Author Topic: New 120VAC LEDs  (Read 15455 times)

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JamesJackson

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New 120VAC LEDs
« on: July 26, 2007, 08:48:29 PM »
Well, I just thought that I would pass this on to those who might be interested in using LED lighting on 110/120 VAC. Acriche (www.achriche.com) has released a few new LEDs that work on 120 VAC. They have several versions, but the single LED version is about 2 watts and puts out about 80 Lumens of light. At 110 VAC, it uses about 20mA of current.


There is also a 2-LED version, which is about 150 Lumens and uses about 40mA of current.


The great news is that Mouser (www.mouser.com) has these in stock, and they only cost about $23.00 (and some change). I have a couple of the 2-LED variety on order. I will report back when I get them, and give details on how well they work (or don't work).


I hope that this is useful information for those who might be interested in using LEDs for lighting (like I am).


Regards,


James

« Last Edit: July 26, 2007, 08:48:29 PM by (unknown) »

Norm

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Re: 23 LED tent light instead?
« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2007, 04:38:41 PM »
These are available at K-Mart for $8 don't know

how many lumens ...but 23 LEDS seem to be quite

bright !



Runs of 4 AA batteries (6 volts) seemed like a

good deal to me.

Lights up a good part of my backyard.

           ( :>) Norm.
« Last Edit: July 26, 2007, 04:38:41 PM by Norm »

spinningmagnets

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Re: 23 LED tent light instead?
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2007, 05:36:56 PM »
I know this is only once a year, but...


The day after Christmas, Christmas lights get drastically reduced because its more expensive to ship and store them until next year.


Some of them are LED's and some of the LED's are white. Make a note and next Christmas find out who is carrying the strings of white LED's, and the day after, POUNCE!


Bought for pennies on ther dollar!  -Ron


"Denial...it's not just a river in Egypt" -Rehab

« Last Edit: July 26, 2007, 05:36:56 PM by spinningmagnets »

JamesJackson

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Re: 23 LED tent light instead?
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2007, 06:45:21 PM »
"These are available at K-Mart for $8 don't know how many lumens ..."


How well do these work on 120 VAC? I think that if you re-read my initial post, you will see that I am emphasizing the cool feature (well, to me) that these new LEDs work straight off of 120 VAC - which is house current... all ya gotta do is hook up a cord to them, and light 'em up! (Oversimplification - it would be better to get them housed with an edison base socket)


Anyway... I already have my 12 VDC circuit - 3 5-Watt LEDs running off of my 17Ah battery - that is charged during the day with a 20-Watt solar panel. It's been working great since May or so.


I was just looking at a way to light up LEDs with minimal house current - which these seem to be doing.


Plus - one of my goals is to just use 1 LED to provide sufficuent light - not 18 or 30. The fewer, the better (and more reliable).


Thanks, though for your input!


James

« Last Edit: July 26, 2007, 06:45:21 PM by JamesJackson »

wooferhound

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #4 on: July 26, 2007, 07:28:38 PM »
It sounds awesome, until you get to the part about the $23.oo
« Last Edit: July 26, 2007, 07:28:38 PM by wooferhound »

Norm

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #5 on: July 26, 2007, 09:22:47 PM »
Exactly.....

        ( :>) Norm.
« Last Edit: July 26, 2007, 09:22:47 PM by Norm »

drdongle

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #6 on: July 27, 2007, 06:16:27 AM »
The price will drop as they become more popular.........
« Last Edit: July 27, 2007, 06:16:27 AM by drdongle »

ghurd

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #7 on: July 27, 2007, 07:00:30 AM »
Or until you get to the part about only 32 lumens per watt.


BTW, I saw some that looked like Norm's at Lowe's.  I think they were 110VAC, but they may have been 12VDC for track lighting. $18?  

Not very impressive, except for a reasonable attempt at a consumer product.  They didn't seem overdriven.  Hard to tell when standing under 10,000 watts of bulbs.


If Lowe's has something, and better ones are on the way... It shouldn't be a whole lot longer before a decent unit shows up with a good price.

G-

« Last Edit: July 27, 2007, 07:00:30 AM by ghurd »
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JamesJackson

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #8 on: July 27, 2007, 07:25:20 AM »
...or in quantity. The 100+ piece price at Mouser is only 18.85 each (AW2211) or 13.56 each (AW2214). Granted, one needs to buy 100 (or more) to get this price, but the price is a lot less in quantity.


As mentioned - this is the initial pricing on these parts. As they become more popular, I would expect this price to drop a bit.


One thing to keep in mind, while the initial price seems high, you need to keep in mind that this may not be too bad when you consider that you are not adding external circuitry to drive them. Pretty much all you have to do is add a zip cord and a switch, plug it in to the 120 Volt AC wall outlet and viola! instant light. (A heatsink might also help to add to their lifespan.)


Oh well. I can see applications that can use this. I also can see that HOW they are doing this can be applied to other low-voltage DC LEDs.


Regards,


James Jackson

Oztronics

« Last Edit: July 27, 2007, 07:25:20 AM by JamesJackson »

Bruce S

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2007, 01:48:17 PM »
James;

  The comments have disabled in the updated post.

Thanks for the info. I digging there is another PN AW2214, this comes as a single emitter and has connectors all for a $1.00 less. It shows 84 in stock , so hopefully there won't be a rush on these until I can scare a few pennies to try one out.


Now that you have one up and working , can you give some details on the light output.

Not the Lumens or any of that, just it's real world use as far as lighting a room or hallway or it's ability to be dimmed without burning up the dimmer?

My working with LEDs are due to their ability to be dimmed , unlike CFLs which need special expensive dimmers.


With the beam angle at 10 degrees and the viewing angle at 110+ , I can see these being good for task lighting in say a kitchen without added heat. Try using halogens or regular bulbs around pricey chocolate, not good, and CFLs can't seem to handle the humidity or oily fumes.

I have been saving the MR16 containers from our burnt out units here at work, it'll be interesting to see how well these work out in there.


Thanks again

Bruce S

« Last Edit: August 02, 2007, 01:48:17 PM by Bruce S »
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JamesJackson

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs - Update 2
« Reply #10 on: August 06, 2007, 07:20:50 PM »
(My apologies to the forum for not continuing the original thread... I was afraid that it would get buried in the posts.)


Bruce,


I do have some experience with the dual-LED light. As I mentioned, I was able to get it to fit into a salvaged Edison-base CFL socket. So - all I have to do is screw it in, like a regular bulb.


The light that it puts out is best seen at night - but I've noticed that a lot about white LEDs. I have it plugged in my bathroom, and the soclet it is in is one of those that has two sideways sockets. The LED 'bulb' shines towards the shower.


I use just the LED light for seeing to do things at the sink in the morning, even though it is not shining downwards on my area of interest (I.E. the sink). There is enough light to see. When I get into the shower, there is enough light to see what I need to see. This is the direction that the beam is aimed at, and it is brighter.


The 10-degree beam really helps, as it tends to focus the light in a narrow area, like a spot light, and at a distance of around 6 ro 8 feet seems to be well lit.


I also tested it in the ceiling fan in the living room, which has sockets for 3 bulbs. I only plugged in the one LED 'bulb', and turned it on. With the 10-degree beam, one is able to read a book, or see to do work, as long as you're within the 'beam'. I have no doubt that if I had three LED 'bulbs' plugged in to the ceiling fan, there would be adequate light in the living room.


I would not recommend the one-LED version, as it will be one-half as bright as the 2-LED version.


I have another set of parts (heatsink, Edison-base, LED, lenses) to make a second 'bulb'. I will get around to it within a week or so.


I also need to use a lightmeter to measure the output of the LED light that I made. That may help to quantify the brightness of it.


Thanks for your interest.


Regards,


James

« Last Edit: August 06, 2007, 07:20:50 PM by JamesJackson »

Bruce S

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs - Update 2
« Reply #11 on: August 07, 2007, 03:02:25 PM »
James;

  Thanks for the update..

I still want to try the single LED set, but will take your word on the amount of light these put out.

Do you have a dimmer on your ceiling fan? and if so how well does the LED work with it?


Thanks for continuing the updates.


Bruce S

« Last Edit: August 07, 2007, 03:02:25 PM by Bruce S »
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JamesJackson

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs - Update 2
« Reply #12 on: August 08, 2007, 05:38:30 AM »
Bruce - RE: Dimmer -


No, I do not have a dimmer on my ceiling fan (for the lights). I am not sure how these type of LEDs would work with a dimmer. I am thinking that they'd not work very well, as they are using (I think) capacitive reactance (Xc) to drop the AC line voltage to a level that the LEDs can use. If you change the voltage (essentially what a dimmer does), then you would change the Xc - and... well... for $23.00, I'm not sure that's an experiment that I want to try - yet.


Regards,


James

« Last Edit: August 08, 2007, 05:38:30 AM by JamesJackson »

Bruce S

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs - Update 2
« Reply #13 on: August 09, 2007, 11:41:38 AM »
James;

   Good thought on the voltage change. LEDs are very easy to dim of course with merely using current limiting adjustment and you are correct for $23... not just yet.:-D

Cheers

Bruce S
« Last Edit: August 09, 2007, 11:41:38 AM by Bruce S »
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GeeMac

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #14 on: October 01, 2007, 06:27:27 PM »
These new LED lights are certainly going to make a splash. There is only one problem and that is that they are reliable and long lived. How will manufacturers cripple them so that they will burn out faster so more revenue can be generated?


Already, some of my so called 'long life flourescent bulbs' have begun to burn out.

« Last Edit: October 01, 2007, 06:27:27 PM by GeeMac »

JamesJackson

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #15 on: November 01, 2007, 08:19:22 AM »
"How will manufacturers cripple them so that they will burn out faster so more revenue can be generated?"


Good point. I believe that the life will be limited by their using inferior heatsinks - or overdriving the LEDs. Either method will drastically shorten the life of an LED.


Regards,


James Jackson

Oztronics

« Last Edit: November 01, 2007, 08:19:22 AM by JamesJackson »

JamesJackson

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #16 on: May 02, 2011, 03:34:31 PM »
Just thought that I'd do an update.

I've been using my 2-LED 120-VAC 'light' for almost 4 years now. It gets about 2 to 3 hours of use each day. It is in the bathroom, and is in a 2-bulb socket. The other socket is occupied by a CFL fluorescent bulb.

Just recently, I noticed that there seemed to be less light in the bathroom than normal. Looking up, I noticed that the CFL appears to be going 'out'. The LED light is as strong as it ever was. Or it appears to be so.

So, this seems to be a good design that I put up.

I know - I should measure the light - but I don't have the proper means to do so. I'm just happy with the performance of the 120-VAC LED 'bulb' that I designed and installed almost 4 years ago.

Regards,

James

richhagen

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #17 on: May 03, 2011, 03:57:08 PM »
Hi James.  The LED technology has improved quite a bit in the ensuing time too.  If I read this right, if the LED's were actually putting out about 80 Lumen and consuming 20 mA of 120V AC, then they were netting you about 33 and a third Lumen per Watt.  If they were, or had similar specs to the Cree's and were not over driven or over heated, they are likely still giving you about the same.  The price and availability of higher efficiency LED's has dropped significantly in the past several years. The last batch of lights I made had LED's rated at 107 Lumen per Watt or better, and even with a reasonable driver will beat out a compact fluorescent of reasonable size in terms of Lumen per Watt now.  In comparison compact fluorescents of the 15 Watt variety yield about 60 Lumen per Watt or so, but smaller ones are considerably less efficient.   

Glad to hear that the lights have held up well for you there.  It does show that the basic concept is sound and gives me additional hope that the lights I have built will last a long time.  Of 62 or so of them we have installed around the World, (thanks, again for your assistance with the first mission to the Philippines by the way) all of the led light assemblies still work so far as I am aware, although one Bruce and I inspected has greatly reduced light output because it was apparently overheated and damaged by basically moving it in a chimney and a few of the others we installed at remote areas could use a good cleaning as they have also become covered in soot in huts with fireplaces.  Affordable batteries that can last for more than a few years are the sole weakest link in maintaining these types of systems without outside intervention now.  So far I am happy with the concept of LED lighting as it has survived in rather harsh conditions where I am thinking that one would go through quite a few compact fluorescent bulbs in the lifespan of one LED light. Hope all is well down in Texas,  Rich
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JamesJackson

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #18 on: May 04, 2011, 09:26:28 AM »
Hey Rich! How ya been?

RE: LED Light output -
Yeah, it doesn't sound like much when you work through the numbers, but from my experience using LEDs, you can't just go by the numbers. It may just be my perception, but to me, the LED lighting that I've worked with appears much brighter than what the numbers say it is.

Those two LEDs that make up the 120VAC light I have will almost light the small bathroom space all by itself. In fact, I tried to do just that for a while, but the light output is just not quite enough for shaving and doing early morning 'wake-up' things. Hence, the CFL plugged in next to it. Both 'bulbs' are about the same age, and it is interesting that I will need to replace the CFL soon.

Luxeon has a 'high voltage' LED now... the Luxeon-H. It appears to work on about 50-volts, and two of them together would make a small 'bulb' capable of working on 120VAC. They are rated at about 100 Lumens each, if I recall correctly. I may get some of them and wire them up.

RE: your LEDs around the world -
Good. I'm glad that that is working out for you. I never got the photos you promised of the installation where my LVD controller went.

RE: Batteries -
Funny, but the battery that I initially purchased over 5 years ago is still going. It is a 12-Volt SLA 17Ah, that I used almost everyday for over 4 years - then retired it last year, replacing it with a larger 35Ah battery. I checked it a few months ago, and it was still charged. I topped it off, and use it for small demos of my LED lighting systems. I believe that the longevity of SLAs can be long, if they are treated properly.

One LED light that I designed (and I believe I documented it on either my Facebook page or another forum), consists of the adhesive-backed LED strips that you can get these days. I put the strips in a picture frame, and wired it up to a 12-volt switched circuit. When lit, it is bright, and the light appears to be sunlight coming in through the window during the day. My wife loves it.

Thanks for your comments.

Regards,

James Jackson
Oztronics

richhagen

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #19 on: February 02, 2012, 12:33:24 AM »
Hi James, sorry, I missed your reply when you posted it.  I was getting ready to head out to Australia at the time and probably had not been checking the board much then.  I am actually working on a writeup of both of the trips I made to the Philippines, and also, BruceS and I are planning to go back in November for another project there. 

I have some photos of the installation of the Oztronics LVD board.  (in spite of how nice it is I did actually part with it by using it as you intended) It was installed at a child care facility which had no electricity to it outside of Banaue in Ifugoa province in the Philippines.  I had debated about where it would get the best use.  Most of the houses where we installed systems were basically one room huts so there would not be much advantage to being able to control the lights with an infrared remote.  I actually made the holes in the box for the infrared receiver and the indicator LED's with my Leatherman in the Philippines as it was one of many items I did not finish before leaving for the trip.  It actually turned out nice in spite of my imperfect planning and preparation.  The childcare facility was mostly used in the daytime at present because of the lighting issue, although they would utilize flashlights and kerosene lanterns after dark.  Even in the daytime it was a poorly lit room.  I coupled one of the lights I made with your LVD, a micro commercial charge control circuit, and mounted them both inside a small plastic project box.  I wired up a manual momentary switch as was in your instructions as an option and wired it all up.  That way the teacher or child care provider could control the lighting from the front of the room with the remote, or from the door with the switch. 

I had debated about installing a light at that location at all to start with.  Mrs. Timosa whose family was helping me out with the project in the Manila area and who works for the Philippine Department of Education suggested that I try and help out the lady charged with running the day care site.  I was perplexed at first when I got there as there was mains electricity not far away, but none to that facility.  I did not want to install a more expensive to install and maintain solar powered light where for not too much money mains power could be utilized.  In the end though, the kids won out because I could not control where their government chose to run power too, even though that was a government child care facility, and the need for lighting was real.  A year later there was still no mains power to the childcare facility, and the light was still there, although Bruce and I had to fix up my prior installation a bit.  So far as I am aware they are still using solar light there to this day, but I will try and check up on it when we return this fall.

Here are a couple of photos from that installation two years ago. 

Here is a photo of the installation of the controller box near the door.  There was a nice place to put the battery near the controller's box, and a wooden container was carved up by Jerrick, my friend and guide in the Banaue area, and a local fellow to drop the battery into and hold it securely up on the wall out of reach of curious youngsters.
I wired up the switch below the controller.

Here is a view of the room from the direction of the door. The lady in front was one of the mothers who utilized the child care while she went to work as her husband had died in some type of accident if I recall correctly and the lady behind her was in charge of the facility.  The light is actually the small box mounted on the wall near the ceiling.  I would have mounted it on the ceiling, but it was concrete and I had brought nothing to anchor into concrete to that site.

This installation included a 17Watt panel which should have no trouble powering a three and a half watts of LED lighting and putting charge into the small 7 amp hour sealed lead acid battery utilized at the same time on all but the dreariest of days.  I suspect that battery may not be in that good of shape as it will be three years old when we return next November, and who knows how long it sat in the store in Manila where I bought it from, but time will tell.  There were a few issues with my installation at the site not the least of which was that everything from the roof to the ceiling was concrete and I did not have tools or anchors to use with concrete, which makes mounting stuff like solar panels more difficult.  They decided to use it on the entry overhang at the time, but there was concern about theft of the panel there because it was accessible and it was nearer a built up town which seems to increase the odds of such occurrences.  The lady in charge wanted the ability to bring it in every night and put it back out in the morning.  The panel was still there the following year.

Once I finally post my write ups on the trips I will have more to say about the installation.     
 
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Bruce S

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #20 on: February 02, 2012, 02:36:39 AM »
Hello Rich;
That was an interesting situation about the mains power, I certainly agree on that part.
 BUT it worked out for the best.
Wait til some of the pics you have got on the board and people see how the land was "angled" :-)
I'm getting excited about heading back out.
I'm thinking a new post to see if any others would like to come along would be cool.
Great pics BTW!
Cheers;
Bruce S
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dnix71

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #21 on: February 04, 2012, 05:56:16 PM »
Richhagen I notice the preschool appears to operate in English. What happened to Spanish and Tagalog?

Striider

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #22 on: February 06, 2012, 04:11:24 AM »
Excellent thread!  I like the history, and I have experienced similar results with LED's and longevity.  I wired some led's into my pop up camper 4 years ago, and they are still going strong.

Also of note - I see LED Christmas lights mentioned at one point in this thread.  I dropped by the local Lowes the day after Christmas and they were all on sale for 50% off.  I scored 10 boxes of (I think) 100 ct leds, and they say they take 3.5 watts per strand.  Also picked up a remote controlled outlet for them.  Total bill = under $50.

 At my cabin in the mountains, I was planning to run underground power to the outhouse, light it up inside, and light up my back door with them.  It is winter, so I can't easily bury any cables, so I ended up just using the lights as an extension cord themselves and lighting the entire walkway to the outhouse, and around the back door.  This is a total of 4 strands, and you can see my cabin from miles away, as they are BRIGHT!  I can't even see the wattage meter move on the Xantrex inverter when I turn them on, although admittedly I haven't looked that super closely.  I have so many strands left, I am thinking in summer when we entertain guests, I may run them all the way around the campfire area and maybe decorate the barn, who knows?  I run CFL's inside the house, and the light is much softer and natural, so I don't envision converting over inside.

richhagen

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #23 on: February 06, 2012, 11:31:36 AM »
Dnix, Tagalo and English are the official languages taught in school there.  Most of the young in towns and cities speak English.  Out in the countryside, the young may speak halting English, as it is taught in school, in addition to their local dialect and some Tagalo.  At least that has been my experience. Many of the older folks do not speak much English in the very rural areas. 

BruceS, yes, I agree, others are more than welcome to come along and pitch in if they have the time and resources to get there (and back).
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Bruce S

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #24 on: February 06, 2012, 12:18:46 PM »
Dnix, Tagalo and English are the official languages taught in school there.  Most of the young in towns and cities speak English.  Out in the countryside, the young may speak halting English, as it is taught in school, in addition to their local dialect and some Tagalo.  At least that has been my experience. Many of the older folks do not speak much English in the very rural areas. 

BruceS, yes, I agree, others are more than welcome to come along and pitch in if they have the time and resources to get there (and back).
With how nice that area is the "leaving" to get back might be the hardest part  ;D
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Frank S

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #25 on: May 24, 2012, 10:31:50 PM »
I found these today of course being from China there may be some concerns about quality they are all rechargeable and the larger units run off of a  6 volt sealed lead acid battery.



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Mary B

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Re: New 120VAC LEDs
« Reply #26 on: May 25, 2012, 01:15:14 AM »