Thread: Workshop LIghting .. LED Replacements for Fluoroescent Tubes

Hi Ray,Do you get radio interference with these lights?By that i mean on AM radio stations. I like to listen to Talk back AM stations Installed some cheap LED down lights awhile ago and they play havoc with the radio. Cheers Denis I cant seem to format the post?

Hi Ray,

I bought the ones from Aldi when they cleared them out at half the price or about $10 each. It's his home brand "Mueller Licht". Only had them maybe 9 months now, but so far they have been excellent. Instant start, no flicker, 1700lm, 4000K color temperature. Made of plastic not glass so will not shatter if accidentally hit. And they come with a starter with a shorting bridge inside (just in case they were to be on special once again.....).

What puzzles me, it says 18W on these 1700 lumen LED fluoro replacements, that would be no big energy savings over the 36W fluoros (2700 lumen) that they replace. Indeed, fluoro tubes themselves have always been classed as energy saving light, long before it became fashionable to save energy.

Chris

Originally Posted by RayG

Just finished installing led replacement tubes for all the T8 fluorescents. I'm using the AEG ones from here http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/301357681...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT I chose the 4000K office white colour, I don't like the blueish 6000K.

So the tubes work out to $10 each, The workshop lighting power consumption has dropped from near 600 Watts to 218 Watts for much the same light level..

Are these "powers" calculated or measured ? and for how many tubes?

I agree on standardised wiring, we have had this problem at work when they changed over from fluros to led lamps. btw we had them fail, EO lighting brand in less than 12months.
Fluros are still good IMO. You can always go to a T5 tube/fitting to save some power and also instant start with no flashing with the electronic ballast

Originally Posted by BobL

Are these "powers" calculated or measured ? and for how many tubes?

Hi Bob, the lights are run from a power point with a "click brand" http://www.jaycar.com.au/p/MS6115 meter, and there are 13 tubes, 1 single and 6 doubles. 218 Watts/13 approx 17 watts input per tube. Spec sheet says 18W.

Ray

Originally Posted by triden

Hi Ray,Do you get radio interference with these lights?By that i mean on AM radio stations. I like to listen to Talk back AM stations Installed some cheap LED down lights awhile ago and they play havoc with the radio. Cheers Denis I cant seem to format the post?

Hi Denis,

I don't notice any noise increase when tuned to ABC 774, and if I tune between stations and flick the lights on and off I don't hear any increase in background noise either. But I have computers running and they probably put out enough hash to drown out the lights.. That's with the Philips tubes, I haven't tried with the AEG tubes.

EDIT.. I checked both the Philips and AEG, and both put out audible hash on AM when you get the radio within about 1 or 2 ft of the tube but nothing when you get the radio further away.

For AM reception I have a Sangean PR-D13 which is an excellent fringe area receiver for AM. If you still have trouble with the downlights, I'd look at installing an external antenna. There are some really good loop antenna designs on the internet. I don't use an external antenna these days, but I used to use a loop antenna designed by some Tech at the ABC years ago to minimize interference from tram lines in the Melbourne CBD, he designed it so you could null the interference source.

Ray

Originally Posted by cba_melbourne

Hi Ray,

I bought the ones from Aldi when they cleared them out at half the price or about $10 each. It's his home brand "Mueller Licht". Only had them maybe 9 months now, but so far they have been excellent. Instant start, no flicker, 1700lm, 4000K color temperature. Made of plastic not glass so will not shatter if accidentally hit. And they come with a starter with a shorting bridge inside (just in case they were to be on special once again.....).

What puzzles me, it says 18W on these 1700 lumen LED fluoro replacements, that would be no big energy savings over the 36W fluoros (2700 lumen) that they replace. Indeed, fluoro tubes themselves have always been classed as energy saving light, long before it became fashionable to save energy.

Chris

Hi Chris,

There was a review on those Aldi led tubes on eevblog, worth watching. I dislike the manic presentation, but the facts are good.

I think the light level with the led tubes is lower than before, but my fluro tubes were probably due to be replaced, so the 2700 lumen was probably much less due to tubes aging, the other factor is that the radiation pattern is different, the led tubes direct more light straight down, whereas the fluoro tubes spray it in a full 360 pattern, and rely on the luminaire to reflect half it downwards.

My impression is that the led tubes are more than bright enough for the environment, and I have work lights on machines where a little more focus is required. So for me the saving is real, even though some of it might have been achieved by lowering the light level over what I would get with new tubes.

Hope that makes sense.

Ray

Originally Posted by Maxi77

I agree on standardised wiring, we have had this problem at work when they changed over from fluros to led lamps. btw we had them fail, EO lighting brand in less than 12months.
Fluros are still good IMO. You can always go to a T5 tube/fitting to save some power and also instant start with no flashing with the electronic ballast

I went back and checked, the AEG tubes are supposed to be good for 30,000 hours, so that's 15 years ( for my usage pattern ) and they have a 3 year warranty, what's the betting they will fail after 3 years and 1 day

Ray

Originally Posted by RayG

Hi Bob, the lights are run from a power point with a "click brand" http://www.jaycar.com.au/p/MS6115 meter, and there are 13 tubes, 1 single and 6 doubles. 218 Watts/13 approx 17 watts input per tube. Spec sheet says 18W.

Thanks Ray.
So if the 13 regular fluoros tubes consume 600 W thats 46 W per tube.

The reason I asked this is that in the mostly MW end of my shed I have 10 tubes and they consume 62 W per tube - I wonder what is going on?

Originally Posted by BobL

Thanks Ray.
So if the 13 regular fluoros tubes consume 600 W thats 46 W per tube.

The reason I asked this is that in the mostly MW end of my shed I have 10 tubes and they consume 62 W per tube - I wonder what is going on?

Hi Bob,

I was wondering why I was seeing 600W, and the only thing I could guess at was a dodgy ballast somewhere.. try dropping them off one at a time and see which one is drawing the current.

Ray

Originally Posted by RayG

Hi Bob,

I was wondering why I was seeing 600W, and the only thing I could guess at was a dodgy ballast somewhere.. try dropping them off one at a time and see which one is drawing the current.

Ray

I heard the ballasts are added to adjust the power factor on that phase and so that the energy authority can charge correctly for power i.e. in their favour. A sparky told me with so many motors running just about continuously in my shed I could remove all the ballasts and they should still work. One of my lights does have no ballast.

Originally Posted by BobL

I heard the ballasts are added to adjust the power factor on that phase and so that the energy authority can charge correctly for power i.e. in their favour. A sparky told me with so many motors running just about continuously in my shed I could remove all the ballasts and they should still work. One of my lights does have no ballast.

There's your problem, the function of the ballast is to limit the current through the tube. And provide an inductive kick to start ionization. Not power factor correction. Disconnect the one without ballast and see what happens.

Ray

PS Here you go. ( Oh, and find another sparky )

Originally Posted by BobL

I heard the ballasts are added to adjust the power factor on that phase and so that the energy authority can charge correctly for power i.e. in their favour. A sparky told me with so many motors running just about continuously in my shed I could remove all the ballasts and they should still work. One of my lights does have no ballast.

Capacitors are added to fluroscent fittings to improve power factor and can be removed. Electric motors generally make the power factor worse.

I'm not sure how they could work without some form of ballast (old iron type or modern electronic).

John

Originally Posted by BobL

I heard the ballasts are added to adjust the power factor on that phase and so that the energy authority can charge correctly for power i.e. in their favour. A sparky told me with so many motors running just about continuously in my shed I could remove all the ballasts and they should still work. One of my lights does have no ballast.

This makes me embarrassed to be a sparky. I cant believe the advice that comes from the mouth of some electricians.

The ballast in a fluro actually decreases your power factor. Commercial installations of fluro's require power factor correction to prevent this.