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It's kinda rare that the LED lamps fail, so I was secretly quite pleased when one of the lamps in my bathroom started flickering intermittently before failing completely.
This video covers the analysis and simple repair bodge used to get it running again.

12 thoughts on “Fixing a dead led lamp. interesting failure.”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Tedys Electronics Tech Channel ะฏ says:

    Interesting to discussion is how to make a led bulb that resist high temperature inside the oven without geting burned or melted down it remembered me by that bulb form

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Ipsum the Purple Wuss - Loud Nation says:

    You could have recorded the lamp exploding with the capacitor in reverse polarity lol.

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Peter Duxbury says:

    Clive, we all know that LED Lights often fail – well before their expected life! Being a bit of a Thinker, I would love your thoughts on this: Why not have an Induction Coil, which is inbuilt into the Bayonet Light Fitting – just a small (circular) torroidal transformer which could give a very low VA, and (yet) cater for all Wattages of LED Lamps. THEN, another much smaller circular coil, which is built into every production-made LED Light Unit. The whole purpose of this arrangement, is simply because there is an extremely-wide voltage range between the Domestic Mains supply (here in Australia is the same as the UK – at 240VAC and 50 Hz. Already, we have two (2) large issues: LED lights work absolutely the best on a stable DC Power Source, and also bringing down the wattage slightly using PWM.I have done this since 2005 in my home, with LED Lighting (17 individual Units) which illuminate my home from Dusk to dawn on 365 days / year, and it's so good that I could not live without it! My point is: Not ONE of those 17 LED Lights failed, but I just changed them all out last week, because I noticed that the illumination of each Unit had deteriorated over the 17 years of daily use. LED's work perfectly, at a stable current and voltage source, but more particularly if they have a well-known brand, and not a Chinese copy of the famous brands. If you are still reading this, the main objective here, is to solve the issue of the large voltage (mains supply), to the voltage that would be more suited. Lets say 12V AC.
    A small circular (mating) Coil which is built-into every LED Lamp, would ensure sufficient voltage could be supplied to illuminate any type of LED Array. In this way, the internal PCB and components that are currently used – could be slashed by the LED Manufacturer. I was horrified to open-up a 240V AC / 15W Light Bulb from ALDI. This was made in Germany. The PCB was loaded with 2X the number of components on the Board. Now, the worst part of all was the Cast Aluminium Heat Sink. I swear that this Casting weighed the equivalent of 20 aluminium Coke Cans!! Many or all of these failed lights end-up in Landfill. The ALDI LED LIght was also hard plastic coated. Germany has no thoughts on greening the Planet producing these. If you are still reading, my proposal would be this: Every person who uses LED Globes, could also buy a Bayonet Fitting with a circular coil. It's not Rocket Science to fit an external component (that would normally be inside an LED Light on some types), which can be used indefinitely. I would just love to see Clive make one of these – with fewer (bare minimum) internal lamp circuitry and components. Then, using a quality LED Module (such as Cree), then leave it permanently lit to log its' life. Sorry that this is an Essay, and greetings from Australia.

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Paul Lelys says:

    I have two corn cob lights waiting to be repaired and you have prompted me to finally do it. I also noticed the tiny black speck on a couple of the LED's and found them to be faulty so kept the globes for eventual repair. They were fairly cheap but only worked for a few weeks then died.
    Hopefully the link across the dead ones will work.
    Thanks for the effort producing all the videos.
    After reading the comments it seems like a very common problem.

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

    I literally have the exact same light, and the exact same thing happened to mine, black dots on the led's that burnt themselves out. Clearly this LED itself is a horrible design, if both mine and yours did it. If memory serves me correctly I bought it on ebay. I live in Australia where our voltage is also slightly higher than China's, when voltage at the source is higher, you would need a different value resistor to keep the current at the proper level that the led diodes can take. These fail commonly, because the extra 10-20v in our countries, drives the LED's a bit over, and because the LED's themselves are not super amazing in quality. 220v is China, Australia is 230v, Scotland is 230v.
    This isn't the worst LED I have however, I bought an LED that failed in a matter of minutes, to open it up and find out that the Chinese had used a 100v capacitor, predictably it was bulged out and destroyed.
    The only LED I have that lasts, are ones bought in Australian stores that are specifically made for our power. The longest lasting LED I have is my own LED made from 3 of the 1w diodes that are on a heatsink, and are run from a 3w LED constant current power supply bought off ebay, which is like a little white plastic box and about the size of a match box roughly. This setup has run every night for around 8 years, it's truly reliable.

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Yorkshire Rose says:

    That's a bit like the old gardener's trick – "If you leave the old bulbs in, they'll come again next season"!

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Kevin Dondrea says:

    Hitting the light to get it to work. Are you sure you're not Italian? XD

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars fiqa malik says:

    Hi I took one of this apart I have 6 leds. Was wondering if I can connect this to a 12v motorcycle battery. Would I need anything or I can just connect it straight?

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Phonotical says:

    whatever happened to this bulb in the end?

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars PT says:

    You can bridge it with a small led color not important

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Zephod Beeblebrox says:

    LED bulbs are such garbage. I've had so many of these things fail. In fact I've never had any household or RV LEDs actually work past a few months.

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Dougie Quick says:

    I had one very much like this (screw base) fail after only 3 years….I say "only" because it is my flipping FREEZER light which is on MAYBE 20 minutes a month during the very brief times we open the freezer! Makes me wonder now if the door switch is stuck…. why would anyone lead light fail Indo short of on hours?? Maybe 12 hours total on time in 3 years? Probably much less I am using worse case..is there something about freezing temps that would cause early failure? Should I use an incandescent instead ?

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