I was sent a couple of these lamps by someone who spends time working in both the UK and Japan doing repairs to municipal and signage lighting. He's had a number of new lamps fail shortly after being installed and wondered what the cause was.
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18 thoughts on “Autopsy of a dead led lamp from a japanese sign.”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Tedys Electronics Tech Channel Я says:

    Overvoltage is the cause of death of those bulbs the capacitors are rated in 250 to 275v in place of 400v capacitors not well designed they have save it allot money on those bulbs as much as they compromised the normal life of that lamp those kind of lamps should not be for sale with that kind of design but i love the 4 type led position inside a Christmas bulb 😊

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars TheHulkamaniaBrother2.0 says:

    Why do LEDs flicker on camera and not in real life?

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Dan Coulson says:

    When I was in Japan, I was impressed to see that they still very frequently use incandescent lamps for many things.
    It may seem odd, considering they're technologically advanced – But most of the older technology is maintained well, instead of being replaced for the sake of it.
    On their subways, they still use T12 fluorescent lamps, and many of the train station signs are illuminated with what appear to be 15w incandescent lamps.

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Robben Felix says:

    "go all Louis Rossmann" :DD Love that guy, too.

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars GabryJ84 says:

    Most LED lamps are poorly engineered today (in Italy we say that they are made with the ass instead of with the brain, don't know if there is a specific english way of saying that), even with famous or unsuspectable brands.
    I tested OSRAM 11W Filament Warm LED and they are shit from top to bottom, every 8-12 months I had to replace them because the lamp was first getting very dim (when you see the LED lit with a very small ammount of light, which should indicate capacitor failure) for some days and then eventually shuting down completely. I teared them apart every single time and the filaments were just ok, but the driver was always failing. I subsequently moved to Philips (in the ceiling lights I could do that, since Philips 11W Filament feature bigger globes than the smaller power ones) and they are still working.
    I even had one IKEA LED lamp that, fortunately enough when I was at home, started to decay 1 year after being purchased alternating some minutes of full brightness and others of very dim light and after some time it killed itself when it begun to sparkle inside the base (poping noises from inside) and to emit smoke!!! (I mean…such a thing can set an entire house on fire, damnit!!!).
    I do know that capacitors are the most solicited parts in these designs, also because there is really no space for the electronics to "breathe" and cool themselves, but in my experience, there are very few led lighs that are compliant with the estimated lifespan and this is building up lots of E-Waste also because electronics and/or LEDs are not replaceable or easily fixable and when one of the two fails miserably, you are forced to throw away also the part that is still working.
    They should at least create a design where parts can be detached so you are only going to service the part that died, while keeping the still working one.
    But I suspect that aside from environmental problems, the whole LED thing has just been an enormous commercial bargain for companies, especially Chinese ones.

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars reace m says:

    Maybe if the rectifier was shorted, it would prevent the leds lighting, even if they're good, I don't think you checked the rectifier

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars 50 shades of the dominator says:

    Are these even made by a Japanese company? It doesn't seem like it to me, it seems like some poorly made lamp attempting to be general purpose with a wide voltage range. However a lamp specifically made for Japan will be designed for 100v, and will either be on the 50hz half of the country, or the 60hz half. The fact that this guy had these lamps that don't appear to be specifically made for Japan, and there is no Japanese branding on the box, and that this guy is a foreigner himself from the UK, tells me that whatever company he works for sounds like some amateur hour sh*t, and these bulbs look like some made in China tier crap.

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Chris Mooneyham says:

    They have stuff inside. And things dont forget the things in there.

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars James Firth says:

    Just for future reference – bulbs get hot, the glue used is chosen so that it DOESN'T melt with heat. If you want to separate the glass from the socket put it in your freezer or misuse an "airduster" can to cool the bulb to below freezing, the cooler the better. The glue will then become so brittle that you should be able to twist the glass right out with little effort.

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars SubZero39 says:

    "Know something worth noting one of them is clear LEDs one is very very slightly frosty daddies"

    I love autocaptions.

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars burtosis says:

    I’ve looked into why led bulbs I’ve used fail and it’s been the capacitor every time. Worst one used an electrolytic and when it blew the vapor filled two rooms with noxious fumes. I was able to hear it pop, and air things out, but if one of these failed in a closed room while someone was sleeping could be fatal.

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Phino K.M. says:

    Why would the resistor have failed though? Assuming the capacitor has a constant resistance of 3.2 kΩ that would mean it is dissipating about 16 watts of power while the 10 Ω resistor would only be dissipating 0.05 watts plus whatever reactive power the capacitor is providing. So assuming the LEDs don't fail open circuit first, I would expect the capacitor to burn out pretty quickly.
    Of course transients and or choppy power supply due to arcing or whatever can cause the diode to pass quite enormes current spikes, but in that case I would expect the LEDs to fail open circuit before the resistor actually burns out.

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Demef says:

    Ain't no ~330nF/400V ceramic capacitor that is that small (surface mount 1210?). Probably more like a 50V or 100V cap. I don't know if I've ever seen a ceramic SM cap rated for 400V. If one exists, it will be significantly larger than the cap you see here. Search on Digikey for one. Failure root cause: really dumb choice of capacitor, guaranteed failure.

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Viper vids gaming plus says:

    Inside is unicorn poop, my guess before it is opened

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Leturnis Jazz bish says:

    Beams of light look like uwu mixed with a smiley face

  16. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Dank Memes For Angry Teens says:

    zooms out NOOOOOOO

  17. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars bobx dark says:

    I have been to Japan 3 times in the last year, each time 2-3 weeks. I have tried to find a single dead LED, specially say in trains, or train stations. Could not find any.

  18. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Kevin Poore says:

    What's inside is 100% chinesium another words garbage

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