I bought these floodlights to examine because one has a very narrow beam angle (30 degree) and both had what appeared to be an extra heatsink on the back.
They are both quite well made and do run at 20W. One was earthed and one wasn't! Worse still, to earth it would require new termination of a cable, since the earth core of the existing flex was taken into a potted driver.
The beam difference is down to aluminium reflectors with common fixing points. The heatsink on the back is clamped in place through the housing with screws against a sealing gland. I'd guess that it's a modular approach that allows different depth extrusion sections to be used for differing LED wattages.
One light had a potted driver and the other's was just in heatshrink. I removed the heatshrink to reveal a decent looking driver with a standard switchmode driver chip by Fairchild (5L0380R) which is a self running fixed frequency driver with primary peak current sensing. Feedback was via a current sense resistor and single transistor threshold detector driving the LED in an opto-isolator. Quite a nice looking power supply. It also had a glass fuse on the input and what looks like a PTC thermistor for overcurrent protection.
They are both quite well made and do run at 20W. One was earthed and one wasn't! Worse still, to earth it would require new termination of a cable, since the earth core of the existing flex was taken into a potted driver.
The beam difference is down to aluminium reflectors with common fixing points. The heatsink on the back is clamped in place through the housing with screws against a sealing gland. I'd guess that it's a modular approach that allows different depth extrusion sections to be used for differing LED wattages.
One light had a potted driver and the other's was just in heatshrink. I removed the heatshrink to reveal a decent looking driver with a standard switchmode driver chip by Fairchild (5L0380R) which is a self running fixed frequency driver with primary peak current sensing. Feedback was via a current sense resistor and single transistor threshold detector driving the LED in an opto-isolator. Quite a nice looking power supply. It also had a glass fuse on the input and what looks like a PTC thermistor for overcurrent protection.
Big Clive, I have a question about narrow beam lighting. I'd appreciate it if you might consider it and perhaps provide an answer.
I have a cheap single bulb LED flashlight about 4" long and an inch in diameter with a plastic lens on a sliding collar. It allows for a wide beam and when pushed forward, the beam narrows to a spot about two inches wide on a surface about a foot away. The bulb and lens section is only about 1 to 1 &1\4 inches in length.
I have a possible invention idea with a technical requirement. I was wondering if a plastic lens configuration would be possible in a similar cheap compact LED light format to project an intense point of light about 1\8th to 1\4 " in diameter onto a surface about a foot away? (I've considered lasers but they project only colored light and I require white light.)
I have achieved the point of light from the flashlight but only by having a magnifying glass about a foot away from the surface with the flashlight about another foot above the magnifying glass with the flashlight focus collar slid back to wide focus. I was hoping to achieve this result within a compact bulb and lens housing, about an inch in diameter and 1 to 1 1\4 inches long or something in that size range, also employing an LED bulb and cheap plastic lens, as with my original cheapo sliding collar flashlight.
I also encountered a photographer's version of a concentrated spot effect achieved by putting a plate over a light bulb within a valence collar with a 1\4 inch clear acrylic rod protruding through the plate. This reportedly channeled the light in fiberoptic manner through the rod and projected a concentrated spot of light from the end of the rod. Not sure if something like this might achieve my purpose.
–Grant
The end was like sitting on a bus starring at the back of someones head mumbling about something
I have a 10 watt led floodlight that have given up the ghost. Took it apart and the driver is similar ( same heatshrink wrap and all ) . Tried to understand the circuit , must say pretty interesting.
where can I get some of these?
an led to drive the transistor lol
you have my job lol I would love to tare stuff apart all day I love your videos thank you so Much for giving me something to watch that I enjoy
Regarding its construction, and the short pigtail, I would guess this is a govt spec item or a PLA item.
That would be what we call a spot light.
Hello Clive,,, And again you do a great job. Have you ever considered putting up a test pattern to shine the lights against? Maybe, something to show distance of the throw, and width.
20 Watts may not be the desisive answer for someone in the market. But as always, what you do is better than what we pay for . … 🙂
Live and Neutral seem to be connected incorrectly…wrong way around! Surprised you didn't spot that… Fuse seems to be on blue/neutral..
Does anyone know were i could get one of those narrow beam lights? Ive searched all over the interweb….
Can you tell me what magnification range your little illuminated magnifier has?