Ceiling light hack with mind-bender

Proper heat sinking is extremely important. After 30 years in the electronics industry, I can say with authority "never run it at more than 80% rated capacity and heat sink the hell out of it". It'll last forever.

Barry Ducote

We get a lot of Sylvania stuff in Australia. It always makes me think of the jingle from Sylavanian Families toy commercials from the 1980s.

Loscha

It's definitely a greatly improved power factor over a standard circuit with a simple rectifier and capacitor arrangement. With that approach the current is drawn at the tip of the sinewave to top up the capacitor. With this approach a base DC is there, but the upper part of the sinewave is still active, and potentially powering the circuit directly during that part of the waveform, as it will be reverse biasing the capacitor's diodes above about 170V.

Big Clive

I modelled the circuit and it certainly behaves odd. But I'm yet to be convinced by the power factor argument. When you run a rectified voltage signal into a current regulator it tries to "square up" the current anyway - depending on energy storage and bandwidth.

Mike Page

That's a fantastic bit of detective work Clive - the reason why I headed this way in the first place. You have a real talent for complex diagnosis and should give it some more room on centre stage. I challenge you to explain the triple diode thing to us all in the third hour of the Sat stream - by which time we'll all be well-greased and ready for anything. What's more, your epilogue on the bare enclosure is a real eye-opener in its own right. I can see all those multi-LED rectangular lights being put into these domes - after being slightly modded of course.

Ymir the Frost Giant

Yes! Thanks! This was again one of those very practical and useful videos where you explain to us commoners how to repair stuff and make stuff last longer. I really appreciate those. This lamp is another example of "dead-by-design" (planned obsolescence) we see so often these days. Manufactures limiting the lifespan of electronics by intentionally overrunning LEDs or by grilling them with too much power. It is really time for 'right to repair' and initiatives like in France where products are ranked by how long they work and how easy they are to repair. I've just revived a electronic device by replacing the diodes in the discrete bridge rectifier. 30 minutes of figuring it out, 10 minutes to repair. A couple of years lifespan gained for the device.

Mario2020

Very interesting video- thanks BC,

Mike Hughes

We use standard bayonet cap led light bulbs in my house, due to the fact I am disabled and my wife has to change the lightbulbs. To much faffing about for me Clive. How long did it last ?

Jeremy Travis

Very clever bit of simple PFC that is better than nothing. May help for Phone chargers and other low power stuff? - Thanks Clive good to start the day with!

Wow that sounds like quite something. I need to watch this when I have plenty of bandwidth available. Greetings from the African bush.

Frank

Interesting vid and thanks to Thomas Nagy! Would love to see one of those magnetic/stick on light replacements you mentioned.

Thanks Big Clive. That was interesting.

Dave Frederick