Replacing drivers (ballasts?) in LED fixtures

[zxcvbob]

I bought 3 nice-looking LED light ceiling fixtures a few years ago to put in my basement.  They were between $20 and $30 apiece at Costco.  I put one of them up right away and put it on a LED dimmer.  Didn't get around to putting up the other ones (which was maybe a good thing)  After about a year the fixture went out.  I attributed it to the dimmer; I replace the fixture and put a plain old fashioned switch back in.  Meanwhile I put the third fixture in the bedroom.  Now the second fixture in the basement has failed.    The one upstairs is fine for now.

Are there generic LED drivers I can get to replace the failed ones, and are they cost effective?  How do I figure out the voltage and current?  (maybe they are constant current and the voltage doesn't matter)  I can see the old driver; no name brand of course, and extremely tiny print that I haven't tried reading with a magnifying glass yet.  Maybe it gives the output parameters.  Are these things supposed to just be disposable?  I put a cheap Edison base bare bulb socket in the basement, and that's what I'll do to the other old Halo fixtures that don't put out much light even with a 100W bulb.

[Kingcreek]

I can’t answer your question with any certainty but I share your observation that leds don’t like dimmers.
I think these things are basically disposable.

[Brad Johnson]

If it has a standalone driver it will be rated by input voltage and total load capacity, either watts or amps. Unfortunately, a lot of low-cost LED fixtures don't use discrete/replaceable drivers. Rather, they design the LEDs as an integrated part of a simple driver circuit with everything on a single board.

Honestly, unless it some kind of high-dollar unit, or you've designed it into the room aesthetic, it's faster and easier to get a couple of inexpensive replacement fixtures. I still try to go with fixtures that use Edison-base lamps. That way, when a lamp fails I just screw in another one rather than having to replace the whole fixture.

Have a pic of the fixture? Maybe we can figure something out.

Brad

[zxcvbob]

If it has a standalone driver it will be rated by input voltage and total load capacity, either watts or amps. Unfortunately, a lot of low-cost LED fixtures don't use discrete/replaceable drivers. Rather, they design the LEDs as an integrated part of a simple driver circuit with everything on a single board.

Honestly, unless it some kind of high-dollar unit, or you've designed it into the room aesthetic, it's faster and easier to get a couple of inexpensive replacement fixtures. I still try to go with fixtures that use Edison-base lamps. That way, when a lamp fails I just screw in another one rather than having to replace the whole fixture.

Have a pic of the fixture? Maybe we can figure something out.

Brad

I don't have pics, but I can get some.  (the trick will be finding a place to host them so I can link)  I also have one of the original boxes.  The basement has a low ceiling so I liked that these hugged it, but the ceiling is not *that* low, so a bare bulb is working okay.  I'm more concerned about the one in the bedroom because Wife likes it.

[Brad Johnson]

If you have the box, a model number is prob sufficient for lookup.

Brad

[dogmush]

Brad's right.

LED Drivers are certainly available:

https://www.amazon.com/LD24AJTA-Adjustable-Controller-Step-Down-Converter/dp/B08T9JJW6Y/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=led+driver+circuit+board&qid=1694191488&sr=8-3

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Factory-supplied-LED-driver-3w4-7w8_1600306691515.html

But LOTS of times the diode is built directly onto the PCB that's holding the driver and related switching something like this, and changing the components is probably more trouble than the fixture is worth.

[zxcvbob]

This should work https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MSANK1C/?ref_=cm_wl_huc_item but I doubt that it's worth it.  I'd probably spend half that, and cheaper ones are probably available I just haven't got that far.  Pics on on my google drive, working on getting links now.

Let's see if this works:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/miJiqZMJt8aodYSc8

There's a phone number on the box, I'll call that and see if they sell replacement drivers, but if they do I'm sure it costs as much as the whole fixture even if it's really just a $2 part.

It does look like it's designed to be serviceable but that doesn't mean parts are available and economical.

[Brad Johnson]

P/N AL-3162 is an Altair 14" flush mount.

Mfg instructions for driver replacement. What they call a "driver" looks to essentially be the entire illumination assembly, sans metal frame.

https://altairlighting.com/uc/wr/img-wmedia/AL-3162-LED-Driver-Replacement.pdf

Home Depot has a similar fixture in the Noble brand for $65. Prob made right on the same assembly line as the Altair.

https://www.homedepot.com/pep/EnviroLite-Noble-14-in-Brushed-Nickel-Integrated-Selectable-LED-White-Colors-Round-Flush-Mount-EV3162C3A-35/318787985?g_store=&source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&utm_source=google&utm_medium=vantage&utm_campaign=17772&utm_content=19527&mtc=SHOPPING-RM-RMP-GGL-D23F-Multi-MB-TRAFFICMASTER-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-MK783652223-17772-NBR-4661-NA-VNT-PB_Laminate_FY23&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-RM-RMP-GGL-D23F-Multi-MB-TRAFFICMASTER-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-MK783652223-17772-NBR-4661-NA-VNT-PB_Laminate_FY23-71700000112676222--&gclid=CjwKCAjwjOunBhB4EiwA94JWsKJlNXzw_z69ed3qtilyXPY85pEYIAAyD8KeYKI8LZs67nHSrco_RxoCLOIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Brad

[RocketMan]

LED lights will work with dimmer switches, but only if both the LED light and the dimmer switch are designed to be used that way.  Using an LED light fixture not designed for dimming with a dimmer will eventually lead to failure of the light fixture.
Using an LED light fixture designed for use with a dimmer will usually work okay unless the dimmer switch was designed for just incandescent bulbs.  That will cause problems.

[zxcvbob]

LED lights will work with dimmer switches, but only if both the LED light and the dimmer switch are designed to be used that way.  Using an LED light fixture not designed for dimming with a dimmer will eventually lead to failure of the light fixture.
Using an LED light fixture designed for use with a dimmer will usually work okay unless the dimmer switch was designed for just incandescent bulbs.  That will cause problems.

This was one of the dimmers specifically mentioned in the light documentation as being compatible.  When the second one failed in a similar manor, it had never been on any dimmer.

[K Frame]

"Rather, they design the LEDs as an integrated part of a simple driver circuit with everything on a single board."

Yep, that's how the ceiling lights I installed a couple of years ago are.

I put in 6 of them -- 3 in the kitchen, and 3 in various hall locations.

I think there are 30 LED chips on the board in each light to give a 100-watt equivalent.

All have continued to work well, but recently the one in the upstairs hall has begun blinking if I leave it on for a couple of hours.

My guess is that it heat loads and that's causing it to cycle.

If it gets worse I'll either swap it with one in the downstairs hall that I rarely use, or I'll just replace it with something that looks similar.