LED Lights in SERIES

jjrules2 · Sep 4, 2013

Hi,

On a job today the client had some LED lights that aren't working. LED transformer is OK and 12v is at the lights. The lights are wired in series (as it says they should be on the fitting themself) and are wired in the following way -

Twin and earth from transformer - Brown to Light 1
Blue in connector block

Brown from another cable goes in other side of Light 1
Blue in connector block with original cable

This pattern continues, so at each light you have one brown going into the fitting, then another brown coming out of the same fitting to the next. The blue's are connected in blocks.

The problem I have is what to do at the end, as this is where I found bare live cables not terminated! The last light has one cable coming from the previous light, so I assume I attach the blue in a connector block and the brown in one side of the light. Then there is a cable going from the last light to the vert first light where the 12v comes in as well. Just want to know how to connect the last light and first light really as the middle 6 lights are all brown in brown out neutrals connected.

Thanks guys

Deleted member 9648 · Sep 4, 2013

It's just a loop....the lights are spliced into the brown wire,in and out.....on the last light you will have the final brown on the + and the blue on the - which goes all the way back to the driver via connector blocks.

jjrules2 · Sep 4, 2013

wirepuller said:
It's just a loop....the lights are spliced into the brown wire,in and out.....on the last light you will have the final brown on the + and the blue on the - which goes all the way back to the driver via connector blocks.

Ah! So why the cable going from the last light back to the first? So are you saying the last light should have brown in + and blue in - ? Like a radial where the last light only has one cable?

mechelec · Sep 4, 2013

On the last lamp brown one terminal blue to the other thereby completing the circuit just like you learn at primary school a circuit must be from source back to source.

Marvo · Sep 4, 2013

Refer to the installation instructions. Some LED lighting is actually series networks of several LED's and these networks are actually connected in parallel. The wires at the far end of the last LED might just be redundant although it's pretty rare they'd be bare wires, usually they'd already be terminated in a minature plug.

Silly Sausage · Sep 4, 2013

Ones I did once were current driven, up to 11 or 12, in series...obviously!
Got the call back, 'They've stopped working'. She'd put the spade through a couple of the light flexes, in the full knowledge there are lights there!