On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 15:39:51 +0000, David Billington
wrote:

On 16/01/15 14:56, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 08:18:41 +0000, David Billington
wrote:

On 16/01/15 03:12, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Thu, 15 Jan 2015 17:57:43 +0000, David Billington
wrote:

On 15/01/15 16:53, Larry Jaques wrote:
LEDs beat the hell out of CFLs, too. The early/cheap Chiwanese bulbs
aren't all good, but instant refunds come from the vendors, so it's
not much of a loss. (Shipping takes 2-5 weeks, though some importers
are here in the States and I can buy through these small U.S.
companies and get quick shipping, supporting both them and the good
old USPS!

One thing to look out for is equivalent watts being sold as actual
watts. I'm having that problem with the Eagle Eye bulbs now. Only 1
shipment out of 4 was properly labeled, and I still don't have the 9W
LEDs I wanted for backup lights on my truck. sigh I'll use the
lesser bulbs in flashlights, I guess.

These draw only 110mA @ 12v and are very bright, but not as bright as
they should be. http://tinyurl.com/p85ffbn A pair of those added to
the pair of 3W (70mA) LEDs should do the trick for me, though.
I have seen a report that mentioned quite a few of the cheap Chinese
bulbs being sold online, at least in the UK, don't meet CE and likely UL
regs even though they are labelled as meeting them. One of the main
issues was lack of a protective covers and that allowed access to
potentially lethal voltage if you touched them while on. Another issue
was the ease of dismantling to get at live potentially parts. One of the
cases highlighted was a LED replacement for a cooker hood bulb where the
house owner got a shock while cleaning due to the lack of a protective
cover on the front of the bulb. Just a heads up.
Thanks, David. I haven't seen a potentially unsafe LED yet, but I'll
keep my eyes peeled.

Some 120v E26 dimmable 12w spots came in today's mail and when I
disassembled one, the p/s was entirely wrapped in black electrical
tape. the 15w of the same type had the p/s adhered to the inside of
the back cover with RTV/caulk, also protecting fingers from mains
power.
Just to make it clear the lack of protective covers was over the LEDs
themselves. They showed probing around the LEDs on open contacts could
result in potentially lethal voltage and current which would have been a
fail on the CE testing so dangerous and bogus markings.
Bbbbut, neither the LEDs (nor the PCB they're installed on, if any)
take mains power, they take 3v. I don't understand how your danger
could show up, unless a 4-y/o was probing the inside of an uncapped
LED case with a screwdriver while it was plugged in and turned on.
The danger highlighted was that the problem was with SMD LEDs exposing
contacts on the LED panels and they could be wired in series so one end
of the string could be at mains potential, it has been tested and shown
to be so in the dangerous bulbs. This was a discussion I found and a
quick search for "dangerous LED bulbs"
https://www.avforums.com/threads/som...ethal.1862196/

OK, I have a couple of those bulbs. AAMOF, my favorite LED bulbs are
those very same 20W "corncobs" with 84x 5050s on them. 100+ watts
worth of bright white light for the cost of 20. Wonderful. I was
handling it quite a bit in a switchless fixture with the power on, but
never got bitten by the 120v. Most people who install them have the
power turned off, so it's hardly a widespread danger, and I'm not a
bit concerned for myself. I've been bitten by 120v numerous times,
usually just a buzz. And I've been bitten by 240v a handful of times.
That throws you off more quickly.


Some concern mentioned there also about the like of GU bulbs where the
heatsink is close to live mains potential but no provision for a ground
on that bulb style so insulation failure could lead to the heatsink
going live.

Well, life is a gamble. I have a healthy respect for electricity, but
more often troubleshoot it with the power turned ON. A nitrile glove
(sometimes two, when I'm sitting on a grounded object) protects me.
When a mains-potential lead pokes through the glove, it gives me that
distinctly familiar tingle I associate with electricity.

I loved the curmudgeon email I received earlier this week, especially
the first point. Here's a reprise, in case noone sent a copy to you:

Subject: A Curmudgeon's Perspective

This is too good to not ENJOY AND SMILE

1. I'm not saying let's go kill all the stupid people. I'm just saying
let's remove all the warning labels and let the problem work itself
out.
2. I changed my car horn to gunshot sounds. People move out of the way
much faster now.
3. You can tell a lot about a woman's mood just by her hands. If they
are holding a gun, she's probably ****ed off.
4. Gone are the days when girls cooked like their mothers . Now they
drink like their fathers.
5. You know that tingly little feeling you get when you really like
someone you've just met? That's common sense leaving your body.
6. I don't like making plans for the day. Because then the word
"premeditated" gets thrown around in the courtroom.
7. I didn't make it to the gym today. That makes 1,500 days in a row.
8. I decided to change calling the bathroom the John and renamed it
the Jim. I feel so much better saying I went to the Jim this morning.
9. Dear paranoid people who check behind shower curtains for
murderers. If you find one, _what's_your_plan_?
10. Everyone has a right to be stupid once in awhile, but some people
just abuse the privilege.

--
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable
one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore,
all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw