bob_b wrote:
On EBay, I bought 5 LED candelabra bulbs for the kitchen lamp. Every one of them burnt our before the 2-week mark. I complained and the seller sent me 5 more. Two weeks, same thing. LED bulbs just don't seem ready for prime time. I'll wait for the technology to mature.
two bits says these had a simple dropping resistor to set LED current. A definite NO NO for long life. LED's need a true constant current source that is capable of holding the current constant even as the LED changes temp and junction voltage. otherwise thermal run away and very short life.
Common on many ebay or offshore LED 12V arrays. I had some in the trailer than when the battery was low (12V) they were dim, and when converter hit 13.6 they got so hot the unsoldered themselves and fell on the table.
One with constant current source are very bright and last a long time. But it isn't free, they do cost much more.
Unfortunetly there is lots of poorly designed 12V LED's out there and there aren't any 3rd party safety certifications required (CSA,UL, ETL etc).
For 120V applications, first check if they are UL and CSA listed for safety. If so, there is a decent chance they are of decent design. No guarantee, but a decent chance.
