# Effect of more supply voltage than rated voltage on LEDs



## Vijayg (Jun 29, 2018)

This is related to led failures like flickering, driver problems etc., 

Most of the leds and drivers used in india are imported from China.

And sadly most of the leds including retrofet, t5, pin type, flood, focus, strip type are not lasting more than 2 years contrary to what they suppose to endure till 5 or 6yrs atleast.

Heard from a friend that this is because of the difference between supply voltages of China and india.china single phase is 220 v and India's 230-240 v. During the long run this leads to contribution to heat losses and the driver gets permanently damaged.

Could members please throw some light on this .

Thanks,


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

We try not to use cheap Chinese crapola. China has very few, if any "regulations" on "quality control", or in the use of toxic substances in their products. You're lucky if those retrofits didn't let the magic smoke out when power was applied. You get what you pay for, and what you save now, you pay for later.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Vijayg said:


> This is related to led failures like flickering, driver problems etc.,
> 
> Most of the leds and drivers used in india are imported from China.
> 
> ...


Run em thru an electronic t-8 ballast as well as the driver.


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

Vijayg said:


> This is related to led failures like flickering, driver problems etc.,
> 
> Most of the leds and drivers used in india are imported from China.
> 
> ...



There are many factors to evaluate.


Power quality in India is less than optimal and this could be contributing to premature failure.


If you're buying lamps with a life expectancy of 5 years, you're buying very low end products. That in itself is reason to not expect long life.


If you are buying quality products the manufacturer should be able to tell you nominal input voltage and frequency as well as absolute maximum ratings. I wouldn't expect the 10-20V variation you describe to result in premature failure. 



Also consider how you control the lights. The life expectancy on most lights is in hours and then the burn rate per day, year, etc. is extrapolated into years of service life. If that lamp burns 24 hours per day you can expect to shorten the service life in years considerably.


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

in the US, exceeding the rated voltage is a code violation. Additionally, exceeding any of the ratings on almost any electrical or electronic devices is dangerous, sometimes to life and safety, and sometimes lethal, and should be avoided. Power quality is another issue entirely, and not related to ratings.


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## 3DDesign (Oct 25, 2014)

I was called to troubleshoot a car dealership LED lights burning out. The voltage was 277V. We placed a voltage recorder on the transformer and found voltage would jump to 298 at night when usage in the area was low. The power company adjusted the voltage regulators at the sub-station and solved the problem.
The LED manufacturer said exceeding 277V voided the warranty. 
I think if a fixture is rated 277V there should be a 10% variable built in.


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

use universal input drivers rated at 90-264vac


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## Helmut (May 7, 2014)

Vijayg said:


> Most of the leds and drivers used in india are imported from China
> 
> 
> Thanks,


The problem isn't so much that they are built in chine, as most everything is, but lies with the company building the drivers and their QC procedures.

Some smaller outfits build cheap drivers, mostly built to order stuff and practically have no Quality Control over the product.

The best ones are engineered in the US, with strict control over raw materials and processes being used, and assembled in China, and shipped back as complete units.

At least in my experience.


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## Lightsmith (Oct 8, 2010)

Line conditioners have been around for decades. Where regulated power is needed we have been using the Oneac conditioners for nearly 40 years. 



I echo the comments on products manufactured in China. The Chinese typically produce to 3 quality levels with German quality the best, next best is what they refer to as Japan quality, and the bottom level is for the USA for Wal-Mart and Harbor Freight and other companies that sell based on low price. 



I have often had problems with US made magnetic transformers used to feed LED drivers with RFI. We now stock ferrite cores as a matter of course and all output lines go around the cores 2-3 times before continuing the run to the drivers. 



Similar problems experienced when homeowners replace the incandescent lamps on their garage door openers with screw in LED modules. The LED replacement lamp has its driver at the base and no shielding to prevent RFI. 



Best to check with your wholesaler as to which units are the least likely to get returned. A UL certification is worthless as it only helps assure that a device should not catch fire. Often the power supply or brick or power cord is UL approved but nothing else. Same applies to FCC compliance.


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## MikesLights (Nov 27, 2018)

Where would you recommend getting LEDs from if not China?


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