retrofit LED lighting into T8

[solgen]

Hi,

Does anyone have a diagram for a typical 600x600 4 lamp modular fitting and how this is best modified to take LED lamps.

For a ballast fitting it seems usual that two lamps are paired using 1 ballast and a choke and then a capacitor is common to all.

Obviously the ballast is bypassed and the choke is removed for each pair of lamps, but I would just like to see a good wiring diagram showing how conversion is made most effectively.

Thank you

 

[Brightspark2]

When Ive done it before the lamps came with a wiring diagram but to be honest once you look at it, it all becomes clear.

 

[Tim]

I used them over xmas fitting out whsmith stores. if they are t8 ones they will probably have all the control gear built in to the 'tube' so all you have to do is provide a 230v live and a neutral to one end. The pins on the opposite end are just to hold it in.

All you have to do is grab the cables that go into the lamp holders (only at one end of the fitting) and connect 1 to live and 1 to neutral. Cables at the other end can be disregarded.

Always remember to come out of the load side of the fuse holder (when you do hundreds of them you can go into autopilot and forget)

Most fittings have push connectors for the existing cables so be ready for a struggle getting the old ones out (get a very small terminal driver) and get some .5mm2 solid core for wiring inside the fittings and 5way push connectors to speed everything up (i still have around 500 of them in the van if you want to buy some)

Ill draw a quick diagram if how to wire them and post it up, they are not difficult to wire. What brand of leds are you using out of curiosity?

One last tip, put them on foam in the van, we had a few get damaged due to the vibration (and other gear falling on them) treat them as though they are normal glass tubes, they are fragile.

Hope this helps
Tim

 

[bugsy]

rip out the control gear feed the led tubes from the luminaire terminal block ( the led tubes are fed from one end only ) L.N. to each tube , you can leave the control gear in and it will work but increases the load i.e consumption so best take it out

 

[Tim]

Here is my amazing wiring diagram drawn on the back if an envelope.

Orange is live (no brown highlighter)

There are 2 ways to wire them depending on how easy the old cables come out of the lampholders. cutting them short leaves live ends so if they dont pull out link it to the next lampholder or take it to a 5way push connector and join it with the others

And remember to put the tubes in the right way round as only one end is connected to the control gear, it wont do any damage if they go in the wrong way, it just wont work. When fault finding, check this first.

Good luck mate,
Pm me if you hit any problems
Tim

 

[Tim]

Forgot to mention, remove all other cables from the fitting so the maintanence guy does not try to reinstate them when the led eventually goes and they dont have any spares.

And put a sticker on the inside saying "led fittings only, do not insert flourscent tubes into this fitting)

They go pop if you do.


Tim

 

[Farmelectrics]

Fitted these recently in office refurb there a good light but not without problems it says 50000 man hours on the tubes but we've all ready had a few burn out in the middle of the tube so price carefully expensive when you have to go back after a couple of weeks and replace at your own cost

 

[solgen]

Thanks for your comments - I don't think my initial e-mail could have been too clear as I was after a wiring diagram of a typical modular fitting as supplied and how it is simply modified. I know the how to rip all the wiring and supply line and neutral across the appropriate pins but this is quite time consuming.

Good points about...

* burning out - the lights have a 3 year guarantee but my time would still have to be free.
* label to indicate LED only

Cheers