LED lights subtle flicker

[Svenn]

The LED lights weren't flickering when I was doing initial testing from house power, but after hooking them up to my 2000 watt pure sine inverter (from deep cycle batteries), they're now doing a subtle flicker which is kinda annoying.  I'm confused because my LEDs get their power from the 12v converter box, which I thought would 'purify' the consistency of the power for the lights regardless if the 120 was coming from house power or the inverter.  (Yes, I realize I could have just hooked the LEDs directly to the batteries, but it's too late now).  It's a good inverter (AIMS 2000 watt, ~$500) and the 12v box is 100 watt from Superbrightleds.com, so I thought I had good products here that would avoid these problems.  Any thoughts on a solution?  All of my connections are good and the subtle flicker is equal on all of the LEDs in about equal amount, and they don't go off, implying to me it's not a connection problem.

 

[TMG51]

I have experienced this with LED replacement bulbs for indicator lights etc.

I'm not sure it is too late to wire them to the batteries if that is the solution!

 

[Benjamin Dejo]

Always wire the 12v accessories to a true 12v source (batteries). Why convert 12vdc to 120vac, then back down to 12vdc?

Lots of wasted energy in those conversions, not to mention the introduction of unwanted effects to the devices powered.

 

[LivingandLearning]

We had this same problem. I think our LEDs want to be 12v, but the plugs are 110 so we used them through our inverter. If there is a way to make them straight 12v that might solve your problem. You could do a test before you make anything permanent. Good Luck
Tracy

 

[jimindenver]

You would have to take them apart to do that and rerun the wiring to the battery. 12v LED lights on ebay are very inexpensive without taking them apart. (under$2 each)

I would check the voltage coming out of the inverter as well as at the light fixture. The output of the converter is fluctuating and it is some how linked to the fact that it doesn't like your inverter. I can test a 120v LED bulb on my inverter but it would be a bit to try a LED panel on a 12v converter on my inverter.

 

[jimindenver]

I tried a 120v, 60w equivalent LED bulb plugged into the inverter and got a smooth output. I plugged a 10w 12v power supply and ran a 12v LED panel off of it for a smooth output. So somehow the inverters are not pleasing the LED bulb or the converter driving the 12v LEDs.

Now my inverter is not PSW, it is a industrial Trip-lite MSW inverter. Its large transformer smooths out the wave form so that may have had a effect.

So while you are plugging a multi meter into the inverter and the light sockets, also check the battery voltage.

 

[Svenn]

Well for some inexplicable reason the flickering seems to have stopped... my only guess is that the inverter needed to 'warm up' or perhaps it's a 'smart' inverter that needed to adjust to the loads I was putting on it. We'll see....