Three common LED light failures and their solutions
Published Time:
2021-08-04
LED lights, with their high brightness, low energy consumption, and long lifespan, are gradually dominating today's lighting market. Generally speaking, LED lights are very unlikely to malfunction. If problems do occur, they typically fall into three categories: the light doesn't turn on, the light dims, or the light flickers after being turned off. Today, we will analyze and solve each of these problems one by one.
LED lights, with their high brightness, low energy consumption, and long lifespan, are gradually dominating the current lighting market. Generally speaking, LED lights rarely malfunction. The problems they do experience usually fall into three categories: the light doesn't turn on, the light dims, or the light flickers after being turned off. Today, we will analyze and solve each problem step-by-step.
Structure of an LED Light
LED lights come in two forms: ceiling lights and light bulbs. Regardless of the form, the internal structure is the same, consisting of LEDs and a driver.
LEDs
Opening the casing of a ceiling light or the white plastic part of a bulb, you will see a circuit board filled with yellow rectangular components. These yellow components are the LEDs. LEDs are the light-emitting components of the LED light, and their number determines the brightness of the LED light.
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Driver
The driver of an LED bulb is installed at the bottom and is not visible from the outside. The driver of a ceiling light is a black box that needs to be installed first when installing the fixture.
The driver has functions such as constant current, voltage reduction, rectification, and filtering.
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Solutions for LED Lights Not Turning On
When a light doesn't turn on, first ensure the circuit is working correctly. If it's a newly installed light, use a voltage tester or install an incandescent bulb to check if there is voltage in the circuit. Once you've confirmed the circuit is fine, you can proceed with the following checks.
Driver Issues
If the light doesn't turn on, it's most likely a driver problem. Light-emitting diodes are highly sensitive to current and voltage; excessive or insufficient current and voltage will prevent them from lighting up normally. Therefore, a constant current driver, rectifier, voltage reducer, etc., within the driver are needed to maintain operation.
If the LEDs don't light up at all after turning on the light, the driver is the first thing to consider. You can purchase a new driver to replace it.
Solutions for Dimming LED Lights
This problem should be addressed in conjunction with the previous one. Dimming or non-illumination can both be caused by the same issue.
LED Issues
The LEDs in an LED light are arranged in series of strings, with the LEDs in each string connected in series, and the strings connected in parallel. Therefore, if one LED in a string burns out, the entire string will not light up. If one LED in each string burns out, the entire light will not light up. If one LED in each string burns out, consider a problem with the capacitors or resistors on the driver.
Burned-out LEDs and normal LEDs can be visually distinguished. A burned-out LED will have a black dot in the center, which cannot be wiped off.
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If only a few LEDs are burned out, you can solder the two solder legs behind the burned-out LED together using a soldering iron. If many LEDs are burned out, it's recommended to replace the entire LED board to avoid affecting the lighting brightness.
Solutions for Flickering LED Lights After Turning Off
If the light flickers after being turned off, first check the wiring. The most likely problem is the neutral wire controlled by the switch. This should be corrected immediately to prevent hazards. The correct method is to have the switch control the hot wire, and the neutral wire connected to the light.
If the circuit is fine, the LED light may be generating self-induced current. The simplest solution is to purchase a 220V relay and connect it in series with the light to resolve the issue. For a detailed explanation, see our previous article: Solutions for Flickering Household Lights After Turning Off.
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