RFI from Cree LED bulbs?

[KubotainNH]

My Handyman magazine mentions these bulbs that are coming out soon. Pretty neat setup. Controllable by bluetooth and can change light color & brightness.

https://www.cbyge.com/

 

[dragoneggs]

My Handyman magazine mentions these bulbs that are coming out soon. Pretty neat setup. Controllable by bluetooth and can change light color & brightness.

https://www.cbyge.com/

Kool! I'm interested. Not cheap though. Looks like they will be in the $15 price range each. Will eliminate the need for cheap dedicated remote on/off switches at the outlet.

 

[KubotainNH]

Kool! I'm interested. Not cheap though. Looks like they will be in the $15 price range each. Will eliminate the need for cheap dedicated remote on/off switches at the outlet.

Right, not cheap but they are neat and I would think decent quality. Sign up for the promo price.

 

[dragoneggs]

Right, not cheap but they are neat and I would think decent quality. Sign up for the promo price.

I did! Eventually they will come way down in price but I like to play with new stuff. Maybe I'll even do a YouTube video and get a new subscriber or two.

 

[k0ua]

Hey check this link out, finally someone has done some actual measurement of the RFI "filth" that comes out of these LED bulbs. When I started this thread, I wanted to know what to buy, I took a chance on the Cree brand, and have been very satisfied so far, as these bulbs seem to be very clean.. Well how about that, this study seems to bear out my choice.

Not All LED's are the Same! (Addendum)

 

[bumperm]

It is not the LED emitting RFI, it is the LED driver circuit. LED's are special diodes that when forward biased emit light. Since a diode behaves like a short when forward biased, the current through the diode must be limited somehow. This used to be with a resistor, but with high power LEDs, that is not energy efficient. So controllers or drivers are needed. These are sometimes built into the light fixture or bulb, sometimes seperate.

The driver can be a buck/boost DC to DC converter and current regulator. The high frequency DC to DC converter uses a switching circuit that typically uses a square wave with fast rise and fall times that are rich in harmonics. Some are much worse than others. Proper grounding and shielding can help.

 

[ultrarunner]

It's been a few years and so far not a single CREE issue or bulb replaced.

I know there are less expensive ones... but, I don't mind paying for a better product when it is.

Hope the changes CREE made don't compromise this.

 

[k0ua]

Cree bulb number 1 in my household is now about 2 years old with 5 or 6 hours a day, was working fine now it is flakey after a couple of recent power outages where it was on. it is just as bright as it ever was, but it is intermittent in operation now. Something has "puked" in its power supply. It may be heat sensitive now, as it seems to come on when cool, but will go off after being on for a while. Well dadgummit, i thought these things would would outlast me... Guess not.

 

[dragoneggs]

Cree bulb number 1 in my household is now about 2 years old with 5 or 6 hours a day, was working fine now it is flakey after a couple of recent power outages where it was on. it is just as bright as it ever was, but it is intermittent in operation now. Something has "puked" in its power supply. It may be heat sensitive now, as it seems to come on when cool, but will go off after being on for a while. Well dadgummit, i thought these things would would outlast me... Guess not.

Sorry James... I'm too lazy to go back and find out exactly the brand/type of the bulbs you bought?

 

[k0ua]

Sorry James... I'm too lazy to go back and find out exactly the brand/type of the bulbs you bought?

This was one of the old original Cree 60 watt bulbs with the heatsink around the base.