Teardown (literally) of a 3W LED garden spotlight.

It's very clear that this light is actually based on a housing for a GU10 style holder and lamp. But to keep costs low they have basically fitted a round aluminium core PCB for the LEDs and the usual generic 3W driver in a bit if heatshrink.
The amount of waterproofing added to this light was annoying. It made it quite messy to take to bits and rules out any easy maintenance or repair.
The housing is not earthed, and has the loose earth wire and crimp lying loose inside. The LEDs are typical one watt bare luxeon style emitters soldered to the PCB and then reflectors with white housings have been glued over them.
I think I'd choose a version that takes a GU10 lamp and fit a standard 3W LED lamp into it. The slight downside to that being the possibility that the lamp may make poorer thermal connection with the outer housing than the PCB variant does.

[joohop]

@ least the slugs will steer well clear ! i got some of them Gu10 LEDs from poundland yesterday and with a bit of jury rigging with a few old blown CFL casing's they are decent ! i kept an eye on the heat and it did get pretty warm so i just took of the diffuser and they are bang on . Clive would it be possible to do a Teardown of that Beard ?

[RichardT]

Oddly therapeutic watching you utterly mutilate the lamp! Cheers mate!

[Synthematix]

bigclive i have a few gu10 3.5w rgb GU10 bulbs i want to use in my pc, what power does the led circuit use mate? not the mains input but the actual power to the remote controlled led pcb, cheers mate

[louisechangler]

Hi, I was wondering if I could use your video in my AS coursework for a lamp disassembly, it's really good and I love the part where you mutilate the lamp, of course if you say no then I wont use it, but I would be grateful if you say yes.

[jusb]

i have 2 of these, 12v version, as garden lights on a light sensitive switch, been working all year so far, mine do not have near as much silicone in the front end.

[chriswouse]

A suggestion: if you have access to a PAT tester on earth bond and insulation tester, if you test it for earthbond and insulation before you take it apart, it'd give you a heads up of what you'd expect. and even if it did fail and you found an earth bond wire flapping in the breeze, then that would give an indication of workmanship.

[jeromeb]

I've tried to put a little amp together, from a electronic radio shack book but it didn't work I need your advice.

[SeanBZA]

Well it is a 'floating' If it gets wet the earth will eventually be under water. Slap a GU10 socket in there and a GU10 LED and seal it back up again. I see those with 50W lamps in them, they can cook the rain off them quite easily.

[JamesSleeman]

The white sleeves are primarily holders for the polycarbonate lenses which are press fit into them and then they are plonked on top of the leds, probably glued down.  Those lenses come in various different beam angles, although personally, I find it hard to tell the difference between any two beam angles, although the lens are noticeably different, the actual beam difference between even 5 degree and 25 degree is hard to see, well, for me.  

[sumobear]

drenched in glue? one use only, like a disposable camera from the 90s.

[ABill]

diy stores sell softener/ solvent for silicone...

[neville]

You do realize that "tearing to bits with unreasonable force" invalidates you