RF Interference from LED Lights affecting TV?

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Faraday cage and pie filter? Seems like one heck of a compromise. But you've seen one of those rotary knob LED dimmers? I haven't checked one of those, either but I'm getting ready to order a dozen. I'd best ask about the noise factor first.

LEDZILLA runs on one of those and it's dead silent.. :)

Faraday cage and pie filter? Seems like one heck of a compromise. But you've seen one of those rotary knob LED dimmers? I haven't checked one of those, either but I'm getting ready to order a dozen. I'd best ask about the noise factor first.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Does the LM78 series VR produce noise? I do not have radio or TV to check.

They can produce some minor noise, but nothing like a good ol' switcher

WyoTraveler wrote:
Wonder if a capacitor and Rf choke would across the led 12 volts.

Thinking just the cap, not the coke, But the coil (choke) likely would do not harm.

Even choke beads on the power line might help.

Does the LM78 series VR produce noise? I do not have radio or TV to check.

SCVJeff wrote:
... I did allot of work with this problem about 2 years ago. Depending on the LED, carefully placed caps, tightly twisting the power leads both in and out of the regulator can make a significant difference, or none at all...

Well more like 4 1/2 years ago... This thread, SVCJeff had a considerable of input when I originally switched to leds & discovered interference, though mostly on FM radio. Only the light closest & under the antenna would cause slight TV interference. On the radio was also a proximity thing, closer the light that was on, greater the interference.
My fix and still working was simple caps in the housings. (though from what I could gather shoudnt have worked).

Couple of weeks old but thought worth linking Jeffs previous input on problem.
Mark

At the time I did it just because I could. I wanted to be able to run the LED's hard to the wall regardless of if I was plugged in or not and never exceed the current spec. The zero noise was a side benefit :)
Rewiring an existing lamp is probably difficult to impossible.

SVCJeff,
I had thought about that same type of installation, a whole-system or branch circuit regulator for the DC side but never implemented it. As it is, all of my LED panels have survived system voltages above 14V, just as Tenbear relates. It would be any easy thing to do, if someone had failing LED's or wished to protect circuit boards of appliances.

WyoTraveler wrote:
Wonder if a capacitor and Rf choke would across the led 12 volts.

Depends. I did allot of work with this problem about 2 years ago. Depending on the LED, carefully placed caps, tightly twisting the power leads both in and out of the regulator can make a significant difference, or none at all. If it were me I would replace the LED's with ones without regulators, then find a common feed to all the lighting and install a single regulator. Even the cheap ones on eBay are way better filtered than any LED out there.

I'm running a 12W LED scare light wired for 9V full bright through a regulator and a dimmer, and there is zero RFI from it.

Could be as simple as having a resistor in series with the LED to lower the voltage on the LED. Value determined by easy experiment.



I know a Mother-in-Law, who sleeps with her glasses on, the better to see her son-in-law suffer in her dreams. --- Ernest Coquelin