colly0410 1,181 Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 Went past Bulwell Northern cememtery on Hempshill Lane last night & the graves were lit up by hundreds of solar LED lights. My Wife Sue who's Dad is buried there was very impressed at how good it looked, we parked up for a better look, even cynical me thought it looked good, I thought a fitting tribute to those who have passed on. We took two up & put them on Father-in-laws grave today.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LizzieM 9,507 Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 Mmmm ....... don't think I'll be adding LED lights to my Dad's grave at Wilford Hill ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted August 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 Do ghosts need lights?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
colly0410 1,181 Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 Funny thing is it didn't look spooky, well not to me anyway. I walked through the cemetery in Bestwood Village one night in a power cut, that made the hairs on my neck stand up as my imagination ran a bit wild. Don't know if ghosts need lights John as I've never seen one. Went ghost hunting in Newstead Abbey one night: didn't see a thing.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 Are these solar LED lights the sort that you put in your garden and, if they are, aren't they likely to be stolen? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan 14,793 Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 Bulwell Cemetery ? Those LED lights will be gone next week. This is Bulwell, no respect for the living, never mind the dead. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
colly0410 1,181 Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 # 55. Yes they'd be there for anyone to nick but they're only a pound or so, so probably not worth the effort of pinching them. You see some quite expensive vases & things up there but they seem to stay. I put a vase thing on Mam & Dads grave at Bestwood Village, looked very nice, then a branch broke off a tree in a gale & smashed it to pieces. Bad luck or they didn't like it. Sawed the branch up for fire wood as we had a coal fire back then, spat a bit though.. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 This chinese company are selling cheap power supplies. Trait $3.70 I bought the same supply from a UK ebay seller for £4.99, and I thought that was cheap. I got free tracked delivery via Hermes, which would have cost them £3? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted August 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 What do you want with a cheap Chinese switching power supply Mick??? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 I have 5Mtrs of LED strip for under the kitchen cupboards. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted August 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 Be very careful of those Chinese switching supplies Mick, they are cheap and nasty, poor quality components, risk of fire, they create lots of hash on the power lines. Saving money is one thing, but when buying switching power supplies fork out a little more and get quality. I'd have gone with a linear power supply, low power, they are not that expensive but at least the output is safe, transformer isolation. When a switching P/S fails, you could end up with 240 volts on the output!!. If you use enough leds, all you really need is an isolating transformer and a current limiting resistor, that's how the replacement LED tubes work, full mains power and a current limiting resistor. Good quality switching P/S have an over voltage protection across the output, commonly known as a "crowbar" as thats what it does, shorts the output and causes a fuse to blow. Composed of an SCR. I doubt the cheap units have this protection. As you can see, I'm not a fan of switching P/S's, I much prefer linear P/S, much safer and more reliable. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted August 14, 2015 Report Share Posted August 14, 2015 I am wiring it with switched 240v, not 12v side, so transformer only draws power when lights are on. I will test the output. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted August 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2015 They are not transformers, the cheaper versions usually have very poor quality capacitors in them. The one in my old monitor failed through bad caps, replaced them, ran for a few months then the semi conductors gave up the ghost. The ones in my ham radio's are better designed with filtering and over voltage protection, aka "crowbars". the cheaper ones don't have any of that protection. Computer P/S are cheap and nasty, I often wonder about them taking the computer out when they fail, so far been lucky! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
colly0410 1,181 Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 Just read that Notts county council are in the process of replacing all low pressure sodium street lights with LED's, Nabbs Lane in Hucknall has changed over in the last few days. We've got a low pressure sodium light on the footpath at the front of our house, & a high pressure light on the road at the back. Cant say I'm all that struck on the LED streetlights, they seem to glare to me, I prefer the soft orange/yellow of the low pressure sodium ones.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted October 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 Well they have many advantages Steve, efficient, long lasting, bright... I'm happy with the flouro tubes I changed out for LED tubes, much brighter and lower running costs. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LizzieM 9,507 Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 # 64, Colly we've had those LED lights in Mapperley Park for quite a long time now and they're in some areas of Arnold too. When they were first changed I didn't like the light the gave out very much at all but have got used to them now. The white light is rather eerie, bit like Narnia. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,108 Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 We've had them on Hucknall Rd for about a year. At first, I thought they seemed dull, but they just seem normal now. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
colly0410 1,181 Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 I suppose I'll get used to the LED's eventually, haven't got much choice have I? Cant see them ever changing back. I've noticed when coming into Hucknall from Watnall that there's not such an orange glow over the Nottingham skyline as there used to be, still pretty though, well it is to me as I like city skylines at night.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted October 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 You can get different colours using lenses. Lights over a couple of years old won't have the latest generation of LED drivers. When LED's first hit the market, they were used as indicators in control units, ie power on, healthy circuit etc. We never thought that one day they would be bright enough for general lighting. Nearly all new cars/trucks, if not all, have all LED lights, from the indicators to the head lights, they have even downsized the alternators, as the load on them now is 1/3rd what it used to be. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan 14,793 Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 LEDs in car lights ? Very expensive to replace if they get damaged. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted October 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 So are the heavy glass or plastic head light assemblies.. But every new car I've seen lately has all LED lighting, headlights, side lights rear lights, stop lights, courtesy light and instrument panel lights. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
colly0410 1,181 Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 Re #65 Ayup They have replaced all the flouro tubes with LED tubes where my Wife teaches line dancing, I quite like them in that setting. They've also replaced the gas heating boiler with a woodchip one, they got a grant from the government to do all the eco changes.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted October 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 I'd have thought gas was cleaner than woodchips...LOL Not very eco friendly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
colly0410 1,181 Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 I thought that John, but they say woodchips are carbon neutral. They've got a notice up bragging about how eco friendly it all is, but you can smell the burning wood smell as soon as you get in the car park.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted October 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 How can wood be carbon neutral, me finks these loonys must be breathing too much smoke, whacky baccy smoke....LOL Someone needs to educate those loonys, coal starts out as wood, so using their logic coal is carbon neutral too. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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