LED Lights

Clueless I don't look at it as an electonics debate, I go on forums to learn if you look at g c there are plenty of digressions from gardening topics that's what makes it an interesting forum.
Anyhow if anyone is interested There is an led type specifically meant to be operated on both A.C. and D.C. They are called Tri-color led's and as the name suggests they are capable of producing three distinct colors. They are actually composed of two led's one red and one green, wired cathode to anode and anode to cathode. This arrangement will cause the led to light up red when D.C. of one polarity is applied and green when D.C. of the opposite polarity is applied. The third color is generated by applying A.C. which alternately lights the red and green led's. The rapidly alternating colors mix visually to produce the third color, a greenish yellow. This is the kind of led used in moving dot displays that can change color.QED

 

Not forgetting the colour change LED, it changes between Red, Green and Blue (it runs on DC and only has 2 connections)

 

Last comment on the topic I promise By having two LEDs back to back (ie anode of one to cathode of other) you would never get a significant negative voltage on either, because the one that was in the correct polarity on one phase would be conducting all the current in that phase, so there would be no possibility of overloading the one that was out of phase. There are commercial products on the market that use this technique.

 

Can you prove that? The part about commercial products using this method (it would be interesting to read)

 

I read it a while ago (about the commercial applications), but we covered it all in theory at college (admittedly years ago). I found this though:

http://www.freeinfosociety.com/electronics/schemview.php?id=1491

There is also this, but they don't tell us how they are configured in this. There could be a built in bridge rectifier and regulator.

http://www.ledshoponline.com/LED_home_lighting.htm

 

My block of A C 240v Led growlights is in it's second year now, hopefully I should get 5 years or 50,000 hours not a bad return.
here is a company that developed ac led technology. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/3/11/14

 

Thanks, I know that. The link you supplied clearly says

Which is another way of saying you should not connect LED’s directly to A.C Which is what I have been saying all along

 

I've never seen a set of lights cause such a fuss before! :D

 

:D I know John :thumb: Dont think ill ask about mine now :flag:

 

The moral of this topic is, don’t get freebie stuff and then ask how to use it. Only take it if you know what you are doing.

The thing that I think most of us are really worried about is the fact the electricity has no prejudices, it kills any one.

Just because something works, or “its been like that for years” does not make it correct or safe. We then went off topic about what you should not do with a LED and other similar tangents