The main disadvantage of fluorescent lamps is the presence of mercury inside them, the vapors of which are deadly to humans.

But technology does not stand still; its active development has led to the creation of LED lamps, which have surpassed fluorescent lamps in almost all respects. Currently, their only drawback is the cost in comparison with fluorescent lamps, but in terms of the sum of all the characteristics and benefits, and most importantly for safety reasons, they are unrivaled.

It is not profitable to replace old fluorescent lamps entirely with similar LED lamps, at least just economically, It's better to just replace the bulbs, because manufacturers have been producing T8 tubular LED lamps for a G13 base for a long time, and you can install them, leaving the old lamp body, only slightly modernizing it.

To install LED lamps instead of fluorescent lamps, it is necessary to slightly modify the lamp, make it simpler by removing several unnecessary components from the connection diagram. Now I will show in detail how easy it is to do it yourself.

First of all, let's look at diagrams of standard raster luminaires designed for installation of four fluorescent lamps, these are most often mounted in Armstrong-type ceilings.

There are only two varieties of them, two different schemes, the first with ballast and starter, is the most common:

The second scheme is more modern, with an electronic ballast:

In modern tubular LED lamps, in particular T8 with g13 socket, the driver necessary for the LEDs to light is already built into the body of the lamp itself and there is no need to install anything additional.

Respectively, reworking any fluorescent lamp comes down to dismantling all unnecessary equipment: ballast, starter, electronic ballast, etc. and connecting power directly to the contacts of the LED lamp. For both types of lamps, the connection diagram is common, we connect all the green conductors in the diagram to the neutral wire, and all the red ones to the phase wire, it should turn out something like this:

Connection diagram for LED lamps instead of fluorescent lamps

And once again, everything is quite simple, on one side a phase is supplied to the llamas, and on the other, a zero. In this case, the polarity is not important, since alternating current is connected, connect in the way that is most convenient for you. In addition, it does not matter which of the contact pins the electrical wire is connected to, because each pair of them, on each side of the LED lamp, is closed.

In the case of remaking a raster fluorescent lamp, we simply take the wires that come from the g13 sockets and cut them off, and then we connect all the wires of one side to the phase terminal, and all the wires of the other, to the neutral terminal. As a result, you should get something like the following installation diagram for LED lamps instead of fluorescent lamps:

As you can see, the technology is simple , you don’t need to have any special education to convert, say, all fluorescent lamps in an office, factory or store to LED lamps.

By the way, we wrote in the article “Connecting a fluorescent lamp” how to mount and connect a fluorescent lamp, and most importantly, how to install T8 tubular lamps

As a result of such a modification, you get a new, modern LED lamp, safe, with low energy consumption and a long service life.

Remember that old fluorescent lamps cannot simply be thrown away or, worse, simply broken, they must be disposed of because they contain mercury. Every major city has centers where you can donate your energy-saving lamps, often completely free of charge.

Improving lighting by replacing fluorescent lamps with LED lamps saves energy by two to three times. The absence of flickering of LED lamps, and an almost natural spectrum of light flux, LED lighting does not tire the eyes.

Replacing fluorescent lamps with LED lamps

Calculation of the efficiency of replacing fluorescent lamps with LED lamps

It is incorrect to compare the luminous flux characteristics of fluorescent and LED lamps. The luminous flux of these lamps has its own characteristics. The technologies for emitting the luminous flux of these types of lighting are different.

It will be wrong to focus only on the luminous flux. The illumination of fluorescent devices largely depends on the loss in the lamps, the size of the room and a number of characteristics of the illuminated objects.

Although the same parameters of lighting and objects are used in calculating the illumination of LED lamps, with the same light fluxes (in lumens) as fluorescent lamps, an LED lamp illuminates a place or room much better than fluorescent lighting. Below is a table for replacing fluorescent lamps with LED lamps.

LED analogs for replacing common fluorescent lamps

Connection diagram for LED lamps instead of fluorescent lamps

There are three possible options for replacing fluorescent lamps with LED lamps.

First option- this means purchasing a new LED lamp and replacing fluorescent ones.

Second option, when the circuit of the fluorescent lamp is not disturbed and an LED device of the same size is installed. Nowadays, linear LED lamps are produced with G13 type connectors, just like fluorescent lamps, and in lengths of 60, 90, 120cm, and so on.

The second option for connecting an LED lamp without removing the wiring

Therefore, it will not be difficult to replace these lamps. In this case, the starter must be removed. If you leave the electromagnetic choke in place, the illumination of the LED lamp will drop slightly. The throttle can simply be short-circuited. The capacitor installed in the power supply is removed.

In the third option The connection diagram for an LED lamp instead of connected fluorescent devices changes completely. Since LED lamps are powered directly from 220 V, their connection diagram is greatly simplified. In this option, you need to de-energize (turn off the input circuit breaker) the lamp completely, disconnect the power supply and remove the lamp housing from the ceiling.

LED lamp connection diagram

Remaking the circuit for an LED lamp involves removing all the electrical wiring of the lamp and connecting the contact connectors of the devices directly to the power supply. In this case, of course, you need to remove all unnecessary elements - these are electronic ballasts, ballasts, mains capacitors and starters. If the luminaire contains two linear LED lamps, then they are connected in parallel.

Connection diagram for four LED lamps in one lamp

The grounding terminal for the lamp body is left. LED linear lamps contain their filters and a stabilized voltage source. LED lamps are inserted into the socket in the same way as fluorescent lamps, rotated 90 degrees until they click. If there is a ground wire, it is connected to the Ground terminal.

If an old Soviet lamp with fluorescent fluorescent lamps such as LB-40, LB-80 is out of order, or you are tired of changing the starter in it, recycling the lamps themselves (and you can’t just throw them in the trash for a long time), then you can easily convert to LED.

The most important thing is that fluorescent and LED lamps have the same bases - G13. Unlike other types of pin contacts, no modifications to the housing are required.

• G- means pins are used as contacts

• 13 is the distance in millimeters between these pins

Benefits of remodeling

In this case you will receive:

• greater illumination

• lower losses (almost half of the useful energy in fluorescent lamps can be lost in the choke)

• absence of vibration and unpleasant rattling sound from the ballast throttle

True, more modern models already use electronic ballast. They have increased efficiency (90% or more), noise has disappeared, but energy consumption and luminous flux have remained at the same level.

For example, new models of such LPO and LVO are often used for Armstrong ceilings. Here is a rough comparison of their effectiveness:

Another advantage of LEDs is that there are models designed for supply voltages from 85V to 265V. For fluorescent you need 220V or close to it.

For such LEDs, even if your network voltage is low or too high, they will start and shine without any complaints.

Luminaires with electromagnetic ballasts

What should you pay attention to when converting simple fluorescent lamps to LED lamps? First of all, its design.

If you have a simple old Soviet-style lamp with starters and an ordinary (not electronic ballast) choke, then in fact there is no need to modernize anything.

Simply pull out the starter, select a new LED lamp to fit the overall size, insert it into the housing and enjoy brighter and more economical lighting.

If the starter is not removed from the circuit, then when replacing the LB lamp with an LED one, a short circuit can be created.

It is not necessary to dismantle the throttle. For an LED, the current consumption will be in the range of 0.12A-0.16A, and for a ballast, the operating current in such old lamps is 0.37A-0.43A, depending on the power. In fact, it will act as an ordinary jumper.

After all the rework, you still have the same lamp. There is no need to change the fixture on the ceiling, and you no longer have to dispose of burnt out lamps and look for special containers for them.

Such lamps do not require separate drivers and power supplies, since they are already built-in inside the housing.

The main thing is to remember the main feature - for LEDs, two pin contacts on the base are rigidly connected to each other.

And with fluorescent they are connected by a filament. When it gets hot, mercury vapor ignites.

In models with electronic ballasts, a filament is not used and the gap between the contacts is pierced by a high voltage pulse.

The most common sizes of such tubes are:

• 300mm (used in table lamps)

• 900mm and 1200mm

The longer they are, the brighter the glow.

Conversion of a lamp with electronic ballast

If you have a more modern model, without a starter, with an electronic ballast throttle (electronic ballast), then you will have to tinker a little with changing the circuit.

What is inside the lamp before alteration:

• throttle

• wires

• contact blocks-cartridges on the sides of the case

The throttle is what will need to be thrown out first. Without it, the entire structure will significantly lose weight. Unscrew the mounting screws or drill out the rivets, depending on the fastener.

Then disconnect the power wires. To do this, you may need a screwdriver with a narrow blade.

You can use these wirings and just eat them with pliers.

The connection diagram for the two lamps is different; on the LED lamp everything is much simpler:

The main task that needs to be solved is to supply 220V to different ends of the lamp. That is, the phase is on one terminal (for example, the right one), and the zero is on the other (left).

It was said earlier that an LED lamp has both pin contacts inside the base, connected to each other by a jumper. Therefore, here it is impossible, as in a fluorescent one, to supply 220V between them.

To verify this, use a multimeter. Set it to resistance measurement mode, and touch the two terminals with the measuring probes and take measurements.

The display should display the same values ​​as when the probes are connected to each other, i.e. zero or close to it (taking into account the resistance of the probes themselves).

A fluorescent lamp, between two terminals on each side, has a resistance filament, which, after applying a voltage of 220V through it, heats up and “starts” the lamp.

• without dismantling cartridges

• with dismantling and installing jumpers through their contacts

Without dismantling

The easiest way is without dismantling, but you will have to buy a couple of Wago clamps.
In general, bite out all the wires suitable for the cartridge at a distance of 10-15mm or more. Next, insert them into the same Vago clamp.

Do the same with the other side of the lamp. If the wago terminal block does not have enough contacts, you will have to use 2 pieces.

After this, all that remains is to feed a phase into the clamp on one side and zero on the other.

No Vago, just twist the wires under the PPE cap. With this method, you do not need to deal with the existing circuit, jumpers, get into the cartridge contacts, etc.

With dismantling the cartridges and installing jumpers

The other method is more scrupulous, but does not require any extra costs.

Remove the side covers from the lamp. This must be done carefully, because... In modern products, the latches are made of brittle and breakable plastic.

After which, you can dismantle the contact cartridges. Inside them there are two contacts that are isolated from each other.

Such cartridges can be of several varieties:

All of them are equally suitable for lamps with G13 socket. There may be springs inside them.

First of all, they are needed not for better contact, but to ensure that the lamp does not fall out of it. Plus, due to the springs, there is some compensation for the length. Since it is not always possible to produce identical lamps with millimeter accuracy.

Each cartridge has two power cables. Most often, they are attached by snapping into special contacts without screws.

You turn them clockwise and counterclockwise, and with some force, pull one of them out.

As mentioned above, the contacts inside the connector are isolated from each other. And by dismantling one of the wiring, you actually leave only one contact socket.

All current will now flow through the other contact. Of course, everything will work on one, but if you are making a lamp for yourself, it makes sense to improve the design a little by installing a jumper.

Thanks to it, you don’t have to make contact by turning the LED lamp from side to side. The double connector ensures a reliable connection.

The jumper can be made from the extra power wires of the lamp itself, which you will definitely have left over as a result of the alteration.

Using a tester, you check that after installing the jumper, there is a circuit between the previously isolated connectors. Do the same with the second plug-in contact on the other side of the lamp.

The main thing is to make sure that the remaining power wire is no longer phase, but zero. You bite off the rest.

Fluorescent lamps with two, four or more lamps

If you have a two-lamp lamp, it is best to supply voltage to each connector with separate conductors.

When installing a simple jumper between two or more cartridges, the design will have a significant drawback.

The second lamp will light only if the first one is installed in its place. Remove it, and the other one will go out immediately.

The supply conductors should converge on the terminal block, where you will have the following connected in turn:

LED lamps are becoming increasingly popular among the population due to their efficiency and long service life. The appearance and dimensions coincide with conventional lamps, and in terms of brightness there is a clear superiority. In order to save money, it is quite possible to replace fluorescent lamps with LED lamps, with partial changes in the fittings.

For these purposes, T8 lamps with a G13 brand base are best suited. Instead, a tube with LEDs is installed, similar in shape and size to these fluorescent lamps.

Why is replacement needed?

Fluorescent lamps are used in lighting systems for industrial production facilities, shopping centers, offices and other public places. Despite their high technical performance, these lamps periodically fail and require regular replacement. In this regard, in order to save money, it is recommended, whenever possible, to replace the fluorescent lamp with an LED one.

What explains the need for such a replacement, and what benefits can be obtained if such devices are installed? According to experts, it all lies in the undoubted advantages of LED light bulbs over fluorescent analogues in most parameters and technical characteristics.

As an example, we can consider T8 fluorescent lamps with the following indicators:

• The total service life is 2000 hours. It depends on how many times certain fluorescent lamps are turned on and off. On average, each of them can withstand a maximum of 2000 cycles.
• Light spreads in different directions, so the lamp requires a reflector.
• After turning on and starting, the brightness of the fluorescent lamp increases gradually.
• The ballasts used in the lamp can create network interference.
• During operation, the protective layer gradually decreases, and decreases by about 30%.
• Mercury vapor located inside the glass bulb requires special measures for the disposal of fluorescent lamps.

The characteristics of T8 LED lamps differ significantly for the better:

• The service life is at least 10,000 hours, regardless of the number of starts and stops.
• The luminous flux in lamps has a strictly defined direction.
• Instantly reaches maximum brightness after switching on.
• The installed driver does not have a negative impact on the network.
• Over the entire service life, the decrease in brightness is no more than 10%.
• An LED lamp consumes significantly less electricity and is environmentally friendly and safe.

With the same energy consumption, the luminous efficiency of T8 lamps is twice that of fluorescent lamps, especially when operating at 36 volts. They break down and fail much less often. In the internal space of the bulb, you can place a different number of LEDs and thereby create the most optimal level of illumination.

Types of LED lamps

There are special designs of LED lamps, the appearance of which resembles a fluorescent lamp and other lighting devices of this type.

They are a tube with a power supply and can be manufactured in the following options, depending on the material:

• Tube with a diameter of 26 mm made of solid transparent or matte polycarbonate. Due to their strong glow, such LEDs are placed in closed lampshades. Matte coatings partially absorb the light flux, and this factor should be taken into account when calculating power.
• Double-sided design. On the outside there is a part of the body made of a chemical alloy, and on the rear there is a round aluminum profile. Matte or transparent material is used as a diffuser.

Some types of lighting fixtures are equipped with a rotating mechanism that allows you to adjust and direct the light flux in the desired direction at a given angle. All tubes have standard lengths of 600, 900, 1200 and 1500 mm.

In residential premises, instead of a fluorescent lighting system, it is recommended to install lamps with a length of 600 and 1200 mm, which have sufficient power and optimal luminous flux. The power of the lamps varies between 9-25 W, including 18 W, and the light emitted can be cold or warm.

The LEDs and power supply are located inside the tube on a special getinax strip. Such lamps do not require an external source, and are connected directly to the electrical network. Power is supplied to pins located in the base and connected by copper wire. The T8 design practically does not need to be modified and the problem of how to remake it needs to be solved. After removing unnecessary parts, the device can be immediately connected and put into operation.

Basic connection diagrams

Before replacing certain lamps, you need to study the diagram and decide in advance how to connect the T8 LED lamp. Conversion and connection can be done in several ways. In the first case, ballasts (ballasts) are used, consisting of a choke, a starter and a capacitor (Fig. 1).

In another embodiment, electronic ballasts () are used, which include a single unit - a high-frequency converter (Fig. 2).

For example, raster ceiling lights, consisting of four fluorescent lamps, require connection to two electronic ballasts at once. Instead, a combined ballast can be used, consisting of 2 chokes, 4 starters and 1 capacitor.

In contrast, the T8 LED lamp does not require so much equipment and the modification of so many additional components. All necessary actions are provided by drivers - stabilized power supplies installed inside. Next to it there is a plastic or glass diffuser, under which there is a board with LEDs mounted on an aluminum radiator.

The supply voltage for the LED lamps is supplied to the driver using pins located on the base. They can be located on one or both sides, depending on the modification and manufacturer. In the first option, the pins are located on one side and at the same time act as a fastener. With a double-sided arrangement, one or two pin contacts are used on each side.

Since the circuits differ, you should study each of them thoroughly before modifying the lighting fixture. The diagrams are applied to the lamp body or reflected in the technical documentation. The most widespread is the T8 diode lamp, to which phase and zero are supplied from different sides.

Preparing cartridges

It is necessary to dwell separately on cartridges. Each of them is marked with special symbols, where the letter corresponds to a specific pin connection, and the numbers correspond to the distance between the contacts (mm). Each cartridge is connected to only one wire, and this is enough for the LED to work properly. In this case, dismantling is not necessary; the cables are simply connected through the terminal block. This makes replacing a fluorescent lamp with an LED lamp much easier.

The use of such blocks makes the connection more reliable and does not require wire insulation. One element allows you to make connections to several installation points at once. If the terminal blocks are missing, the cartridges will have to be changed. Older models are secured to the lamp body with screws. They have holes on the inside designed for running wires.

If there are two or more sockets in the circuit, another jumper for LED lamps is added to one of the free terminals. The disadvantage of this connection is that the lamps stop working when at least one lamp is removed. This occurs due to the supply of voltage to other cartridges through a jumper installed inside the device.

Procedure for replacing lamps

Actions to replace T8 lamps instead of fluorescent lamps are carried out in a certain sequence:

• The work area where the lamps need to be installed is first de-energized by turning off the circuit breaker.
• The protective cover is removed so that free access to the elements is directly provided.
• The LED lamp connection diagram involves removing the capacitor and starter from the circuit. The wires connected to the cartridge terminals are disconnected, after which they are connected directly to phase and neutral.
• The remaining wires not involved in the circuit are insulated or completely removed.
• The lamp with T8 G13 LEDs is inserted into its place, after which the LED lamp is connected and its functionality is checked.

The contact pins are marked with the corresponding letters L and N printed on the base. If a fluorescent lamp has an electronic ballast - electronic ballast, which is much easier to upgrade. In this case, the wires leading to the ballast are simply cut or soldered off. Next, phase and zero are connected to the wires in the left and right socket. The connection point is insulated, after which the LED lamps are installed and voltage is supplied.

Converting a fluorescent lamp to LED lamps

Hello, dear readers and admirers of the site Radio circuits! Today I want to tell you about a small redesign of my table lamp. Once upon a time, the fluorescent lamp I bought worked happily ever after, but its turn has come and will go to another world. The lamp began to turn on poorly and began to flicker barely noticeably, which was very annoying. The flicker was most noticeable in lateral (peripheral) vision.

And then I got a piece of LED strip on an aluminum base for free. When trying it on, it turned out that the length fits like a native one. It was decided to carry out modernization.

I removed all the resistors from the strip and soldered additional LEDs instead to improve the light output of the lamp. I cut the strip itself into three parts and connected them in series using the same LEDs. Next, I fixed it all on the radiator, for which I used a piece of aluminum furniture rail (from sliding compartment doors), using thermal paste and superglue. The radiator itself was secured in the case with hot-melt adhesive.

Power supply circuit for LED

All that remains is to make the driver. Without hesitation, I decided to take a power supply unit (PSU) from an ordinary energy-saving device, of which I had accumulated a decent bunch. Some modifications need to be made to the power supply so that LEDs can be connected to it. A lot has been written about this on the Internet, so I won’t go into too much detail and will only give the diagrams that came up first on Google. It is necessary to throw out the circuit circled by a dotted line and close the remaining terminals together.

Then everything is as usual: we wind an additional winding on the transformer, solder a diode bridge made of “fast” diodes and a capacitor there. The result is a very compact and fairly powerful power supply (about the same power as indicated on the lamp from which the power supply was removed) from practically nothing.

As a result, it was possible to revive the patient and make him shine with renewed vigor. The only discovered disadvantage of this modification is that due to the use of a new power supply unit, the mass of which is much less than the old inductor, the stability has not deteriorated much, with large bends of the lamp holder. But on the other hand, the lamp is now not afraid of falls, since now there is simply nothing there to break, and plus, it has become more environmentally friendly, since it does not contain a mercury-containing lamp.