’s a fair point, but wouldn’t it become apparent once the lid is removed that a conversion had taken place?

 

[ruston]

Not if just the new led  tube had failed   and the person changing it did not notice it was just one led amongst the others. 

 Not everyone is generous enough to change the whole bank in one go ..

 

[binky]

THe LED tubes are very different to standard florries, you would have to have terminal lack of intelligence not to notice.......

I remove the gear too and put an unwired cap on the dummy end , so there is only the L-N left .

According to the manufactures of the tubes I fit it is wasteful of power to leave the ballasts fitted, and reduces the efficiency of the led replacement.

ballasts use 10-15w I seem to recall, so leaving them in wastes a fair part of the potential energy savings.

 

[ruston]

THe LED tubes are very different to standard florries, you would have to have terminal lack of intelligence not to notice.......

ballasts use 10-15w I seem to recall, so leaving them in wastes a fair part of the potential energy savings.

If you are working with them all the time yes, what about the ordinary person in a shop and the likes.

 

[Andy™]

what about when you get to a light thats been converted but not got a tube in? unless you then open it up or there is a sticker on the outside, then you wouldnt know