LED conversion

Daemon

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May 3, 2010
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Hi guys

I am converting my incandescent light strings to leds. I am using 24v lighting here in New Zealand

I have successfully done a few hundred but I have just run into a problem.

I am using 240v run to an rcd with a 24v ac adapter plugged into the rcd.
I have then wired a diode rectifier onto the ac to convert to 24v dc.

I stress that this has always worked in the past and I am not looking for another way of converting, i just have a problem with some leds I want solved.

LED strings are stupidly expensive here and leds are cheap so it is time consuming but relatively easy to convert them.

I change the bulb for an led and change one ac wire to - and one to + and bobs your uncle.

I had successfully converted 90 leds so if you can imagine from the rectifier I had 90 leds all shining brightly an =d then the rest of the string of incandescents were still working to the end of the light string, they were running quite happily on dc.

I then cut another section and wired the ac wires together after ensuring I had the correct wire by touching one end of the bulb wire to each wire and making sure I had successfully made 2 sections of 7/8 from a 15 bulb section.

I then soldered it up and turned the lights on again at the rcd and now none of my 90 previously working leds are going. However the ac half is still working.

i thought somehow they had gotten fried so I removed an led and replaced it with a new one and it is still not working.

I don't understand what has happened because it means 12 or 13 series of 7 or 8 leds have all stopped working at once.

I still measure 24v dc after the rectifier and 24v ac before the rectifier.

Its a real head scratcher.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Steve
Also posted this on DIYC but posted here because low voltage is out speciality
 

Daemon

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May 3, 2010
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Couldn't wait Phil!

I took all the leds out, threw the wire away and started from scratch.

Yes I had reverted the last change. It was very odd.

However it doesn't matter now as I am moving on with my life and it is going well.

Cheers for the answer
 

AussiePhil

Dedicated elf
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Jun 20, 2009
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Canberra, ACT, Australia
Steve

i really hate mysteries... oh well.

If you completely reverted then it is weird, do the Leds themselves still work? (just curious now)

Cheers
Phil
 

Daemon

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May 3, 2010
Messages
81
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Yes all the individual leds still work.
I was also able to reuse the converted string so I obviously somehow managed to reverse the polarity without even touching it.

Maybe I was sleep converting leds?
 
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