What would you use, if you had to design to this spec:

1) Wooden soffits - size range 10mm-100mm (max 80mm preferred)

2) SELV (ie extra low voltage, guaranteed mains isolation. These will be
subjected to hose spray.

3) Inexpensive

4) Serviceable (ie "standard" components preferred for long term replacement
availablitiy).

5) Angle-able. Not necessarily adjustable, but at install time, I would like
to angle them away from the house by about 5-10 degrees.

6) Bright white.


I remember Andrew Gabriel once said he made his own. I don't really have the
time unless it is very simple.

My default choice is MR16 LED lamps in "ordinary" bases, but I wondered if
there were other options. Metal cased "deck lights" might be, but I suspect
they are not very bright and usually expensive.

Cheers

Tim

--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://squiddy.blog.dionic.net/

http://www.sensorly.com/ Crowd mapping of 2G/3G/4G mobile signal coverage

Reading this on the web? See:
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Usenet

Tim Watts wrote:
What would you use, if you had to design to this spec:

1) Wooden soffits - size range 10mm-100mm (max 80mm preferred)

10mm isn't a soffit, it's a gap.


2) SELV (ie extra low voltage, guaranteed mains isolation. These will
be subjected to hose spray.

3) Inexpensive

4) Serviceable (ie "standard" components preferred for long term
replacement availablitiy).

5) Angle-able. Not necessarily adjustable, but at install time, I
would like to angle them away from the house by about 5-10 degrees.

6) Bright white.


I remember Andrew Gabriel once said he made his own. I don't really
have the time unless it is very simple.

My default choice is MR16 LED lamps in "ordinary" bases, but I
wondered if there were other options. Metal cased "deck lights" might
be, but I suspect they are not very bright and usually expensive.

Less than £4 new from fleabay, you can use led, cfl or halogen bulbs:
http://tinyurl.com/lrgmlwt

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Finish: Polished Chrome - Brushed Chrome - White
Material: Die-Cast Aluminium
Diameter: 82mm
Cut Out Required: 66mm
Void: 105mm
IP Rating: IP65
Dimmable: Yes
Voltage: 240v
Lamp Type: GU10 (50W Max)
Lamps are not included

On Saturday 10 August 2013 17:17 Phil L wrote in uk.d-i-y:

http://tinyurl.com/lrgmlwt

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Finish: Polished Chrome - Brushed Chrome - White
Material: Die-Cast Aluminium
Diameter: 82mm
Cut Out Required: 66mm
Void: 105mm
IP Rating: IP65
Dimmable: Yes
Voltage: 240v
Lamp Type: GU10 (50W Max)
Lamps are not included

Nice suggestion. However, it must be SELV (my requirement, not a de-facto
regs requirement) - I am mindful of the odd roof leak in the future, which
due to the tyvek and celotex, will present itself right over the soffit
lights :-o (wherever the leak originates!)

I wonder if there's a similar thing with an MR16 base... goes off to google
with this idea

Thanks

Tim

--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://squiddy.blog.dionic.net/

http://www.sensorly.com/ Crowd mapping of 2G/3G/4G mobile signal coverage

Reading this on the web? See:
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Usenet

In article ,
Tim Watts writes:
What would you use, if you had to design to this spec:

1) Wooden soffits - size range 10mm-100mm (max 80mm preferred)

2) SELV (ie extra low voltage, guaranteed mains isolation. These will be
subjected to hose spray.

3) Inexpensive

4) Serviceable (ie "standard" components preferred for long term replacement
availablitiy).

5) Angle-able. Not necessarily adjustable, but at install time, I would like
to angle them away from the house by about 5-10 degrees.

6) Bright white.


I remember Andrew Gabriel once said he made his own. I don't really have the
time unless it is very simple.

5 years ago, I built some into replacement soffit vents.
They are 3W LEDs (running at 2W, so should last a long time).
They are fitted with 5x20° lenses, to cast light along the
path underneath, without spilling into neighbour's property.
I used a small switched mode PSU, and modifed it to regulate
@ 500mA rather than a fixed voltage. (Nowadays, you can easily
buy current regulated SMPSUs, but back then they were very
expensive.)

They've worked fine ever since I fitted them.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Sunday 11 August 2013 20:56 Andrew Gabriel wrote in uk.d-i-y:

In article ,
Tim Watts writes:
What would you use, if you had to design to this spec:

1) Wooden soffits - size range 10mm-100mm (max 80mm preferred)

2) SELV (ie extra low voltage, guaranteed mains isolation. These will be
subjected to hose spray.

3) Inexpensive

4) Serviceable (ie "standard" components preferred for long term
replacement availablitiy).

5) Angle-able. Not necessarily adjustable, but at install time, I would
like to angle them away from the house by about 5-10 degrees.

6) Bright white.


I remember Andrew Gabriel once said he made his own. I don't really have
the time unless it is very simple.

5 years ago, I built some into replacement soffit vents.
They are 3W LEDs (running at 2W, so should last a long time).
They are fitted with 5x20° lenses, to cast light along the
path underneath, without spilling into neighbour's property.
I used a small switched mode PSU, and modifed it to regulate
@ 500mA rather than a fixed voltage. (Nowadays, you can easily
buy current regulated SMPSUs, but back then they were very
expensive.)

They've worked fine ever since I fitted them.


Ah I see, I think.

So you took a basic barebones LED, glued a plastic lens on and stuck or
mounted it in a little soffit grill thingy? What package style was the LED
and did you need a heatsink?

Cheers

Tim



--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://squiddy.blog.dionic.net/

http://www.sensorly.com/ Crowd mapping of 2G/3G/4G mobile signal coverage

Reading this on the web? See:
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Usenet