At one time, fluorescent lamps were considered a real breakthrough - they could be seen in schools, hospitals, kindergartens, other institutions, and even in some apartments. But recently, the attitude towards them has become ambiguous. On the one hand, they are characterized by low electric energy consumption, long service life and high luminous efficiency. But all these positive qualities fade before their main drawback - fluorescent lamps contain a flask filled with mercury.
With the invention of LED lamps, there is no longer any need to expose oneself to mortal danger, especially since in terms of their characteristics such lamps are in many ways superior to fluorescent ones.
But when we first think about replacing obsolete fluorescent lamps, the question arises: how to do this with the least material cost, because the cost of LED lamps is quite high, and a full replacement will cost us a tidy sum. It is much simpler to replace only the lamps, especially since it is quite simple to do if you know some features. So, let's take a look at how to connect an LED lamp instead of a fluorescent lamp on your own.
Introduction
The manufacturer of LED lamps has long simplified our life by releasing T8 tube LED lamps suitable for the G13 base. It remains only to slightly redo the old lamp. To do this, it is necessary to dismantle all unnecessary components from the connection diagram.
Let's see how to connect an LED lamp instead of a fluorescent one on the circuit of a standard raster lamp with four fluorescent tubes, which is most common with a ballast and a starter.
Fluorescent lamp connection diagram
LDS lamps have additional equipment that is necessary for their operation. LED lamps do not require these additions: everything necessary for their normal functioning is already built into the housing from the very beginning. Therefore, before connecting the LED lamp instead of the fluorescent, it is necessary to dismantle all unnecessary and power the lamp contacts directly.
Both categories of luminaires are connected in the same way: the green conductor is connected to the neutral wire, and the red one is connected to the phase. The diagram below shows how to properly connect an LED lamp instead of a fluorescent lamp.
LED lamp connection diagram
This is quite easy to do - you need to connect the phase to one side of the lamp, and zero to the other.
It is not necessary to observe the polarity, since the power comes from AC. The wire itself can be connected to any of the contact pins, because each pair of contacts on one side of the LED lamp is closed to each other.
Alteration of a raster fluorescent lamp
Before connecting the LED lamp, it is necessary to cut off all the wires coming from the G13 sockets. After that, it is enough to connect the cable on one side to the phase terminals, and on the other to zero.
Varieties of LED lamps
On sale, it is very rare to find LED lamps made in Ukraine, in which the contact pins are phase and zero on one side. Before connecting such lamps, you must first check the connection sides indicated on the lamp. The installation process itself will be the same as in the case of lamps with two-way contact arrangement.
How to connect LED crystal-based lamps
Such lamps require additional equipment for connecting chips:
- Dimmer;
- stabilizing transformer 12 V or 24 V.
Any of these stabilizing devices can be assembled independently. But for this it is necessary to have certain knowledge and enough time.
Usually additional stabilizing devices are required to connect LEDs, LED elements and LED strips. LED lamps, as a rule, have built-in stabilizers.
We will not consider methods for assembling stabilizing devices for connection in this article, since it is rather difficult to learn this on your own. If you do not have any knowledge of electrical engineering, then before buying, be sure to study the packaging - it usually indicates whether additional equipment is required for the connection, and which one.
Illuminated Switches
Such switches are very convenient to use, but often do not combine with modern lamps. They are best suited for incandescent lamps. Their disadvantage is that the LED light can sometimes flash in the dark, which is not very convenient, especially in the bedroom.
This happens due to the fact that the device of such lamps has a rectifier that converts alternating voltage into direct voltage. To smooth out pulsations, a capacitor is built into the rectifier, which has the property of accumulating a charge in itself during the operation of the lamp.
Therefore, when the LED lamp is connected to a backlit switch, it glows dimly, and sometimes flickers, even when it is turned off. There are several ways to fix this:
- remove the backlight from the switch;
- check the wiring is correct;
- simultaneously connect an incandescent lamp so that the current does not pass through the rectifier, but through the filament;
- connect a shunt resistor in parallel so that the capacitor does not accumulate charge;
- use an LED lamp specifically designed for a backlit switch, but keep in mind that such lamps light up long enough and have a higher cost.
To summarize
As you can see, before connecting an LED lamp instead of a fluorescent one, you do not need to completely change the fixtures or have great knowledge. This can be done quite easily on your own at minimal cost, carefully following the instructions.
After these simple alterations, you will have modern luminaires with low energy consumption, having a long service life, and most importantly - safe.
Important!
It should not be forgotten that fluorescent lamps cannot simply be thrown away, since they contain mercury. Be sure to dispose of them in accordance with all the rules. Almost all major cities have companies involved in the disposal of hazardous waste, many of them will be ready to accept lamps absolutely free.
Interesting facts about LED lamps
- White LEDs do not exist. They are obtained by spraying on blue a special substance - a phosphor.
- Blue LEDs reduce the body's production of melatonin, the lack of which does not allow a person to completely relax.
- The blue color of the LEDs negatively affects some food products, for example, milk, changing its taste even through opaque packaging.
- Ripple LEDs reduce the number of populations of animals and birds in the city.