Forum Discussion

tarnold's avatar
tarnold
Explorer
Sep 20, 2017

Blinking led

In one of my overhead lights I have installed a small led bulb. It has 4 rows of 3 leds mounted on a small circuit board. One row of lights have started blinking all others are ok. Any way I can fix or clip out that one row without turning off the other rows.
  • You need to access the circuit board connection feeding each string of LEDs If you cannot see the tracer lines connecting the LEDs, the process of fixing is impossible.

    You also need to think about what you are going to do. Meaning if an entire string of lights meaning a row, is damaged, you need to cut either the positive or negative circuit board trace line (silver colored). Trace lines are silver in color. Silver OK? Got it?

    To cut the trace line you need a sharp pointed object or best of all an exacto knife blade tip. Start scraping. A tiny canal scraped across the line is enough to chop power to that string. It's just like cutting a wire.

    Measure twice and cut once.

    Again, if the lamp circuit board is jammed packed and/or laminated like a sandwich making it confusing to the eye, then you might want to reconsider. Some of these circuit boards have a permanent cover (lamination) covering the circuit board. The lamination is heat sealed and impossible to remove without utter and total destruction.

    EXAMPLE of a generic non led circuit board




    Keep us posted :)
  • Most likely a bad solder joint. If you have a soldering iron heat up all the solder joint you can find and see if that works. I have fixed several that way. Way complicated for most but I replaced the IC on one with success. Got a lot of ten from China for much less than a dollar ($0.29 with free shipping!)
  • Be prepared with a sharp knife or better yet a box cutter blade to sever a thin circuit trace imprinted on a circuit board. Test 15 min. before sticking lamp back up. Cutting out a load could affect the remaining LEDs with over-current burning them out.
  • The little circuit board regulates the power to the LEDs. The problem might be the board rather than the LEDs. Probably best to just replace it.