Relatively recently, a new type of floodlights, the working element of which are LEDs, has entered the open sale. They quickly gained popularity among a wide range of users due to their indisputable merits, but at the same time required some changes in the rules for connecting to the electrical network.
Voltage supply options
According to the method of connecting to the network, LED floodlights are divided into two main groups, Figure 1:
- connected to an outlet through a plug, which is schematically shown in Figure 1 on the left;
- with direct connection, which is shown in Figure 1 on its right side.
For simplicity, switches and network connection elements are not shown conventionally.
In the first case, we are talking about a detachable connection, originally designed so that any user could work with it. For this, the plug is installed on the connecting cable at the manufacturing plant, which radically solves the problem of correct connection. When implementing the second option, it is necessary to have at least the initial skills of an electrician, as a lighting the device comes from the factory only with a piece of cable without a plug and must be connected to a fixed part of the wiring "by place ". And here, in a number of cases, uncertainty arises due to the fact that this cable has three wires, while a stationary network cable can have only two wires.
Purpose and rules for connecting the wires of the connecting cable
The three wires of the connecting cable are used in the usual way:
- the first is zero;
- the second is the phase;
- the third is connected to the body.
Taking into account this layout, it is most expedient to implement one of the schemes in Figure 2 and proceed as follows:
- the phase and neutral wires of the searchlight are connected to the same wires of the stationary cable;
- the third yellow-green wire of the luminaire is connected to the ground wire of the cable of the same color (if any), Figure 2 on the left;
- in the absence of a grounding wire in the stationary cable, the yellow-green wire of the luminaire is additionally wrapped with electrical tape and left "hanging" in the air, Figure 2 on the right.
In this case, in no case should the yellow-green wire be connected to the neutral one, and even more so to the phase one.
In the first case, a typical scheme for connecting the receiver to the electrical network is implemented. The second option does not affect the performance of a working spotlight. In order to increase the efficiency of protection against unacceptably high leakage currents, it is strongly recommended to install a differential automatic device in this case.
Mains connection
The strong point of the LED floodlight is its low current consumption. This opens up prospects for the use of easy-to-use and reliable enough WAGO terminal blocks with low load power as a connector. Moreover, they allow, if necessary, to connect the luminaires to the outlet as shown in the right side of Figure 3. To do this, it is enough to connect a cord with a plug to the luminaire cable, additionally providing a rod power element. It turns out not very beautiful, but reliable enough.
Conclusion
As you can see, from the point of view of connection, the LED floodlight does not have any significant features compared to conventional ones. The implementation of this procedure requires only a certain accuracy and adherence to simple rules.