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I just moved into an apartment with recessed halogen lighting. I was considering replacing them with LEDs (both for energy and color reasons). I know this may not be as easy as swapping a bulb, but to figure out my options, I need to know what I'm dealing with, and based on searches alone I have not been able to figure out what I have; there are just too many possibilities.

I figured if I could get the bulb out, that would be a big help.. but they're deep in the fixture, with barely any room around the bulb, and I have no idea what type of connection they have. If I knew what they were, I could search for removal instructions.. but of course then I wouldn't need to take them out yet.

So I'm hoping some of you with more experience can help identify these based on a few photos, or at least give me a starting point to removing the bulb safely.

The fixtures (or the rim) is about 3.5" in diameter. The bulb is about 2" in diameter.

Using my camera I was able to see a tiny piece of the can (the hole in the ceiling is exposed a bit) to find that it is a Jesco TM301 Step Baffle, though that's not terribly helpful in identifying which bulbs / fixture are inside (at least not to me).

Here are some photos:

Label on side Outside diameter Inside diameter Closeup

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The TM301 is just an outer casing. Inside the ceiling is the actual bulb holder assembly. Acccording to the manufacturer's site, the TM301 is compatible with bulb holders for GU10 halogen bulbs and MR16 LED bulbs. Both of these types have 2 prongs at their bases and are twist mounts. You should be able to twist them out.

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  • Thanks Barry, I put on a vinyl glove and tried to get one of the bulbs out but it doesn't seem to be budging. I can't get a good grip because of the aforementioned lack of clearance between the enclosure and the bulb. Any idea how the casing comes off? I know some of these are just supposed to pull down, but given a little pressure it doesn't move and I'm afraid to pull harder (the rim is not quite against the ceiling so it's not painted on).
    – briantist
    Oct 16, 2016 at 23:51
  • If the bulb is a GU10, you should be able to extract it by gently pushing it back into the fitting and rotating it slightly anticlockwise (looking at the fitting from the downward end). It might help to look at these images of GU10 bulb holders. Oct 17, 2016 at 10:27
  • Thanks @JamesYoungman, I took a try at this. It's very stiff but I was able to turn it a few times; enough I feel like it was too many turns for the GU10 interface but not enough if it were one of those A-type screws. At this point it seems stuck, I can't turn it anti-clockwise anymore but I can't turn it back clockwise either. It's very difficult since I can't really get a grip on it. The only thing I noticed after unscrewing it some is that I can tilt it now (some of the other bulbs in this place appear tilted and I wasn't sure if it was intentional or not), whereas before it wouldn't tilt.
    – briantist
    Oct 17, 2016 at 22:13
  • Thanks for your help Barry. My landlord was here and I asked him about the bulbs. Turns out the outside part does just pull down, and the bulbs are indeed GU10.
    – briantist
    Oct 24, 2016 at 1:17

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