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Old 28th Jan 2018, 9:22 pm   #1
WaveyDipole
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Default LED lighting for the workspace

I currently have incandescent lighting above my workbench but it uses an old array of spotlights using in today's terms a whopping 180W (3 x 60W) in total. It is comfortably but not as one might expect overly bright given the power being used. I have therefore been considering converting to LED illumination but having had a look around eBay I'm not sure what to go for. I havent found anything that is a direct replacement for the ES screw spotlight bulbs although there are some LED bars of this type:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LED-Weath...53.m1438.l2649
However, I the replacement bulbs seems almost as expensive as the complete fittings. I was wondering whether anyone else has converted to LED lighting? What types of fitting did you use? Mains of battery/solar powered? Cool/daylight or warm white? Any EMI noise issues?

I had considered the possibility of PIR controlled solar powered lights but am not sure if a) they would be bright enough, and b) how long the charge would last in continuous use. I wouldn't want them going out every few minutes either, so mains powered seems to be the way to go, but would EMI noise and flicker be an issue?
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Old 28th Jan 2018, 9:29 pm   #2
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

I bought an LED 8W BC bulb for my den/workshop. I couldn't get on with the light from it at all. Far too white for me.
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Old 28th Jan 2018, 9:34 pm   #3
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

At Christmas I converted my workshop to LED lighting.

I simply replaced my florescent strip light tubes with LED replacements. The LED "tubes" came with a replacement "starter".

The spiel that came with the LED "tubes" said that you can either rewire the fitments or leave the ballast in situ. There is a small efficiency loss with the latter, as current flows through the ballast, but given the overall power saving I felt this could be ignored.


I chose daylight LED strips and I have to say, it has completely transformed my workshop lighting .
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Old 28th Jan 2018, 10:27 pm   #4
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

At present, our worktop lighting in the kitchen is by 3 x20 W small halogen units. Looking forward to a kitchen revamp in near future, we decided to buy a set of 4 LED lights from Lidl. Although the lights meet with SWIMBO's approval on size and reduced light output, I'll not be changing my bench lamps from the 3 x 20 W units I have fitted. One side effect, however on the Lidyl LED units is that these are multicoloured, and have a red output- so might have some use in photo situations- e.g. PCB production using light-sensitive materials.
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Old 28th Jan 2018, 10:43 pm   #5
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

If you are going for minimal upheaval it may be worth getting an ES LED lamp of the highest wattage available (approx 15W I would imagine) then seeing how it compares with the remaining two spotlamps. My last 100W halogen lamp over the kitchen table went 'bink' before Xmas and I replaced it with an ASDA 14W LED BC (pearl type diffuser cover) and was pleasantly surprised at its output. (warm white).
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Old 28th Jan 2018, 11:31 pm   #6
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

Hello all.

I have had a combination of LED and fluorescent lighting in my workshop for about 5 years. I have found it quite successful.
My setup here is I have my workshop under a mezzanine floor. This gives me plenty of floor joists to mount stuff. I have a double tube flourescent industrial light fixture directly above my workbench and two 20 watt LED floodlights mounted one above my right shoulder to the rear and the other over my left shoulder to the rear.
Both LED's are floodlights and not spotlights and are high Kelvin temperature daylight lamps. I found them very good for things such as component colour codes etc.
I have the Flourescent fixture and the 2 LED lamps on separate switched cicuits so if I have doubts about interference I can switch either light from my workbench.
Because a lot of my stuff is on the larger side I can not use one of those magnified light devices so I use a simple headband magnifier. Suits my purposes quite well.

Enough of my chatter.

Cheers all. Robert.
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Old 28th Jan 2018, 11:52 pm   #7
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

I replaced a 40W strip light in my kitchen (partner cave) with 4 X 10.5W under cabinet LED strips and ended up with the kitchen lit like full sun light. They are sold in Aldi/Lidl from time to time.
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Old 29th Jan 2018, 12:00 am   #8
QQVO6/40
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

Hello all again.

Just a small addit to my last post.
The mains power here where I live has Zellweger tone control superimposed over the power lines for things such as street lighting control and off peak water heater control. The sequence of tones control a lot of other functions known only to the power distributor.
I have noticed that the tones have the ability to modulate the light output of the 2 LED floodlights over my workbench. I first thought there was a problem with the lights but one evening I was using a power supply that has a noisy transformer in it and I could hear the Zellweger tones.
The tones corresponded with the slight fluctuations in light level from the 2 LED floodlights so the lights are really not at fault. It is just one of the characteristics of the lights themselves. All good as I can cope with that now I know what is going on.

Haha. In my last post I did say "enough of my chatter". Oops sorry!

Cheers, Robert.
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Old 29th Jan 2018, 12:00 am   #9
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Philpott View Post
If you are going for minimal upheaval it may be worth getting an ES LED lamp of the highest wattage available (approx 15w i would imagine) then seeing how it compares with the remaining 2 spotlamps. My last 100w halogen lamp over the kitchen table went 'bink' before xmas and i replaced it with an ASDA 14w LED BC (pearl type diffuser cover) and was pleasantly surprised at it's output. (warm white)
I did look for 'ES lamp' the other day on eBay but couldn't find a bulb the correct shape for the fitting. Today however I did a Google search on the same which brings up what I can now identify as an R63 no problem. So I now put in ES lamp R63 into eBay and presto, there they are! It seems that I can get cool or warm white and the highest power is 9W, which can be sourced from China for about £2 each. There is also an outfit in Belgium that will do 4 x 8W bulbs for £13 which does not seem too bad. UK sources appear to be a bit pricier.

I think I might give this idea a try as a first option but I will stick with the warm white ones I think.

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Originally Posted by QQVO6/40 View Post
The mains power here where I live has Zellweger tone control superimposed over the power lines for things such as street lighting control and off peak water heater control. The sequence of tones control a lot of other functions known only to the power distributor.
Never heard Zellweger tone control before. You learn something new every day. Just looked up the Wikipedia article on it.

Last edited by WaveyDipole; 29th Jan 2018 at 12:16 am.
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Old 29th Jan 2018, 12:45 am   #10
QQVO6/40
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

Hello Wavey Dipole.

May I offer a suggestion?
See if you can get to a lighting retailer or wholesaler and have a look at the different types of Kelvin ratings for the LED lamps. Take a selection of colour coded parts with you and compare the ease of reading them under different light values. I did this test and I found the daylight ones to be the best for my purposes.
Our whole house and yard is lit by LED fittings now and my wife and I have used a mixture of different light temperatures in certain areas for different effects.
An example, the toilet light is warm white but the linnen cupboard nearby is daylight as we needed extra brilliance to see in detail what we were doing. The two lamps are switched separately.
The light fitting over the dining table is warm white I think of around 3,000deg K so it gives a similar light to an incandescent bulb. The lamp itself is not visible as it is within the fixture.
In our loungeroom there are 2 antique reading lamps and both have daylight LEDs and in the same room there are 2 light fixtures. One over the television is warm white and the other over the coffe table / lounge area is a daylight fitting. Both of these fittings are 3 lamp fixtures and I have fitted three 3 watt lamps in each and they give excellent light.
Our power bills dropped when I went through and replaced all of the incandescent and CFL (compact fluourescent) lamps with LEDs.

Enough of my chatter.

Cheers all, Robert.
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Old 29th Jan 2018, 12:57 am   #11
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

I have a string of those led strips glued onto the roof of my workshop, they are very bright and light the place nice and evenly. Probably not the best looking method but it was cheap and works very well.Mine are warm white.

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Old 29th Jan 2018, 1:51 pm   #12
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

Quote:
Originally Posted by QQVO6/40 View Post
See if you can get to a lighting retailer or wholesaler and have a look at the different types of Kelvin ratings for the LED lamps. Take a selection of colour coded parts with you and compare the ease of reading them under different light values. I did this test and I found the daylight ones to be the best for my purposes.

I had wondered whether those LED strips would provide enough light so that is interesting. Regarding colour temperatures, that is also a very good point. Being able to read colour codes would be very important on an electronics workbench and it seems from the comments above that daylight white seems better for the task.
That is a relevant observation. being able to read colour codes easily would be an important consideration on an electronics workbench. My magnifier lamp with a daylight fluorescent tube does reasonably well for this. The microscope with its incandescent light, not quite so good.

I wonder whether the colour temperature has a bearing on red/green blindness? I have a definite leaning towards warm white, but I think your suggestion is an excellent one. The big B&Q warehouse in Leicester has a large selection of lights on display. I might pop down there one day had put your suggestion to the test before ordering anything.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bobskie View Post
I have a string of those led strips glued onto the roof of my workshop, they are very bright and light the place nice and evenly. Probably not the best looking method but it was cheap and works very well.Mine are warm white.
I had wondered whether those LED strips would provide enough light so that is interesting. They are quite cheap as you say. Any problems with flicker though?

Last edited by WaveyDipole; 29th Jan 2018 at 2:01 pm.
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Old 29th Jan 2018, 4:00 pm   #13
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

I have got a digital microscope with a harsh white LED and it is pretty good. I also use one of those magnified lamps with a circular tube and it also does pretty well.
As far as light output goes LEDs will easily outstrip old strip lights as happened when I replaced one in my kitchen as I said in post#7.
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Old 29th Jan 2018, 4:24 pm   #14
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

Not sure it'll be any cheaper, but you might find it useful browsing through the LED hut website (I have no connection - just a satisfied customer) - https://www.ledhut.co.uk/

I used them recently to 'convert' some 50W GU10 halogen spotlights (7X), to 5W LED's - I say 'convert', but in reality, it was just a case of swapping the bulbs ! It's not directly comparable to a workshop environment, but I was extremely satisfied with the result - they're easily as bright as the original halogens, with a 'warmer' light (2700 warm white type), at a fraction of the energy cost, and with the bulbs supposedly guaranteed 5 years, and all at less than £2 a bulb.
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Old 29th Jan 2018, 5:29 pm   #15
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

I started 'the 'same thread' a few months ago. There's lots of interesting answers, this was my kick off post:

My ageing mom needed more light in her kitchen, so I visited CEF and perused their range of striplights. I settled on an xcite (by Tamlite) LED batten 1500mm (5ft) because of its spec in terms of brightness, low power consumption and shallow profile. On fitting it in mom's kitchen I was very impressed with the increase in brightness over the previous 100W bulb, not to mention the spread and natural 'daylight' hue (4000K). So impressed in fact that I fitted one in place of the double florescent above my workbench. Excuse the pun, but the difference is like night and day, so much better in the ways I describe above. In fairness the photo below doesn't really prove or illustrate much, you really need to 'experience' a light level to make a judgement. The xcite lamp costs £58, not cheap but well worth it if you are considering upgrading your workshop lamp, or frankly anywhere in your home where a striplight could be used. It puts out 6200 lumens at 56W power consumption.

Here's the full thread: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=138744
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Old 29th Jan 2018, 7:42 pm   #16
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

There seems to be a happy medium with colour temperature, around 3500 to 4000k.

The little LED GU10's will no doubt have improved since i had some in my old kitchen- they used to cast a pool of light with noticeable blue and yellow patches in it- rather like a naff LED torch you might get free at a petrol station.

Shed-wise i got an improvement with the fluorescent fitting just by putting in s/h triphosphor tubes salvaged from the skip at work.

Kitchen-wise i went for enclosed LED 'pipes' rather than LED tape since being unprotected (and being DC so prone to corrosion?) i didn't fancy it's medium term chances of surviving steam,greasy fumes etc from cooking.
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Old 29th Jan 2018, 8:12 pm   #17
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

I got some £1 GU10 LED lamps from Poundland, 3500k 5W, quite bright and a smooth diffused light. Properly built with an aluminium core LED pcb and ali. cored outer shell held together with screws and some heatsink paste for good measure. Capacitor dropper too (minimal RFI). After experimenting in the bathroom* they where so good a few are now lighting my workshop, they are soldered to the supply wires, a GU10 lamp holder costs more than a pound!

*using proper lamp holders already in place.
 
Old 29th Jan 2018, 8:17 pm   #18
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

Quote:
Originally Posted by WaveyDipole View Post
I had wondered whether those LED strips would provide enough light so that is interesting. They are quite cheap as you say. Any problems with flicker though?
No problems with flicker, it's a very nice light actually I was rather surprised.
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Old 29th Jan 2018, 9:45 pm   #19
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

Quote:
Originally Posted by stevehertz View Post
My ageing mom needed more light in her kitchen, so I visited CEF and perused their range of striplights. I settled on an xcite (by Tamlite) LED batten 1500mm (5ft) because of its spec in terms of brightness, low power consumption and shallow profile.
I have never heard of CEF before but I found and had a look at their website, which was a rather strange experience as there is no pricing. I then saw this was mentioned by someone on your thread. I contacted CEF on chat and apparently they only deal with trade and business customers although as a member of the public I can visit their 'store' (since its on an industrial estate I presume it is a warehouse). I guess the website does at least allow me to see what products they offer. Unfortunately they don't see to sell a 3ft batten, just 2ft, 4ft and 5ft, but I might just about be able to fit the 4ft. I discovered there is an outlet about 10 miles from me so the next time I am in Hinckley I might pop in and have a look out of interest.

Incidentally, I had a look on the LED Hut site, but they do not appear to sell fittings of that type.

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There seems to be a happy medium with colour temperature, around 3500 to 4000k.
Thanks. I have noted that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Philpott View Post
The little LED GU10's will no doubt have improved since i had some in my old kitchen- they used to cast a pool of light with noticeable blue and yellow patches in it- rather like a naff LED torch you might get free at a petrol station.
Yes, I think I know the ones you mean as I have a couple like that in my kitchen to light up the breakfast bar. The worktop is dark so it doesn't show quite so much. These were the first one to appear in the pound shop and I think its a 'rainbow effect' caused by the cheap reflector or the lenses.

Quote:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WaveyDipole View Post
I had wondered whether those LED strips would provide enough light so that is interesting. They are quite cheap as you say. Any problems with flicker though?
No problems with flicker, it's a very nice light actually I was rather surprised.
Thanks for confirming that.

Last edited by WaveyDipole; 29th Jan 2018 at 9:51 pm.
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Old 29th Jan 2018, 11:15 pm   #20
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Default Re: LED lighting for the workspace

Hello all.
Changed my workshop bench light over from a 60W incandescent to a LED daylight, a bit bright at first but I have got used to it now. Only issue was terrible FM interference, this was cured by fitting a 1” ferrite bead over the feed in directly above the lamp-holder.
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