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LED lighting in domestic applications (again)

David Howard
Hello All,


This is my first posting so please be gentle with me.  I read one of the threads some time ago about the problems with LED lighting in either the home or small offices. One of the issues evident with LEDs, as already mentioned elsewhere is that the transformer rectifier circuits have to be built into each and every light fitting. While the LEDs themselves may last 10k or 20k hours, the control circuits certainly do not ( based on personal experience of LED lighting in my own home).


I got to thinking about how the LED fittings could be made more robust in order to achieve the claimed lifespan and also how new builds or retrofitting could make use of the energy saving potential better. There are many disadvantages of having a DC network in the traditional sense to power lights, switches would burn out quickly, lights would fail due to spikes when being energised are examples. What I thought was, why not split the switching circuit from the lighting circuit? What if we were to use a touchpad with a wireless transmitter instead of a light switch? This could be powered by the nearest mains point, have a unique network address and by association, control the lights in that area. So we have a means of controlling the lights, now to power them. Why not have a control unit that contains a transformer rectifier  and powers the individual lighting circuits all spurred off the control unit. The control unit would receive on/off commands from the light switch and using solid state relays, energise the relevant circuit. Alternatively, there could be a number of control units located around the home/office controlling a smaller number of light circuits. The LED light fittings themselves could then be of much simpler construction, reducing cost and prolonging their life. The control units would be more robust than the cheap components found in current LED lights thereby improving reliability.


Does my idea above seem feasible? This would work best in new builds but could be retro fitted relatively easily.


Kind regards


David Howard MIET
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    Do you argue against putting smart features on fridges, freezers and washing machines? After all, they are only there to keep cold things cold and to clean clothes.




    yes, I most certainly would where there is no clear benefit.Otherwise all we add are sources of failure and expense and make things hard to repair. Actually, as a designer of electronics, looking at the ones in the shops now,  I reckon we reached peak fridge about ten to fifteen years ago, and the rest is not real progress, but just marketing fluff. Thicker insulation would be more sense.  In terms of washing machines I have just replaced the inverter transistors for the brushless motor, after about 6 years, so it is out of warranty. For most folk that would make it scrap. There are more folk capable of repairing something with an induction motor or brushes.

    But then I am old fashioned, I  like to buy things using real money, and use my phone for  talking to folk who are remote, not to allow me to simultaneously watch video and walk into lamp-posts.


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  • 0

    Do you argue against putting smart features on fridges, freezers and washing machines? After all, they are only there to keep cold things cold and to clean clothes.




    yes, I most certainly would where there is no clear benefit.Otherwise all we add are sources of failure and expense and make things hard to repair. Actually, as a designer of electronics, looking at the ones in the shops now,  I reckon we reached peak fridge about ten to fifteen years ago, and the rest is not real progress, but just marketing fluff. Thicker insulation would be more sense.  In terms of washing machines I have just replaced the inverter transistors for the brushless motor, after about 6 years, so it is out of warranty. For most folk that would make it scrap. There are more folk capable of repairing something with an induction motor or brushes.

    But then I am old fashioned, I  like to buy things using real money, and use my phone for  talking to folk who are remote, not to allow me to simultaneously watch video and walk into lamp-posts.


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