Tuesday 13 January 2015

Using low-voltage halogen transformer for LED?


During a recent kitchen renovation, the electrician installed LED under-counter "pucks" and drove them with a 120VAC-to 12V, 40 kHz transformer labelled "low voltage halogen supply." I'm fully aware that LEDs are happy operating at 40 kHz (one transformer blew & I have to replace it), but is there any reason to change the driving frequency? Obviously, if I were to change, I'd stay above 100Hz or so to avoid any visual flicker, and there may be a complete death of commercial devices at other output frequencies.


FWIW, the 40kHz drivers cause two minor problems: AM radios nearby are not happy, and the fancy circuitry in my exhaust hood's lighting system tends to flicker (even though normally turned off) when the LEDs are on. I'm guessing a low-frequency LED driver might mitigate these side effects.




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