Druidic Dabblings and General Twaddle !!

[modelman093]

What Stock said above. Slowly replacing all here with led. Remember if you are changing from fluorescent to led to ditch the ballast in the fitting. It’s amazing how leds have come on in the last 5 years.

A couple of years ago I replaced just the tubes in six fluorescent fittings in my workshop with led tubes and "fuses" to replace the starters. But there were no instructions to remove the ballasts which are still in place and they work fine. Question - does this mean that there are different types of leds?

 

[Shovelhands]

I’ve just replaced a load of fluorescent tubes with LED, but to fit these you have to remove all the guts from the unit, ballasts etc. Then wire one end of the unit direct to the supply. They work well and give a nice light.

The trouble with the plug n play LED tubes where you replace the starter, is you are still running the ballast, so you can’t take advantage of the LED energy saving.

 

[V8Druid]

A couple of years ago I replaced just the tubes in six fluorescent fittings in my workshop with led tubes and "fuses" to replace the starters. But there were no instructions to remove the ballasts which are still in place and they work fine. Question - does this mean that there are different types of leds?

a timely post Angus ..... was just sorting some pix ..... I tried one of these tonight before quitting ... put a wire on it and plugged it in .....WOW!! ... as Stock said " The dogs nuts in light " eyeball scorchers without the diffuser in place

The dogs nuts in light Druid I'm planning a revamp of the workshop and the 9 florescent presently in situ will be replaces with 6 of those.............................. but do buy a good quality one ...............................

Can affect the DAB radio though........................................

What Stock said above. Slowly replacing all here with led. Remember if you are changing from fluorescent to led to ditch the ballast in the fitting. It’s amazing how leds have come on in the last 5 years.

Interesting ..... I wonder if yours are different to the ones Angus has ?? ....... I see LED tubes on ebay and wondered (a) if they're usable in existing units and (b) just what they're like
these are flat strips / arrays of LEDs on a flat panel .... with some sort of driver unit behind the panel .... forgot - - yeh, I forgot - - to take some pix of the guts .... I'll rectify that again
Jeeeeeeez they are 'kin bright .....

without diffuser .....

with diffuser ....

camera doesn't do it justice TBF ..... it's a 'clean' light if that makes any sense ..... sharp and bright.

I now have a dilemma
me 40ft tool box has 5 x 4ft twins - 20 ft of lighting and has a decent light level ......
do I replace them with these 24ft of 4 x 6ft eye schorchers ???
seems a waste of awesomeness, putting them in't mower shed, which'll only get switched on occasionally and stick the 4 fts in the mower shed ... nigh on same output from these HF fluros, just not as sharp ..... or 'bright'
got enough wiring going on already ......................... but

 

[modelman093]

I’ve just replaced a load of fluorescent tubes with LED, but to fit these you have to remove all the guts from the unit, ballasts etc. Then wire one end of the unit direct to the supply. They work well and give a nice light.

The trouble with the plug n play LED tubes where you replace the starter, is you are still running the ballast, so you can’t take advantage of the LED energy saving.

So , I've bought "plug and play " tubes -does that mean that due to their design I have to retain the ballasts or can I ditch them ? Even as they are the great joy is the instant starting without all the cold weather flickering and messing about!

 

[Shovelhands]

So , I've bought "plug and play " tubes -does that mean that due to their design I have to retain the ballasts or can I ditch them ? Even as they are the great joy is the instant starting without all the cold weather flickering and messing about!

As I understand it, you need to retain the ballasts if that’s what you’ve bought. I have done a couple like that in the past, but stripping the guts out and fitting direct LED tubes is the way forward I think. But as I understand it they are two different types of LED tube, one plug n play, and one that requires a rewire of the unit.

 

[V8Druid]

having found a label inside one of these units today ... been trying to suss a source for more of them ....

seem to have some connections with Screwfix???? but are a...

" dormant company incorporated on 26 March 2007 with the registered office located in Yeovil, Somerset. Powersmith Limited hasbeen running for 11 years 11 months. There are currently 2 active directors and 0 active secretaries according to the latest confirmation statement submitted on 22nd June 2018. "

https://suite.endole.co.uk/insight/company/06182952-powersmith-limited

Most odd? more research required !!

got on well yesterday with the equipment installation for the wiring ....

Consumer unit mount ...

rest of the sockets (for now) up .. need some more square trunking to run further back into the shed .... do it while I'm 'in the zone'

and turned my attention to getting the light units up in the ridge .... the 4 fts'll have to stay in the box .... can not be arsed to strip and refit that !!

managed to get the second one up by the end of play today .... between everything else ... one more to do tomorrow, perhaps .... been quite a battle getting them up .... balanced on a few planks spanning my high level shelving.... ridge is an uncomfortable height above ... not tall enough to be good stood up and a bit too high off yer knees .... been an interesting, uncomfortable day

 

[Charlie]

Been having a googleing morning and it looks like it was a product made just for screwfix and is now no longer made mate.

 

[V8Druid]

Been having a googleing morning and it looks like it was a product made just for screwfix and is now no longer made mate.

aye that's the conclusion I came to, too ..... pity ... they're are impressive

 

[pettsy]

If you look, a lot of the brands that screwfix sell have the same directors

 

[V8Druid]

If you look, a lot of the brands that screwfix sell have the same directors

seems a bit of a strange set up that ... dormant company submitting regular accounts

 

[V8Druid]

got the third one up .... after a bit of a struggle .. I'm stood on a ladder on one foot, t'other on a plank. The one clip had engaged POP .... t'other would not ****ing have it ....... couldn't let go of it and had it balanced on me head ...... needed a screw driver to tweak the clip .... had to ring Pam and for once she actually had her phone in her pocket ......... what a bloody performance

wiring the bar stewards is gonna be even more fun ..... unlike every other unit I've ever hung ..... there are no retainer cords to support the guts, whilst they would normally hang free to get the wiring into 'em and no way for attaching any to the enclosures
can see this being exciting, combined with the fact that i am gonna have to be able string the cables out, 12 ft in the air with not the greatest of access ...... may have to empty the shed of mowers to get some tower scaff in there

on a positive note I did get all the sockets wired and connected up ..... 'sposed to be torrential here tomorrow, so at least I'll be in the dry attempting to get these strung ..... or at least the do-able bits sorted

 

[Charlie]

Use two loops of string either end going round the whole unit to hold the gubbins just below the fixture mate

 

[V8Druid]

Use two loops of string either end going round the whole unit to hold the gubbins just below the fixture mate

you read my mind Charlie ... would've been nice if they'd had the tethers though, have em hanging side on .... gonna be a PITFA whatever I do and they're flimsy ali back plates

 

[Shovelhands]

you read my mind Charlie ... would've been nice if they'd had the tethers though, have em hanging side on .... gonna be a PITFA whatever I do and they're flimsy ali back plates

Presumably no weight to them though? As they have no ballast?

 

[V8Druid]

Presumably no weight to them though? As they have no ballast?

they have some quite large driver units attached to them, surprisingly James ... damned near the same as a ballast unit .... I'll get some pix.
got all me wiring in, up to the ridge and ready to string out between the light units and the exterior floods, each end .... now the fun'll start ... psyching meself up for this bit

 

[Shovelhands]

they have some quite large driver units attached to them, surprisingly James ... damned near the same as a ballast unit .... I'll get some pix.
got all me wiring in, up to the ridge and ready to string out between the light units and the exterior floods, each end .... now the fun'll start ... psyching meself up for this bit

The tube replacement LED tubes I’ve just fitted go straight in off the mains! No driver required, bloody brilliant

 

[V8Druid]

had a delivery this morning ..... at 08.00 .... on his way to Hereford, to pick summat up, so thought he'd drop these off for me ... saved me collecting 'em ... might've been a tight fit in my 10 x 5 trailer .... Richy's was a lovely thing .. with a big price tag

nice little pile of Kumhos, with delivery mileage (and the tits, still ) on 'em ... never seen dirt ... or anything else for that matter

Good though the 'Drema's boots are, in the tread dept., they'm on borrowed time and starting to / cracking badly with age ... they are 21 years old

been on the look out for summat for a while, 'fore anything goes bang, with some weight on on a corner and things get seriously out of shape .
Known this fella a good 30 odd years and when he came across these, he messaged me, asking if they were of any interest .... taken off Road Railer conversions, new out the box .. couple of firms do 'em around here ... did I want any at a very good price.
.... and what is it the bears do in the woods??

Also acquired a set and spares, for a forum member too

Twenty new 10.00-20s, with tubes and gaiters fitted, sat there
Gonna be busy when the weather improves

 

[V8Druid]

The tube replacement LED tubes I’ve just fitted go straight in off the mains! No driver required, bloody brilliant

where'd you get them from James .... do you have any info. / spec.s on them please .... presumably if you have the end plugs, they could be put anywhere with a couple of Terry clips ?? they sound very good

 

[Shovelhands]

where'd you get them from James .... do you have any info. / spec.s on them please .... presumably if you have the end plugs, they could be put anywhere with a couple of Terry clips ?? they sound very good

Will have a look on the packaging when I’m next in the workshop, there’s a bit of paperwork in there too iirc.
Yes, if you had the fittings for the ends, they could go anywhere?
I’m fitting them into weatherproof fittings, you’d never know they were in there tbh.

I get them from my local supplier. Not sure what brand they are, will find out. They have been very useful in a bunch of fittings that had faults and were otherwise good but useless if they don’t work. And I had all of my fluorescencts in the workshop go bang the other day, all at the same time? Weird, must have had some sort of power surge that destroyed the electronic ballast. So these tubes have saved the fitting basically.

 

[V8Druid]

Will have a look on the packaging when I’m next in the workshop, there’s a bit of paperwork in there too iirc.
Yes, if you had the fittings for the ends, they could go anywhere?
I’m fitting them into weatherproof fittings, you’d never know they were in there tbh.

I get them from my local supplier. Not sure what brand they are, will find out. They have been very useful in a bunch of fittings that had faults and were otherwise good but useless if they don’t work. And I had all of my fluorescencts in the workshop go bang the other day, all at the same time? Weird, must have had some sort of power surge that destroyed the electronic ballast. So these tubes have saved the fitting basically.

they sound like the ultimate solution to fluorecents, with virtually no work to make good units from knackered ones and convert any others you wish.
I'd appreciate any info you can rustle up James ..... annoying thing is .... when I cleared the shop (yeh, I know it's a common sentence from me ) I slung maybe 40 or more double waterproof 8 ft fittings, many of which were functional, some suspect ... would've been ideal converts , even if one had to put 4 x 4ft tubes into 'em ... gave away boxes of 8 ft tubes too