LED Driver - replacement for G4 halogen spots in kitchen

[maturin23]

Hi all,

We've currently using G4 halogen spots (IKEA Grundtal) for under cabinet-lighting.

The bulbs run hot and don't last long. I'd like to replace them with 1.4W LED equivalents, using the same light fittings.

As far as I can see I need to replace the 240v-12vAC transformers which are sat inside the wall cavity with 12vDC equivalents.

The lights are in two sets of three and one set of six so I'll need three transformers. Don't need to be dimmers.


Can anyone recommend the max wattage for these? Any brand recommendations for transformers and LED G4 lights would be good too.

[DrDeAtH]

This should do it....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Aurora-10W-Dimmable-...

[maturin23]

Thanks - that looks to be for dimmable LEDs - I just need ones that are either on or off!

[E36GUY]

maturin23 said:

Thanks - that looks to be for dimmable LEDs - I just need ones that are either on or off!

LEDs are not dimmable. It's the drivers/power supplies that facilitate dimming. You would be able to wire that to just be on/off switched. Dimming performance on that would be pretty limited anyway due to tiny load.

[RichB]

Thought I'd tag onto this thread rather than start a new one:

I have 12v G4 20w downlights in my kitchen and they're bloody useless! The bulbs get exceptionally hot causing the little prongs to oxidize and the filaments are so fragile they only last a couple of months. So... am I right in assuming these LED G4 bulbs are direct replacements? for the old halogen G4 bulbs? Anyone tried them? My only issue with LED is that they make the place look like a dentist's surgery but they say they are "warm white" so I guess I will give them a try.



http://www.ledbulbs.co.uk/philips-corepro-2-20w-le...

[E36GUY]

RichB said:

I wouldn't expect these to be any better tbh. We put some very similar in some pendants (that we don't make) at the office and they light up the porcelain shades well enough but nothing out of the bottom to tabletop

[RichB]

Interesting, it's the longevity that annoys me with the halogen ones. I may buy one LED before investing in all ten

[maturin23]

Hi guys

I spent the weekend re-skinning the kitchen which also involved swapping the G4 halogen downlights for LED bulbs.

I replaced the existing 12V AC transformers with these -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Liqoo%C2%AE-Transformer-Tr...

and the 10W halogen bulbs with these
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00YH1ISN4

All very straightforward and so far work a treat. At least as bright as the halogens.

One question I have is that as the transformer only has a single output and I needed to run three off each (due to location) I made a three to one splice (twisted, soldered then applied heat shrink) which is robust and safe but a little crude.

I'm putting another set in this weekend - this is a run of 6 LED bulbs. Can anyone suggest a compact screw-terminal junction box that will allow me to connect the six output wires to the single output of the transformer in a neat and tidy fashion?

Many thanks
Ian

[Dave_ST220]

RichB said:

Anyone tried them? My only issue with LED is that they make the place look like a dentist's surgery but they say they are "warm white" so I guess I will give them a try.



http://www.ledbulbs.co.uk/philips-corepro-2-20w-le...

Yes, they didn't fit properly (was in a cooker hood, these were way too big), also the light was crap so I sent them back.

Edited by Dave_ST220 on Monday 30th November 13:52

[Dave_ST220]

maturin23 said:

Can anyone suggest a compact screw-terminal junction box that will allow me to connect the six output wires to the single output of the transformer in a neat and tidy fashion?

Many thanks
Ian

a BT 77B would work.

[RichB]

RichB said:

Thought I'd tag onto this thread rather than start a new one:

I have 12v G4 20w downlights in my kitchen and they're bloody useless! The bulbs get exceptionally hot causing the little prongs to oxidize and the filaments are so fragile they only last a couple of months. So... am I right in assuming these LED G4 bulbs are direct replacements? for the old halogen G4 bulbs? Anyone tried them? My only issue with LED is that they make the place look like a dentist's surgery but they say they are "warm white" so I guess I will give them a try.



http://www.ledbulbs.co.uk/philips-corepro-2-20w-le...

Well that was a waste of £7 - What I couldn't tell from the image on the vendor's web site is that these are mahoosive! The bulb (if that's what you call it) is about as fat as my little finger and probably 1.5" long. No way does it fit the downlighter fittings in kitchen and when you see it side by side with the Halogen G4 bulb you can see how chunky these LED things are. Back to the drawing board for me now. Unless anyone can suggest a G4 LED bulb that's as slim as the originals? Must confess it pisses me off that manufacturers position these things as replacements for in this case G4 and they clearly are not. Ok so the tiny pins are the same but that's about all

[maturin23]

See my link above - they replaced my G4 halogens perfectly - no bigger than the top joint of my index finger.
Only £0.89 each too.

[maturin23]

Dave_ST220 said:

a BT 77B would work.

Isn't that for telephone wiring?

Will be running 6 x 2W bulbs so not exactly high power stuff, but as it's sat inside the kitchen wall cavity I'd like to be sure.

[Dave_ST220]

maturin23 said:

Isn't that for telephone wiring?

Will be running 6 x 2W bulbs so not exactly high power stuff, but as it's sat inside the kitchen wall cavity I'd like to be sure.

It is but can't see what you are using it for being an issue. Either that or get some wago connectors & box.

[E36GUY]

RichB said:

Grumpy

To be fair, they've possibly not done anything wrong. G4 refers to the cap with the pins, not specifically a size of lamp. A GU10 cap is most commonly known for your ceiling halogens but there are loads of different sized lamps out there that have the GU10 cap fitting.

[RichB]

Nah, I know the G10 types but these are the G4 bulbs, like little capsules. I'll measure one of the halogen ones in mm and see if I can find any LED ones of a similar size. It's not a big issue just disappointed 'cos i thought I'd hit on a good idea.

[maturin23]

RichB said:

Nah, I know the G10 types but these are the G4 bulbs, like little capsules. I'll measure one of the halogen ones in mm and see if I can find any LED ones of a similar size. It's not a big issue just disappointed 'cos i thought I'd hit on a good idea.

Seriously - you join in a thread I started about replacing G4 halogens with LEDs and then completely ignore my subsequent comments about successfully doing this?!

[RichB]

Sorry to have offended you. Thanks for the links

[maturin23]

You'll have to try a little harder than that!

[RichB]

10 like your ones ordered, I'll let you know how I get on.