Replacing Halogen MR16 with LED MR16 - transformer or driver?

[sjwsjw]

Hi all, first post so be gentle...
I've recently decided to replace the MR16 50W Halogen bulbs in the bathroom with 5W LED ones. I'm aware of the general feeling against MR16 bulbs and preference of GU10's but they're not real options in this situation..

There's a lot of information available on this and lots seems to be from a few years back and I'm just wondering have things changed with newer LED's. For example, I often read LED's 'need' DC but that doesn't actually seem to be the case now - is this due to some circuitry in newer LED's maybe?
Anyway, currently I have 4 off 50W MR16 halogens - each powered by an individual transformer. A couple of months ago one of them failed and I replaced it with one of these. It's been fine.

Anyway, I thought the LED's would be a simple retro fit and that would be it... unfortunately, one of them occasionally flickers slightly - and another goes off after a while. Looking at it I think it's because the LED's don't draw enough power from the transformers so it either flickers or the transformer literally powers off as it doesn't sense a sufficient load. Make sense?

Given I've tried the bulbs and they 'work', I see a few options:

1. wire the 4 bulbs in parallel to the new electronic transformer which should then bring it to the 20W 'minimum'?
2. buy a Driver (this?) and wire the bulbs to this instead? What would be to gain by going the Driver route - given they work individually with the transformer?

As the load is much lower with LEDs, I'd rather not replace each transformer if I can help it..

(also, back to my physics days..., wiring these in parallel is just a case of wiring each light into the output of the transformer/driver isn't it? i.e. I could wire the two output wires into a terminal block and then one wire from each fitting goes to one side and the other from each fitting goes to the other. From memory this basically increases the load and maintains the same brightness - whereas in series the load would be the same and they would dim (for 'traditional' bulbs)?)



Having said that, I just saw some other advice regarding GU10's (don't see why it would be different though?) saying just to daisy chain from the loop in - so two cables in/out of each light until the last one.

 

[sjwsjw]

A slight edit - is the daisy chain v parallel due to AC v DC?

 

[littlespark]

I don’t know why you wouldn’t want gu10?
less connections that could go wrong, less parts that could go faulty, heat up and fail drastically.

drivers are specifically designed for LED, and although “some” transformers will work with “some” LED’s.... they’re not guaranteed to work and could lessen the lifespan of the transformer or the lamp.


So, to reiterate.

Drivers are for powering low power LED lamps, and transformers are robots in disguise

 

[sjwsjw]

Hi littlespark, cheers for the reply.
I didn't quite say I didn't want GU10's, but that they're not real options in this situation. It would take a fair bit of 'work' to route power to a couple of them as unfortunately the power to the existing transformers, and therefore the 240V to them, falls short of the holes in the ceiling the lights are in (i.e. installer left no slack in the cables for access ? ). One of the transformers is accessible (the one I replaced a month or so back) but getting the power to that routed to the other 3 lights won't be easy.
I will look again at the options but would also appreciate some answers to the questions above too if you/anyone can do so.
Also, if I can get the existing T+E to the first GU10, can I use flexible 1.5mm to loop around the rest?

Cheers again!