EEVblog Electronics Community Forum

EEVblog => Other Blogs => Topic started by: cpuerror on October 18, 2021, 11:42:22 am

Title: Repair: Illuminating the LED Bulb SCAM
Post by: cpuerror on October 18, 2021, 11:42:22 am
I dig in and find out why these supposedly environmental products "mysteriously" fail well before their advertised lifetime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N8A2Hqs378 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N8A2Hqs378)
Title: Re: Repair: Illuminating the LED Bulb SCAM
Post by: Psi on October 18, 2021, 12:06:41 pm
i don't even have to watch the video to know why, they design the driver to run way to hot.
Either a bridge diode fails or the cap gets slowly cooked until the switchmode has no filtering.
Title: Re: Repair: Illuminating the LED Bulb SCAM
Post by: Zero999 on October 18, 2021, 12:44:02 pm
Quote from: Psi on October 18, 2021, 12:06:41 pm
i don't even have to watch the video to know why, they design the driver to run way to hot.
Either a bridge diode fails or the cap gets slowly cooked until the switchmode has no filtering.
To make matters worse, going by the lack of an inductor, the power supply shown in the YouTube thumbnail, is linear, not switching.
Title: Re: Repair: Illuminating the LED Bulb SCAM
Post by: madires on October 18, 2021, 01:49:03 pm
Yup, non-existing thermal management for the driver. You can call it also planned obsolescence, AKA "let's cook the driver". The LEDs might last 30kh, but not the driver. And we end up with even more e-waste. :-- Looks like we need some regulation to discourage manufacturers from producing that junk.
Title: Re: Repair: Illuminating the LED Bulb SCAM
Post by: Psi on October 19, 2021, 11:11:15 pm
Yeah, we badly need enforced laws to prevent companies claims "50,000 hours" on their LED bulbs unless it's actually true.
They state the LED diode life but then design a driver to work for 1000-2000 hours.

This is why I'm slowly updating rooms in the house to use recessed LED stripe lighting.
At least with that you can run the lighting it at whatever brightness you desire to keep the heat acceptable, and the driver is separate so easily replicable.
Title: Re: Repair: Illuminating the LED Bulb SCAM
Post by: madires on October 20, 2021, 08:59:23 am
I'm also a heavy user of LED strips.
Title: Re: Repair: Illuminating the LED Bulb SCAM
Post by: cpuerror on October 20, 2021, 06:37:43 pm
it's amazing how long they have been getting away with it, but I suppose the grift is small enough and has been going on for so long that it has escaped regulators. And really, how often do people claim the warranty? Noma could easily demand receipts, that you ship the bulbs back to the manufacturer, and then they can pro rate it and offer a 25% discount or something on the next purchase of identical lights. They make it so it makes no economical sense to do anything other than chuck them at EOL.