LED strip lighting in kitchen

Just been talking to Aurora tech again. It seems someone does not know their arse from their elbow...

Having been told I can use the AULED1012CV to run 2 x 5W LED MR16 lamps, I am now told that it will run only one.

Also, apparently, the drivers or lamps don't have bridge rectifiers built in. Polarity is not an issue with MR16's because all ELV lampholders have a bridge rectifier built in.

I know that my ELV lampholders do not have bridge rectifiers built in. So, if the lamp does not have a BR, the driver does not have a BR and the lampholder does not have a BR, how does one ensure correct polarity?
 
Even if the lamp holders did have a bridge rectifier you would still need to fit the lamps the correct way round.

But all this is just YET ANOTHER example of manufacturers not knowing what they are selling.

Remember some of the other examples:
Digital aerials.
Plugtops
. . . . .
 
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ELV lampholders do not have anything built in. There are ELV light fittings that have a transformer "built in", if by built in you mean attached to the same bit of metal that screws onto the ceiling. Even then they don't have rectifiers because they've never needed them. Are there newer fittings intended for LEDs with the whole circuitry built in to rectify AC? Maybe, but I haven't seen them.

Most LED ELV lamps have rectifiers built in, yes all in that tiny shell, so that they are plug-in replacements and can run off AC. Some don't and require an external driver of some sort that provides DC, for example a SMPS, and obviously can't be used as plug-in replacements for halogen lamps in most fittings.

Since most LED lamps accept AC input and rectify it themselves, it doesn't matter which way you plug them in. Those which expect DC presumably do need to be plugged in the correct way. Has anyone got one of these rare beasties handy? I've got some LED strips that have an obvious polarity, but not a more conventional light bulb.
 
So can the lamp be connected either way round without damage?
 
securespark said:
So can the lamp be connected either way round without damage?
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Virtually any LED MR16 you will find can be plugged in either way round. The AC ones you're most likely to use obviously can.

I just looked up the specs for a specialist DC-only MR16 and it says that it includes a diode bridge so that it is polarity-insensitive. I say specialist because you can't just plug it in to a wallwart and expect good results - it requires a compatible constant current driver. I've seen others that include current-regulating circuitry - presumably not too much to ask that they also have a diode bridge?
 
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securespark said:
So can the lamp be connected either way round without damage?
Click to expand...

All the ones i have used have the bridge rectifier in the lamp, Ive only seen one in the past that had + and - stamped on it, but it was a specialist lamp and likely to be sold only to someone that new polarity was important.
We frequently use the normal ones at work, either on ac transformers with a low minimum load rating or on the Dc supplies similar to your proposed aurora one.

As per johnW2 drawing the lamp gubbings sorts out the correct polarity to the actual LED element, whether AC or DC any way round, the actual led element will always get the correct DC polarity
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winston1 said:
You are as bad as he was. Nothing pedantry about correcting someone who has made a common mistake.
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I'm utterly confused by this use of language. Perhaps you mean: 'Nothing pedantic about correcting someone who has made a common mistake' ? ;)
 
What about the loading of the CV driver?

Two sources from the company differ: one says two MR16 5W lamps can be run from the 10W driver, another says only 1 x 5W lamp can be connected due to inrush currents. They said when it comes to using MR16's, each 5W lamp needs its own 10W driver. I asked if a bigger load could be placed on a bigger driver, but the answer was no.

When I look at Aurora's tech sheet, there is no mention of a need to underload.
 
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You have already established in post 32 that they don't know what they are talking about. Do LED lamps have a significant inrush current? I don't think so. And what is all this talk about MR16s? Many, perhaps the majority of MR16s are 240 volts, so don't need a driver or power supply at all. I've a feeling this company does not even know what MR16 is.
 
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