We regularly receive calls from customers that know the lamp fitting that they require, but find the number of choices slightly overwhelming. Why are there so many variations? Which will be best suited to your needs? Why are LED’s so expensive? Hopefully the following condensed guide will point you in the right direction. Read the rest of this entry »
If you’re considering upgrading your lighting then you can of course install new downlighter and add LED lamps however there might be a better solution – an integrated LED Downlighter. Here are 5 simple reasons why you might want to consider these :
1 :- Power – a retrofit LED lamp will always be limited in its power output because it can only have a relatively small heat sink (otherwise it won’t fit anything!) – the maximum is likely to be around 8w and even this will give a light output no greater than a 50w halogen. Read the rest of this entry »
The trouble with most LED candle lamps is that they lack the classic elegance of the traditional glass candle lamp – the usually have a frosted glass cover with a large heat sink at the base.
Not any more – by using multiple small LED’s cleverly arranged on a central spine and then housing it in a twisted glass casing the result is a lamp which looks good whether it’s on or off – a lamp which can be used to maintain the carefully designed environment of a 5* Hotel or an elegant restaurant. Read the rest of this entry »
Unfortunately not for everybody, however if you are a significant user of halogen lamps for long periods (> 18 hours / day) then we may well be able to arrange a scheme for you which will allow you to have new fittings and lamps fully installed and yet the repayments will be LESS than the savings you will make each month so effectively making the scheme free of real cost. Read the rest of this entry »
The possibilities of LED strips are endless. Just have a look at the effect they have on an outdoor decking area! Just to clarify, the strips used are not the ones we sell, ours offer an even larger range of colours and control options.
View our range of LED Strips.
Our own design with a unique lens allowing us to employ a larger heatsink in a compact overall package for greater long term reliability. Built around the ZENIGATA Led module from SHARP we have tried to produce a realistic alternative to the 35 to 50w halogen lamp which is simple and easy to retrofit into existing fitting.
Instant On
No waiting for the lamps to warm up – just switch on and they are at 100% brightness immediately. LED’s are quite happy being switched on and off repeatedly with NO reduction in lifetime rating.
These are amongst the highest power GU10 retrofit LED’s you can buy and with such a low power consumption they will pay for themselves in as little as 8 months and they are perfectly suited to situations where lamps are on for long periods simply because the payback period will be shorter. Read the rest of this entry »
Our own design with a unique lens allowing us to employ a larger heatsink in a compact overall package for greater long term reliability. Built around the ZENIGATA Led module from SHARP we have tried to produce a realistic alternative to the 20 to 35w halogen lamp which is simple and easy to retrofit into existing fitting and is dimmable.
Instant On
No waiting for the lamps to warm up – just switch on and they are at 100% brightness immediately. LED’s are quite happy being switched on and off repeatedly with NO reduction in lifetime rating.
These are amongst the highest power retrofit LED’s you can buy and with such a low power consumption they will pay for themselves in as little as 8 months and they are perfectly suited to situations where lamps are on for long periods simply because the payback period will be shorter. Read the rest of this entry »
The standard view is that this is not a good idea – so why have we done it?
Well first of all lets look at why it’s not normally a good idea. Basically a high power LED requires a constant current supply to operate properly and reliably. They do not like “spikes” surging above the standard supply as these cause the LED to degrade prematurely plus if the transformer does not have current control (which electronic ones do not) then if the supply current exceed the maximum rating for the LED it will be degraded leading to premature failure.
Unlike Halogen lamps which are simple to control – reduce the voltage and the lamp will dim, an LED operates with a completely different type of supply providing a constant current which cannot usually be dimmed by existing controls. To allow maximum flexibility in terms of swapping existing lamps for LED, the Maxilux MR16 has an internal driver which is specifically designed to accept a “dirty” input voltage from an electronic transformer and “clean” it so suit a power LED – in fact it ONLY operates with electronic transformers and will not operate with a Constant Current LED line driver! Read the rest of this entry »
Why use Low Voltage rather than GU10?
This is a bit of a thorny issue as there’s plenty of misinformation out there. To cut through the fog you need to understand a little of how an L.E.D light works. Basically almost all LED’s work at around 12v which means that a GU10 type lamp needs to have a transformer (240v – 12v) built into the body to operate properly. Now there’s nothing wrong with using a transformer – it’s a reliable and proven product BUT in this case you should consider something else and that’s the physical size. A standard transformer will be approx 10*5*2 cm and yet the one in a GU10 lamp will be approx 2*1*1cm because of the physical size restraints of the casing – it is also being asked to operate in a relatively high temperature environment being placed just behind the metal heat sink used to keep the actual LED cool.
You will probably require a fireproof fitting for new builds or conversions that have building control involved.Fire rated downlighters are designed to meet Building Regulations, which require the integrity of the room to be maintained. In the unlikely event of a fire, the fitting will slow the flames and smoke travelling into ceiling spaces thus offering greater protection. Read the rest of this entry »