LED floodlights are in great demand among consumers for illuminating shop windows, store facades, courtyards in private homes and other objects. They are durable, have good light intensity and consume much less energy compared to conventional incandescent bulbs.
But any equipment has a certain service life and is not guaranteed against breakdowns, therefore it requires repair. It is always cheaper to fix problems yourself than to contact specialists in workshops. Let's look at a simple repair of some faults on LED floodlights, but before describing the repair process, you need to study what types of floodlight designs there are and the principle of their operation.
LED spotlight operation
The voltage from the power source is supplied to the electronic board, the converted current is supplied to the LED element, which emits streams of light. The designs of spotlights may be different, but they all have common elements:
- Power supply;
- Electronic current and voltage conversion board;
- Operating mode control drivers;
- Heat sink;
- Optical elements, lenses, mirrors built into the body;
- Terminals for connecting wires and fixtures for mounting the housing.
Floodlights have LEDs of different sizes and power, but the principle of operation and symptoms of malfunction are common.
Basic spotlight malfunctions
Most often, the malfunction of spotlights is manifested by the following symptoms:
- Complete absence of glow when power is turned on;
- LED flickering;
- Dim glow, not at full power;
- Changing the shade of emitted light;
There are obvious signs of deformation of the housing, destruction of the LED structure, after mechanical shocks or breakage, burnt out wiring, which are visible visually.
Main causes of malfunctions
Manufacturers make LED matrices and conversion boards that are reliable and, if used correctly, guarantee a minimum trouble-free period of up to 5 years. Most often, malfunctions occur for the following reasons:
- Unstable characteristics of the electrical network, voltage and current surges exceeding the operating mode values;
- Short circuit of a phase to the spotlight body or neutral wire;
- Incorrect connection;
As a result of these violations, the electronic board on which the floodlight control drivers, voltage and current converters that power the crystal structure of the matrix with LEDs are programmed may fail.
The LED matrix in spotlights can consist of several dozen elements. If the structure of 3-5 crystals in the matrix is destroyed, the spotlight can function, but with a larger number of faulty elements, irreversible processes disrupt the operating mode and all the crystals burn out. In this case, a complete replacement of the matrix is required.
Diagnosing a fault on an LED floodlight
Let's consider identifying a fault on a floodlight, which is in greatest demand among consumers, rectangular in shape with a matrix of 9 diodes, with a power of 10 W. One of the models in this series is the Volpe 10W floodlight with a luminous flux of 750 Lumens.
Regardless of the brand of spotlight, diagnostics begins with a visual inspection:
- The integrity of the wiring from the power source is checked, the absence of breaks, burnt insulation and kinks in the cable, where there may be a break in the current-carrying conductor hidden under the insulating layer;
- The body of the spotlight and the LED matrix are inspected for the absence of deformation, cracks and chips;
- If there is no light at all, first of all you need to unscrew the back cover of the case and check the voltage at the input and output of the electronic board of the converter. There should be 220V AC at the input; if there is no voltage, then the reason is not in the spotlight, but in its power supply circuit; measurements can be carried out with a conventional multimeter. The output terminals are 12V DC.
- If there is no voltage at the output, the fault should be looked for on the voltage converter board. Inspect the board for oxidized contacts, tin cracks in solder areas and burnt parts;
- If there are no signs of malfunction in all of the listed points, the last element remains, this is the LED matrix.
Repair and replacement of faulty elements of LED spotlights
Faults such as broken wires can be eliminated quickly and do not require special qualifications. The most difficult repair is identifying a faulty element on the driver circuit board, voltage converter and replacing the LED matrix. Therefore, to make repairs yourself, you must have certain knowledge and practical skills in electrical engineering, be able to read diagrams, use measuring instruments and a soldering iron. If you don’t have such experience, it’s better to turn to specialists.
The simplest way is to replace faulty elements with similar ones; they can be purchased from electrical goods or removed from spotlights on which other parts are faulty. Assemble one working one from two or three faulty ones. A matrix with LED crystals filled with compound material cannot be repaired.
Tip No. 1 If 2-3 diodes out of 9 have burned out in the matrix, then you don’t have to wait for it to burn out completely; this can have a detrimental effect on the drivers and voltage converter. Change the matrix at the first sign of malfunction.
Replacing the spotlight matrix
- Unscrew the front cover of the case, which presses the glass;
- Unscrew the screws and remove the reflector;
- Unsolder and unscrew the faulty matrix;
- We solder the new matrix and assemble the spotlight in the reverse order.
Sometimes the wires from the printed circuit board pass to the matrix through holes in the metal substrate, which acts as a heat sink for the matrix. At the transition points they must be insulated, especially the positive wire, so that there is no short circuit to the housing.
Tip No. 2 When replacing the matrix, wipe its substrate and the surface on which it is screwed. Lubricate these places with heat-conducting paste, only then screw the matrix to the body.
When replacing the matrix, be sure to observe the polarities, the red wire is positive, blue or black is negative, yellow-green is on the body.
Let us remind you that the service life of LEDs is the longest among lighting sources. Premature failure of LED floodlights is associated with several factors, some of which are quite predictable.
The first and most common
The purchased spotlight had a minimum price. In this case, its inoperability is directly related to the quality of the components used. In such spotlights, the cheapest and most inappropriate power supplies are installed; it is not uncommon for the power supply to not even have a degree of protection and not be located in a closed housing (meaning the power supply housing).
The contacts in the spotlight's power circuit from the mains to the power supply and from the power supply to the LED have a poor connection, which also leads to a short circuit and failure.
The degree of protection does not correspond to the declared one. In cheap options, instead of a silicone seal, a cheap rubber analogue is installed, which simply collapses due to time and differences in ambient temperature.
The second case, which also occurs
The LED spotlight has a manufacturing defect. Yes, this also happens and no one is immune from it. Most often the reason is in the power supply. If during the first month of operation the lamp fails, then it is most likely that it is the power supply. In practice, if a spotlight has worked for more than 1 month, then it must work out the entire declared service life.
But in any case, you can rest assured that if the spotlight fails due to a manufacturing defect, then most likely it can be replaced under warranty, which is still nice.
The third case also happens
Most often it is found in enterprises. This is a failure due to strong and long voltage drops. Although the LED spotlight is designed to withstand voltage surges, but only for short-term ones. In the case of factories and enterprises, sometimes the voltage drops catastrophically at times and at the same moment rises. At such moments, the power supply simply cannot cope and because of this the LED simply burns out.
Here the warranty will not help, since this is not a manufacturing defect, but a violation of the operation of the lamp.
Should I repair the LED floodlight?
Today, it is worth admitting that this idea makes absolutely no sense. The cost of components in retail sales often reaches the price of a more or less high-quality LED spotlight. And the most unpleasant thing is that no one will give you a guarantee that if you buy, for example, a power supply instead of a non-working one, it will match the LED with which the faulty power supply worked.
Therefore, if the LED spotlight does not work and there is no warranty for it for any reason, you should safely go and buy a new, high-quality LED spotlight. We wrote about how to choose the right LED spotlight.
Frequent problems with lighting at home involuntarily require troubleshooting yourself. Agree, regularly inviting a specialist to bring an LED or any other type of device into working order is quite inconvenient. To avoid such discomfort, we suggest you learn the basics on how to repair LED spotlights yourself.
An LED floodlight is one of the sought-after and popular devices used to illuminate local areas. This tool is quite convenient to use, but sooner or later it will require repair. Therefore, it is so important to know the skills of correctly identifying a malfunction, eliminating dysfunction, and being able to return the device to its normal state.
Attention! Basic LED floodlights do not provide for replacing light sources with another with a different power.
LED Spotlight
Often, failure of an LED flashlight occurs due to overheating of the matrix. Overheating causes fuses to blow. Thus, the indirect causes leading to device dysfunction are considered:
- short circuit;
- connection of overcurrents;
- overvoltage;
- connecting to the wrong network;
- non-compliance with the device connection diagram.
Let us consider how a matrix defect is formed in more detail. The Matrix is a device that works using crystals. As a rule, there are dozens of them, and if three or five crystals fail, the device continues to operate as before. Complete combustion of the matrix requires intervention. In such situations, it is ideal to completely replace the matrix.
Important! During repair work, the searchlight conductors should be additionally insulated.
Also, in almost all cases, LED sources fail to operate solely due to a malfunction of the drivers that power the crystal surface of the spotlight. If your device becomes unusable during the warranty period, the retail outlet should provide assistance and replace the device free of charge. Otherwise, you will have to resort to repairs yourself or pay specialists.
To access the interior of the spotlight, you need to unscrew the back cover
DIY spotlight repair
Before you begin repair work, you should acquire the necessary tools, as well as clarify the cause of the malfunction of the LED spotlights and fix them properly.
Chinese-made LED devices with a total power of 10 watts are considered frequent candidates for repairs; therefore, let’s consider troubleshooting using the example of such a device. Let's get acquainted with the algorithm of actions:
- We unfasten the cover of the device body to get to the internal mechanism.
- Remove the glass protection and light diffuser.
- Unsolder the LED source from the matrix.
- We solder it to a new functional crystal panel.
- We fasten each bolt and check the spotlight with a multimeter. If the continuity test shows the working position, then we attach the flashlight to its place and enjoy its further operation.
It is important to know! Before installing a new matrix, the polarity must be observed.
After disassembling the spotlight, you can begin repairs.
We draw the attention of beginners: after eliminating the malfunction, you should proceed in the reverse order. In addition, it is possible to identify malfunctions by the following signs:
- light bulb flickering;
- dim burning;
- changing LED shades;
- deformation of wires and damage to insulation.
How does an LED floodlight work?
The device works thanks to the joint work of several installed systems: optics, power supplies, drivers and heat sink elements. Inside the case there are LEDs and small electronic elements. The power source supplies voltage to the LED element, which generates current into light rays, causing the spotlight to glow.
Attention! Do not open the sealed housing of the LED spotlight unless necessary.
Improvement of LED elements
After you have repaired the LED spotlight and made sure it is working, you can improve the device a little. In some devices that normally operate under 220 Volt power conditions, a rectifier and stabilizer are not usually installed. When performing repairs yourself, such devices are very easy to install. To do this, you should connect pairs of LED sources in series, which are switched on oppositely, and attach a ballast capacitor to them.
If you have a soldering iron and at least the most basic knowledge of radio electronics, then repairing (replacing the driver and/or matrix) an LED spotlight will not be a problem for you.
But it must be borne in mind that based only on an external examination of the faulty spotlight, It is impossible to make an unambiguous conclusion about which part has failed. For example, blinking of the matrix of an LED spotlight can be caused by both a malfunction of the matrix itself and the driver. To accurately determine the source of the problem, diagnostics are needed - at least, you should connect the matrix and the driver of the problematic spotlight in pairs to the same, but known to work driver/matrix.
The main points to pay attention to during the repair process:
- correspondence of current-voltage characteristics of the driver and matrix;
- the matrix can be installed only for thermal paste;
- tightness of the final assembly.
Poorly performed repairs can lead to additional costs. Here is an example - according to the client, the spotlight was repaired four months ago by “craftsmen” from the radio market, who replaced the LED matrix. However, during assembly the seal was broken, and the photographs show the consequences of just four months of street use.
Photos of the insides of the LED spotlight after four months of operation after a poorly made repair - the seal was broken This spotlight was restored, but in addition to thorough cleaning, it was necessary to change both the driver and the matrix.
Although LED technology is very reliable, it cannot be perfect and sometimes fails. Especially if you decide to save a lot and purchase one of the cheapest floodlights. So what to do if your LED floodlight, or even worse, stopped working altogether, and your warranty on the purchased product has expired, or did not start at all. It is quite possible that you purchased an uncertified product from a reliable store with a good reputation, and at your own peril and risk ordered the most affordable LED spotlight directly from China, through Aliexpress, for example? And now a far from cheap lighting device lies in front of you and blinks or does not shine at all, and you don’t know what to do? Don't give up. In this article we will tell you how to repair the device yourself.
In order to repair an LED processor with your own hands, you must confidently hold a multimeter (in the picture below) and a soldering iron in your hands. This is necessary in order to be able to determine the cause of the breakdown, and, in fact, ultimately eliminate it, bringing the device back to life.
Probable causes of failure and ways to eliminate them
Current limiting capacitor
So, first of all, you need to determine the cause of the malfunction of your device. If the spotlight turns on, but when turned on does not burn evenly, but flickers and blinks, the current-limiting capacitor C1 has probably failed. Many Chinese manufacturers make the mistake of using a current-limiting capacitor that does not match the parameters of the driver when trying to achieve maximum brightness from a not very powerful spotlight. A current-limiting capacitor at 400 volts rated operating voltage will do just fine.
power unit
Another common cause may be a failed power supply. There are two ways out of the situation - go to an electronics store, where they will help you choose a suitable power supply (its characteristics are indicated on it, therefore it is advisable to disassemble the spotlight and take the unit with you), or select a power supply (may be suitable from a scanner or printer).
The second option is possible, of course, only if you suddenly have unnecessary and non-working office equipment lying around that can serve as a power supply donor. Check the power supplies so that they are similar in parameters. An exact match is not necessary, but the parameters should not diverge too much. As mentioned earlier, if you have the skills to use tools and understand electronics, you can easily change the power supply yourself.
Driver
If a low-power spotlight needs repair, it is likely that it may not have its own power supply, and the function of changing currents in it is performed by the LED driver. Since the LED cannot be powered directly from the network, requiring an alternating current that differs from what the network can offer it, the spotlight uses a driver that takes into account the variation in the characteristics of the LED depending on the operating temperature and time, adjusting the output current supplied to the LED . It is this driver that can fail.
To replace it, you will need to disassemble the LED spotlight and find out the driver markings in order to buy or order a replacement. If you are a confident user of power tools, you can find a failed driver element and unsolder it and replace it. If you are repairing, most likely it will be quite easy for you to find the problem in the driver or find a similar driver and replace it. It will definitely be cheaper than buying or assembling a new spotlight from scratch.
Matrix burnout
Another option for failure of the design of your LED spotlight, in addition to a malfunction of the driver, power supply or other small elements involved in the current conversion process, may be the burnout of the LED matrix itself. If the LED itself fails, you need to find and purchase a diode with similar characteristics. After disassembling the spotlight, you will need to carefully uninstall the burnt matrix by unscrewing the four fastening screws and unsoldering the conductive elements. Then you will need to evenly and carefully apply a layer of thermal paste to the new diode, solder the current-carrying elements and carefully screw the matrix. It is necessary to take into account that the shape of the matrix must remain intact, that is, it is advisable to use the same screws that were originally used. They should not have conical heads, because if you use them, if you tighten them with a little more force, they can damage the matrix and all your work will be in vain.
Let's sum it up
To repair an LED spotlight yourself, you must at least have good skills in working with a soldering iron, testers and a multimeter, as well as understand circuit diagrams or be able to read them in order to find the cause of the malfunction, unsolder the faulty element and replace it.
If the driver or power supply in your spotlight fails, you can find a replacement and bring the lighting device back to life. Just like with the driver, a replacement can be made with an LED matrix - just buy an analogue with similar characteristics. If for some reason the device does not work after your manipulations, it probably makes sense to purchase a new one. But if you are confident in your abilities, you can always assemble an LED spotlight with your own hands - it will be easier to repair it in the future, or replace some elements, constantly extending the life of the device.