[TessMN]

Hello all,

Issue is I have started installing some HALO 3k disk LED lights for my house we are building and after getting about 10-15 installed some of them started to flicker. Went through and checked all connections and everything is hooked up correct and tight, and voltage is correct. If you turn some of the lights off the flickering stops (not all on the same circuits) Tried replacing some of the lights but no change. Running out of ideas besides replacing all the lights to a different brand. Wondering if anyone else has run into an issue like this.

Thanks.

 

[surferdude2]

Using dimmers? They have to be listed for the type of lights being used.



Compatible Dimmers for Halo

 

[TessMN]

No dimmers, tried regular single pole switches and bypassing a switch altogether

 

[surferdude2]

Call the Halo support line. That fixture gets good reviews.

You might also want to have your POCO check the power you are getting since you mentioned that the problem is affected by how many lights you have turned on at one time. Line voltage drop shouldn't be an issue with such a small load?? Definitely a mystery. Halo supportmight have some ideas.

Maybe move it to another breaker for a quick test. Arcing might be a factor.

Sorry.

 

[TessMN]

Yeah I had thought it was an power issue at first but they draw such a small amount I wouldn't think it would be that. Guess I'll be giving Halo a call this afternoon to see if they have any answers for me.

Do LEDs give off a frequency that may mess with the other lights by chance? I read that they can interfere with tvs and radios, nothing with other lights though.

 

[surferdude2]

That's a inherent characteristic of all diodes, they radiate like a transmitter. That isn't normally a problem at the frequencies involved, by the time the harmonics of 60 cycle get high enough to be in the rf band, they're pletty weak. Dimmers are often worse offenders since they can switch at higher potential. Fluorescents even worse.

Being licensed in amateur radio all of my adult life and a little of the non-adult part, I have dealt with RFI several times. With the advent of so much digital technology in the average home and even in the family car, RFI radiation is more of a problem than ever.

Ferrite chokes are usually effective in damping the radiation to a sociable level. Auto manufacturers will no doubt be using plenty of those chokes on their new cars with the LED headlights. They have been around for decades... that lump on your computer and monitor cable is a ferrite choke.

I hope Halo has an easy answer for you... I well know how much fun ceiling lights are to install!

 

[TessMN]

Thanks, Luckily not all 50 lights have been installed before I found out this issue

 

[RAL238]

Do all the lights flicker, or just some of them? As you change fixtures around, do the same ones flicker, or does the problem move around?



It's possible that there is just one bad fixture that is feeding a lot of noise into the power line, causing other fixtures to flicker.

 

[TessMN]

The flickering moves around, tried replacing some of the lights right off the bat but them or others would just start flickering again.
Failed to mention that if I turn say 5 of the 15 off then I get no flickering. But as soon as I turn some back on the flickering starts up again. Which is why I was leaning towards some kind of frequency problem or noise.

I'll be picking up some new, different brand lights tonight to see if it just the lights. Since I can't get ahold of Halo.

 

[RAL238]

LED lights contain switching power supplies which can create RF noise as well as noise on the AC line. Some brands are better than others at limiting the noise, but sometimes a defective component can really mess things up. With good quality lights, it should never be so bad that you get flickering like you have.

As was suggested previously, see what Halo has to offer for advice.

 

[surferdude2]

These may prove to be of some value to you eventually.

Ferrite Chokes

 

[TessMN]

Thanks for the help, I'll try and post back when I try/figure something out.

 

[TessMN]

Well spoke with Halo and the person I spoke with said they have never run into the problem I'm having so they were going to pass on my info and problem to the electrical engineers to see if they can give me an answer. Was also told that the lights I bought are a fairly new design so its possible they don't have all the bugs worked out yet. Sigh.......

What I did do was go out and get about 20 new lights, also Halo, but of a little better quality and as soon as we started replacing them the flickering started to fade and then eventually stopped after replacing about 4 lights. We have about 10 of the new lights to install still to make sure they aren't going to do the same thing but I feel they will work just fine. So general thought is some kind of interference being put out by the first set of lights. So others know the model of the first lights with issues were Halo HLC 6' 3000K LED Recessed

Thanks again for the help!

 

[surferdude2]

Thanks for the update. It'll be interesting to see what they come up with.

It looks like a plain case of coincidental syncronization of multiple diode switching that's magnifying the RFI, which causes delayed avalanche triggering on nearby associated diodes/drivers that may be on a resonant loop. The ferrite chokes would prevent that but they may have a better answer... a simple bypass capacitor in their driver might be all that is needed, albeit not something the consumer can retrofit like the chokes would be.