dave21478 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Has anyone got any recommendations for LED bulbs in GU10 fittings? - the ones that are a straight swap for the halogen version with no need for transfo etc...I have been browsing Ebay UK and there are numerous sellers, with prices when buying by ten from 2 up to about 6 pounds per bulb.I reckon I would want warm white rather than the cool bluer ones, but aside from that I don't know where to start. There are massive differences depending on how many LED's in the unit, the beam angle etc etc....Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose (& Greyman) Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I bought these over 2 years ago http://www.dotlight.de/products/en/Illuminants/LED-Spots/Base-GU10/GU10-warm-white/LED-PAR20-Lamp-GU10-warmwhite-60-LEDs-HighLumen-GreenLED.html and have been very pleased. I didn't buy from eBay as I didn't trust the sellers and TBH anything less than the 60 LEDs in these bulbs would be little more than a glow. We use these as over-mirror illumination in a bathroom and worktop spots in the kitchen. I simply removed the GU10 halogens that came with the mini spots and replaced with these. The halogens were 35w and I agree that these LEDs give an equivalent light. They are cool to touch even after being on for hours and of the 20 bought I've only had one where half the LEDs failed, all the others are still going strong.They're not cheap but with them all running we're saving over 600W so I'm happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 [quote user="greyman"]I bought these over 2 years ago http://www.dotlight.de/products/en/Illuminants/LED-Spots/Base-GU10/GU10-warm-white/LED-PAR20-Lamp-GU10-warmwhite-60-LEDs-HighLumen-GreenLED.html and have been very pleased. I didn't buy from eBay as I didn't trust the sellers and TBH anything less than the 60 LEDs in these bulbs would be little more than a glow. [/quote]That's simply not so, as I said on the other thread the SMD 5050 ones are the ones to go for currently but CREE LED's are also very good. Beam angle speaks for itself the wider the better flood effect or narrow beam over workstations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob T Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I use the ones with 3 one watt LEDs from ebay. They all come from the far east, but I have had no problems with them at all.If they are GU10s then they work on mains voltage and do not need a transformer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sid Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I'm so glad someone else has asked about these. I have no idea what to buy for direct replacements fot 50W GU10s, there seem to be so many different options. The last thing I need is to buy some and find that the light given off is not sufficient.I really didn't understand the reply about 60 LEDs and then another reply recommending 3 LEDs; perhaps we could have more information, please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose (& Greyman) Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 [quote user="Théière"] That's simply not so ..[/quote]Yes I'm sure you're right about other bulbs, I was just expressing my view of the ones I bought, anything less than 60 leds just wouldn't be adequate. The later technology looks very good but I have no experience of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 No problem greyman, making a comment never conveys that it is just a comment and not an argument. [:)] I do agree that clustered single LED's shall we call them, need a minimum of 48 to be of any use at all and 60 are good indeed. I have some PAR 38 (big flood lamps they used to use on zebra crossings) from 120 clustered LEDs (the older one) and the later one (180 clustered LED's) but I have replaced them with the latest spce SMD (surface mounted LED ) single 20 watt version and it absolutely beats the others hands down.The latest Philips 6-7 watt replacements are very good indeed and some are dimmable too but at a premium price, similar can be obtained from Ebay and again very good with only one dead on arrival lamp from well over 30 and the seller (far east) replaced it.Clustered LED3 or more high power LEDs often CREE LED's make good spots but watch the beam angle for flood lighting.SMD multiple LED's many multiples available the 5050 is the current latest spec easily available.Another example of SMD LED's obviously very bright or you'll crash your car [I][;-)]Theses are good replacements for conventional lamps, all shapes and sizes available and very impressive instant light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sid Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Thanks for the pictures, Teapot, now I know what I should be looking for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Glad to help as it is getting a bit techie these days, found this chart which clearly shows the colour temperature of lamps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I had the same query as Dave, mine are into a vert shallow ceiling void and I couldnt have anything that projected further upwards, TBH I could not believe that the tiny GU10 led packages could possibly contain the transformer and rectifier circuit.Then I found some in NOZ for one euro each so decided to give a few a try, they do indeed reduce the voltage for the LED cluster and were surprisingly bright for what turned out to be GREEN LEDS's!!!!!!!I am just going to use them during the energy efficiency surveys, they also work on a dimmed circuit, the electronic P.W.M. type variateur without dying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Quas Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I tried some 2-3 years ago and they were far too blue for my liking even though they were described as warm white. They were also relatively dim, perhaps equivalent to a 10W halogen. It's interesting to hear that they have improved so much. I'll give it another try. ThanksSteven Quas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave21478 Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 As a little follow-up to this, I bought a large lot of these from an ebay seller in uk.....http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150504102777&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:ITFast enough delivery and the quantity I bought brought the unit price down a fair bit.My initial impression was that they were a little too "white" compared to the original 50w halogens, but this was only really noticeable doing an immediate back to back comparison. After a couple of hours I don't notice and am happy with them.Decent light output, only 3w each, supposedly long lasting and no real heat generated, they are pretty good. The downside is that the led's stick out slightly further than the flat glass of the old halogens so it took a bit of tweaking to the wire clips that hold them in the fittings to get them sitting properly. Interestingly/worryingly these have shown up a potential wiring problem on a couple of light circuits that the old halogens didnt have....in the hallway, when switched off, there seems to still be a small current flow to the lamps. I only noticed the other night when staggering in from the pub in the dark that a dozen or so of the led's in each lamp remain very dimly illuminated. Needs further investigation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Possibly leakage from the transformer internally, or a wiring fault on you original circuit. Have you tried repeating the same test on a different lighting circuit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Quas Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 [quote user="Théière"]Possibly leakage from the transformer internally, or a wiring fault on you original circuit. Have you tried repeating the same test on a different lighting circuit?[/quote] As I understand it, since these GU10s are 240V lamps, the only transformer would be within the lamps themselves and there should be no voltage across the lamp terminals when the wall switch is off. I can't see how this could be a transformer issue. I assume it has to be the wiring.Steven Quas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave21478 Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 I was too pissed to do anything at the time and had forgotten about it until I had written this. A quick swap session just now shows it is not the bulbs to blame, the problem is on this one circuit. I would check for voltage at the terminal but some imbecile....ahem.....[:$] reversed a 4x4 over their multimeter a while back, so short of sticking my tongue in the socket, I have no way of finding out for now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Trollope Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 It is s capacitive coupling issue. CFL's often do it too (although they flash).Not much you can do about it, other than move the wiring around... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Quas Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 [quote user="Nick Trollope"]It is s capacitive coupling issue. CFL's often do it too (although they flash). Not much you can do about it, other than move the wiring around...[/quote]That's interesting - if I have understood correctly the lighting circuit wires are too close together so the current in one active circuit is inducing a current in the adjacent wire? I haven't heard of that happening before and I am surprised it's strong enough to light the LEDs or CFLs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Not that surprising, some people over the years have been able to get free electricity by using the same trick on large power cables running v near or under their houses. Illegal of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 A step closer:http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/quantum-dots-make-warmer-led-lights-dont-come-cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 I have only just seen the recent postings re LED problems.Do you by any chance have a voyant on the light switch Dave? by that I mean a switch with a glowing light that enables you to find it when you roll bac from the pub.If so they usually work by passing their neutral current through the bulbs in the circuit as there is not normally a neutral wire in the backbox, this will cause the problem you have. If its not that then there is a small leakage current somehow getting into the switched live circuitI too have been mucking around with LEDS and have tried a few in place of existing GU10's on dimmer circuits to see if it would kill them (dont ask, its a long reply) and found that the leds still give pretty much maximum output when all the others have dimmed to nothing, it doesnt appear to kill the bulbs.Rcently in NOZ I found packs of 3 brass effect swivelling GU10 fittings with 1 watt LED bulbs for €12.90 which I think is less than the cost of the bulbs, I expevt them to continue dropping in price.Normal compact flourescents also have a habit of glowing in the dark for a few minutes after they are switched off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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