LED 120v to 12v converter

[krazykevin76]

Been hunting for some outside flood lights. Right now I have a 500w halogen shining outside my roll up door. The bulb has burned out twice and I'm tired of climbing up and changing it. I've been looking on amazon for some 120v LED flood lights but don't see any really to my liking. What I have found is plenty of 12v LED lights. I've bought several of the 18w LED lights for our utility vehicles and love them for the price. They have all (4 sets) been running strong for well over a year. So for the price, I can buy some 12v lights and buy a 120v to 12v converter, or several.

Question is, what 120v to 12v converter to buy to run these 48w lights. Have any of you went this route and how did you do it?

Thanks

 

[LS6 Tommy]

48W/12vdc=4A. You need a 120VAC to 12VDC rectifying power supply that will carry a 4 amp load.

Tommy

 

[G_P]

A computer power supply should be able to handle the load easily and they produce a regulated 12v designed for sensitive electronics.
You can find many types online or just go to a thrift shop and buy the cheapest computer they have and pull its power supply.

 

[n8n]

Or a MAlibu lighting power supply, or a benchtop power supply for running a CB or Ham radio

 

[krazykevin76]

Thanks all for the quick replies. I have seen several on amazon, but was just curious if any of you have went this route and have a specific supply you used. There are numerous ones on amazon, just some seem a little more solid than others. Have any of you actually went this route?

 

[Rookie2]

I just installed a RAB 18W Led flood, Has three Led's and they all have an electronic LED driver power supply.

 

[rlitman]

A computer power supply should be able to handle the load easily and they produce a regulated 12v designed for sensitive electronics.
You can find many types online or just go to a thrift shop and buy the cheapest computer they have and pull its power supply.

A very old AT style power supply would work with this. Since ATX supplies came out (well over 10 years ago), and computers started using pushbutton power buttons (instead of an on/off switch), computer power supplies have required a connection to a working motherboard to power up.

12V switching power supplies however are readily available in all sorts of power outputs.

 

[ishiboo]

Or a MAlibu lighting power supply

If it's a LED with a driver, you don't want a Malibu or other landscape lighting... that is 12VAC and could cause problems.

If it's simply LED diodes with resistors, an AC input will be fine.

 

[Onewolf]

I have 7 of these LED motion sensor floodlights around the house and detached garage. They work great.

 

[Showkey]

I used 6 of these light mounted high on the trees:

Kawell® 2 Pack 48w 60 Degree LED Flood Lights 4.3" Square Tractor Marine Off-road Lighting RV ATV Purchased from Amazon.

My LED lights will not work on AC power supply. This is what I used to power similar lights:

Schumacher 12 volt power supply from Amazon about $21.00

I control power to the power converter with a WeMo switch which allows turning the the lights on and off from a IPad or smart phone. This allows the light to be operated from any location on the property or if needed any location on earth that has cell Data coverage.

 

[QtrHorse13]

If you only need 12v output with 120v input, buy an LED power supply from any electrical sign supply company (look up Reece Supply or N Glantz). They will all be 60w power supplies. It will be rated for outdoor use if inside an enclosure. There are a few that are rated for wet locations.

 

[wafer]

Thanks all for the quick replies. I have seen several on amazon, but was just curious if any of you have went this route and have a specific supply you used. There are numerous ones on amazon, just some seem a little more solid than others. Have any of you actually went this route?

This is what I'm using to drive a handful of 12VDC LED outdoor floods. I had been using the power supply to drive a car stereo in my shed. I've been using it a few years now with the lights. I have a timer at the outlet to turn on/off on schedule.

I'm also using a DC bridge rectifier to drive a couple 12VDC outdoor LED floods with a 12VAC transformer.

I haven't looked in a while, but when I did, there were many more choices for outdoor lighting in 12VDC LED than in 12V AC LED.

 

[n8n]

LEDs only run on DC being after all diodes... makes more sense to rectify at the power supply than at each light...

 

[Beemer533]

A very old AT style power supply would work with this. Since ATX supplies came out (well over 10 years ago), and computers started using pushbutton power buttons (instead of an on/off switch), computer power supplies have required a connection to a working motherboard to power up.

12V switching power supplies however are readily available in all sorts of power outputs.

Yes and no; ATX supplies just needed a couple of relatively small loads (<5w) on the 5/3.3v outputs to simulate the MOBO. A momentary switch from pin 14 (green) to ground turned it on. Pretty easy.

It is the ATX12v (24 pin) that made things a bit harder since they need a much higher load to turn on and regulate properly.

I used this article to build mine a while back;
http://thearduinoguy.blogspot.com/2013/11/turning-old-pc-atx-power-supply-into.html

If you don't have a pile of old ATX PSU lying around though, something like this for $25 is probably the way to go..

 

[ctfjr]

Thanks all for the quick replies. I have seen several on amazon, but was just curious if any of you have went this route and have a specific supply you used. There are numerous ones on amazon, just some seem a little more solid than others. Have any of you actually went this route?

I've used many 'open frame' power supplies for projects. You can find a ton of them on Ebay - look for new surplus units. I found a batch of 5V 12 AMP regulated ones for $3 ea (originally sold for $100s). You should be able to find a 12 or 15 volt unit for pretty cheap. Most have an onboard voltage adjustment that you can use to bring a 15V supply down a couple of volts. As a previous poster mentioned you need to get something rated at least 4 amps.