Lidl ceiling light with different circuitry than I expected
bigclivedotcom 10:39
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Another video that I filmed while staying in work-provided accommodation. Hence the slightly boomy audio and grey background. It also made the videos a bit more awkward to make, as I had to upload image files mid-video and then print the images at work.
This is one of many random light that appears in the middle of Lidl in the UK. Lidl is a grocery store that has a central area with weekly stock of tools and home accessories to tempt workers to go in to see what's new, and also get their shopping while they're there.
Their electrical stuff is generally well designed and safety compliant. This light's cost is comparable to one bought from an online market like amazon and ebay, but with safety and a warranty.
The circuitry is not what I expected. I opened it thinking that it would have a buck regulator with filtering, but they have used a power factor enhanced linear regulator that will have very low electrical noise.
I brought one of these lights back to my workshop to explore further, and it seems as though the control chip may be switching the electrolytic capacitor so that it only charges to about 16V above the LED voltage. That means the linear regulator section has much less voltage to drop and stays much cooler. Here's the data:-
Power dissipation 13W.
Colour temperature 4000K (mid white)
Power factor 0.8
Capacitor voltage 274V DC.
LED voltage 258V DC.
Voltage difference between cap and LEDs 16V.
This test was done with a supply voltage of 245V AC which would normally charge the electrolytic capacitor up to about 345V DC. My guess is that when it reaches the desired LED voltage with a suitable margin it just opens the circuit to stop the capacitor charging any further.
No buying link, because this style of light is only available at Lidl stores in Europe, and the availability depends on when they randomly have them in stock.
Here's a link to their website though, so you can see what sort of stuff they sell.
https://www.lidl.co.uk/c/middle-of-lidl
If you enjoy my videos, you can pamper me with coffee, cookies and gadgets by supporting the channel on Patreon. You also get early access to videos without adverts, bonus footage and regular quiet Patreon live streams.
https://www.patreon.com/bigclive
Alternatively, for a single coffee contribution you can use PayPal:-
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/bigclive
#ElectronicsCreators
This is one of many random light that appears in the middle of Lidl in the UK. Lidl is a grocery store that has a central area with weekly stock of tools and home accessories to tempt workers to go in to see what's new, and also get their shopping while they're there.
Their electrical stuff is generally well designed and safety compliant. This light's cost is comparable to one bought from an online market like amazon and ebay, but with safety and a warranty.
The circuitry is not what I expected. I opened it thinking that it would have a buck regulator with filtering, but they have used a power factor enhanced linear regulator that will have very low electrical noise.
I brought one of these lights back to my workshop to explore further, and it seems as though the control chip may be switching the electrolytic capacitor so that it only charges to about 16V above the LED voltage. That means the linear regulator section has much less voltage to drop and stays much cooler. Here's the data:-
Power dissipation 13W.
Colour temperature 4000K (mid white)
Power factor 0.8
Capacitor voltage 274V DC.
LED voltage 258V DC.
Voltage difference between cap and LEDs 16V.
This test was done with a supply voltage of 245V AC which would normally charge the electrolytic capacitor up to about 345V DC. My guess is that when it reaches the desired LED voltage with a suitable margin it just opens the circuit to stop the capacitor charging any further.
No buying link, because this style of light is only available at Lidl stores in Europe, and the availability depends on when they randomly have them in stock.
Here's a link to their website though, so you can see what sort of stuff they sell.
https://www.lidl.co.uk/c/middle-of-lidl
If you enjoy my videos, you can pamper me with coffee, cookies and gadgets by supporting the channel on Patreon. You also get early access to videos without adverts, bonus footage and regular quiet Patreon live streams.
https://www.patreon.com/bigclive
Alternatively, for a single coffee contribution you can use PayPal:-
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/bigclive
#ElectronicsCreators
Category (YouTube): Science & Technology
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