LED with attached power supply

[McKinleyBrown 0]

I need help with an LED with attached power supply. The unit came assembled with two bare wires. Am I able to just add a two-prong plug to this and plug it into a 110 outlet? Thanks!

 

[Rotatorman 23]

I sent your question to a relative who is very good at electrical stuff.  He said it won’t work and that it may have been made to use in Europe since the primary side input is 240v, where in the U.S. our voltage is 110v.  Amazon sells a 110v to 220v step up/step down power voltage converter, made by Lineba.  Not sure what you’re going to use this for, but be careful.

[McKinleyBrown 0]

Thanks! That answer backs up some other answers I had gotten. Yes, a relative purchased this online from a company in Italy - that explains the European power requirements!

[McKinleyBrown 0]

11 minutes ago, Rotatorman said:

I sent your question to a relative who is very good at electrical stuff.  He said it won’t work and that it may have been made to use in Europe since the primary side input is 240v, where in the U.S. our voltage is 110v.  Amazon sells a 110v to 220v step up/step down power voltage converter, made by Lineba.  Not sure what you’re going to use this for, but be careful.

Could you ask your relative another question please? The LED spot light is listed as 1 Watt, if I were to remove the LED from the existing power supply, would one of these power supplies be adwquate to power the LED without overloading it? 

https://www.amazon.com/Njuone-Switching-5-5x2-5mm-Transformer-Security/dp/B0823GSQ27/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=VXJMDKF52RGL&dchild=1&keywords=4+volt+dc+adapter&qid=1608401274&sprefix=4+volt+dc%2Cinstant-video%2C183&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzR1BNRVVXNlM3SFNWJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDY3ODcyMzk3UU5GSFRaNU42NCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTY2MDkzMk9VUkxXRU1SOFVJMSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

[Rotatorman 23]

Yes, I will send your question and see what he says.  I’ll get back to you soon.

[Rich in Las Vegas 30]

From the description on the power supply this appears to be a constant current power supply so the one you listed on Amazon would not work because it is a constant voltage power supply.  Those are the two types that come with LED fixtures.  You need a 350ma constant current power supply with 120V input or you can buy a universal power supply that operates on 85-240V AC. 

This one is on eBay and shows the 350ma output   www.ebay.com/itm/153902458906  price with shipping is $12

 

[Rotatorman 23]

McKinley, here’s your answer;  the power supplies in the Amazon link are all 12v D.C. which is too much voltage for a single LED, which typically operate at 3volts or less. It’s critical to match the output voltage as closely as possible.  Your original nameplate is showing 2 - 4 volts. Going over or under will kill or greatly reduce the life of your device being powered.  For output current, the replacement must be equal or greater than the original. 
‘Using a replacement with higher amperage capacity could actually be good  since it allows for cooler operation and consistent voltage.  The device being powered will only use the current as needed.

[Rich in Las Vegas 30]

You can read about the difference between a constant voltage LED driver and a constant current LED driver here: https://www.ledsupply.com/blog/constant-current-led-drivers-vs-constant-voltage-led-drivers/

If you run the LED at a higher current than recommended it will be brighter - for a time - and then it will die.   If you look at the specifications for the driver I referenced above it is the exact current (350ma) for the one that came with the light.  Constant current drivers are commonly found in lamps with a series of LEDs.  The driver adjusts the voltage to compensate for the number of LEDs in series and prevents overloading an individual LED.  That's why you see a voltage range on the driver.  It will always deliver 350ma as more LEDs are added to the circuit.