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Flashing LED security light


Gyn_Paul
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I have swoped out the halogen stick in an outside security light for an LED one. Saving about 80 watts in the process. However, I now find it won't switch off completely. Its motion detector switches it off, but then it flashes continuously.

This state of affairs exists regardless of which way round the stick is inseted, and even swopping the polarity of the mains.

Any thought anyone?

p

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Exactly the same thing happened to me this summer.

I sacked it off and refitted a halogen tube - mainly because of the flashing, but also because there was significantly less light output from the LED. I later ditched the whole light and fitted a proper LED one with the correct shape of reflector and it was much brighter.

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LED's by their natureare DC, so the diode element will only work when the current is running in the correct direction?

Some have circuit built into the base of the bulb that overcomes this, or the light fitting is designed to take the LED bulb and has the circuit built into it.

I have and LED torch and shone it on the CPU cooling fan whilst working on my computer the other day. The light 'strobes" and the fan appeared to be stopped. So the LED must be flashng, but too quickly for the eye to appreciate.
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The way the floodlight is configured is that the tiny PIR current passes through the bulb, with a halogen bulb a few milli-amps is not enough to even make it glimmer but will cause the problem that you have with a LED bulb.

 

It happens more commonly with dimmer switches that use the live and switched live existing cabling where there is no neutral return path so they use the bulb element to pass the control current but it will be the same in your floodlight, I have just replaced wall lights with LEDS the existing dimmer switch works after a fashion but even though it has a click off setting at full anti-clockwise the leds still are at a low illumination, it suits me as they are on the nocturnal route to the bathroom so serve as nighlights, seeing them glow in the day makes me think I am wasting electricity, which I am but its minimal and I have been doing so for 12 years but just not being able to see it nor getting the nightlight benefit.

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Thanks everyone, it does indeed stop flashing if te PIR is taken out of circuit. - bugger ! I suppose if I were to get the PIR to power a DPST relay it would work properly, but the though of cables and waterproof boxes and all that,  is more than flesh and blood can bare. I'll go back to the mini flori until the proper ones come down to a reasonable price!.

While I have your attention... can anyone point me in th direction of a site which will tell me the minimum slope for BA13 roof tiles. I know I've seen it somewhere, years ago, but it seems to be hiding from me now, and this effing satellite internet is now so slow that it's like searching on a dial-up connection !

p

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[quote user="Chancer"]

You are using placo for roofing? [8-)]

 

Thats what BA13 is in my world.

[/quote]

ugh... too late at night... too little sleep... sorry.  I mean , of course, PV 13.

Let me just check: the tiles go on the outside, and the placo goes on the inside... right?

[see also the 4th rule of pipes: the od has to greater than the id, or else the hole will be on the outside! ]

p

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