LED lighting question

bazaarboy

bazaarboy

bazaarboy

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Norwich
Hi - apologies if there's a better subforum for this question

I'm trying to get a better understanding about LED lighting
I'd like to have the entire lighting system as LEDs - this is for a new-build house, so there's no existing system to rip and replace etc, just start from scratch basically.

Of course I intend to use a professional electrician, but I don't want to sound like a complete noob when I describe what I want (btw, I am a complete noob lol) - so, could someone give me a few tips or point me towards any resources I can use to get more familiar?

Here's what I want to do:

- An entire domestic lighting system outfitted with low voltage LED lights
- A variety of light fixtures, eg dimmable, strips etc
- Two control methods: one traditional switch and a central control system eg for use with RF remotes

My understanding so far is that I need:
- LED luminaires (obviously!)
- power supply
- appropriate cabling (eg I heard about RJ45 being used for this purpose)
- Switches (not sure if its best to buy with integrated RF receivers or get separate units like the Fibaro z-wave units)
- A control system, and other sundries - eg sensors
 
Sin_Chase said:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/limemouse/lifx-the-light-bulb-reinvented

Worth looking into, not sure when availability will come though.

You do have a huge amount of flexibility starting from scratch but I can see it becoming quite easy to fall into the trap of going with already well established systems when there is a fair amount of innovative new stuff around.
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cheers - but am confused, not sure I understand what kickstarter is or does:

"Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others."

is this a project management system?? :confused:
 
Kickstarter is basically a place where people present their ideas and gain capital to fund their project by people who are interested in getting said product. Once the funding target is reached the project goes ahead and they can eventually bring their product to market.

This particular project is funded and EVENTUALLY they will come to market with the product once fulfilling the funding backers orders.

No idea what your timescale is but thought it was worth mentioning this as I was particularly interested myself, a clever little product.
 
Sin_Chase said:
Kickstarter is basically a place where people present their ideas and gain capital to fund their project by people who are interested in getting said product. Once the funding target is reached the project goes ahead and they can eventually bring their product to market.

This particular project is funded and EVENTUALLY they will come to market with the product once fulfilling the funding backers orders.

No idea what your timescale is but thought it was worth mentioning this as I was particularly interested myself, a clever little product.
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I see, it does look cool - but it's a novel system - I think I'd rather stick to a conventional system, cheers ;)
 
I don't know if there is any advantage to having low voltage LED bulbs? as the draw and consumption is so low surely mains voltage will be adequate and probably cheaper.

I have LED GU10 spots throughout my house (SMD) and also some SMD strip lighting under my kitchen cabinets for the worktops.

I do know that you will need trailing edge dimmers if you have dimmable bulbs as they will just strobe on regular dimmers.
 
I don't know too much about LED lighting systems etc, but I do know that if it's something you're serious about, be prepared to pay the money for it. Cheap bulbs etc are terrible, you won't get much lighting from them and the lifespan will be awful. I've been using some Philips LED bulbs lately and they're impressive, but they're also £12 normally (got mine for 90p each!) so you'd expect that. The really cheap units with lots of LEDs in tend to be rather poor.
 
julianhj said:
This firm seem well-rated by a number of Pistonheaders:

http://www.ecoledlight.co.uk

There are a few threads on that forum, and user E36GUY works for the above firm. These threads are worth reading:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...2671&mid=17331&i=0&nmt=LED+Lighting&mid=17331
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...ive+low-energy+GU10+lighting+thread&mid=17331
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Yep they seem good, as do these guys:
http://www.homeplay.tv/lighting-control.html

Problem is the need to avoid making the house look like hipster wine bar...
Also, some of the case studies cost 20-50k to do!

I just popped out to get a remote controlled RGB strip from maplin, which only uses about 5w, I think it's definitely possible to put a nice lighting setup without costing 50k
 
It's simple. Wire the house normally and then use 12v DC transformers wherever you want to install LED's.

With regards to dimmers, your 12v DC transformer would need some sort of variable voltage and to adjust using RF, the variable needs to be adjusted via a RF signal.

Study on basic 12v electronics.

But I wouldn't suggest running 12v around the whole house. It's easier and safer to run separate transformers wherever you need the supply.

Mainly because Power = Current * Voltage. If you lower the voltage, you raise the current.

However, P=Current^2 * Resistance so running at a high current results in more wasted power in cabling (which results in heat and means you need thick wiring)

Do some basic research on DC electronics, transformers and diodes. Will give you everything you ever need to get started.
 
AshD93 said:
It's simple. Wire the house normally and then use 12v DC transformers wherever you want to install LED's.

With regards to dimmers, your 12v DC transformer would need some sort of variable voltage and to adjust using RF, the variable needs to be adjusted via a RF signal.

Study on basic 12v electronics.

But I wouldn't suggest running 12v around the whole house. It's easier and safer to run separate transformers wherever you need the supply.

Mainly because Power = Current * Voltage. If you lower the voltage, you raise the current.

However, P=Current^2 * Resistance so running at a high current results in more wasted power in cabling (which results in heat and means you need thick wiring)

Do some basic research on DC electronics, transformers and diodes. Will give you everything you ever need to get started.
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Thanks that's very useful,
I had begun considering a 12v system because the wiring need not be the heavy duty stuff, plus because I plan extensive Ethernet cabling, using the same type of cable but for LED lighting would be convenient.

In terms of the current, well it shouldn't be that high since each light fixture is 5-40w on average
A set of transformers dotted around he place should also be easy to install

As for RF control, just reading up on Control4 and Fibaro at the moment :)
 
LED strips are great, especially the RGB ones, but they're only for looking epic and providing a little bit of light, enough to not crash into objects, but most certainly not enough for general purpose lighting, just something to bear in mind :)
 
Cleeecooo said:
LED strips are great, especially the RGB ones, but they're only for looking epic and providing a little bit of light, enough to not crash into objects, but most certainly not enough for general purpose lighting, just something to bear in mind :)
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oh yeah - I just got a cheapo RGB strip to play around with
I like how diverse LED fixtures can be, and the low power usage
 
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