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I moved into a new house recently and one of the lights in my new bedroom stopped turning on. I was surprised to discover that unlike the other lights in the house, it wasn't powered by a bulb, but the LED grid (?) pictured below:

enter image description here

This is the only thing connected to the switch, so I'm not sure how to diagnose what part of the system failed: the switch, the black/white wires connecting the mount and the transparent panel, the LEDs themselves, or something else.

What I should do to get light back in my bedroom?

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  • It looks like cheap Chinese import fixture. They either work or they don’t. I’d guess yours doesn’t. Do you have a non-contact voltage detector or a meter? – Tyson May 31 '18 at 5:07
  • @Tyson Yeah, that looks a lot like it. I don't have that equipment, no. I could probably borrow one from my university, though. – Alex Reinking May 31 '18 at 5:18
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    You could make sure the fixture gets power if you had a tester. Or you could just go buy a new fixture and try it. I’d place 90/10 odds that the problem is the fixture. – Tyson May 31 '18 at 5:21
  • @Tyson - I'll try just replacing it... how it is installed? Which of those screws will I have to remove? – Alex Reinking May 31 '18 at 5:23
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    Loosen the two screws that are in keyed holes and twist the fixture so it comes off the screws. You shouldn’t have to take out that other screw, just the two across from each other that look alike. – Tyson May 31 '18 at 5:27
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This is an LED fixture. The idea is that it should last 60,000 hours (?). When it burns out you simply replace it. See the comment from @Tyson. The only other thing you can do is to check and make sure it is getting power when you turn the switch on.

You might be able to get a warranty replacement if you know the manufacturer or the place it was purchased.

Sorry I can't help you further.

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  • Made in China, no warranty. It's landfill. – Bryce Jun 1 '18 at 7:25
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Let's just say you wanted to fix that fixture. You can. Chances are all 24 LED's are wired in series ----LED1----LED2---LED3---. One of the LED's is bad, so the entire fixture is dark.

Take a pair of tweezers or a thin wire and one by one short out each LED (connecting the wire to both sides of the LED's contacts at the same time). When the fixture lights up, poof, you have your culprit. Simply solder a permanent jumper wire, and your fixture will keep going, probably for a while. The 23 remaining LED's will shoulder the load.

Take care as the white and black wires are high voltage from your light switch. The LED's themselves have only a harmless voltage. Search your favorite video site for tutorials on diagnosing LED premature death. Or, find a local kid interested in experimenting with this. Or check out a safer method at Instructables ( http://www.instructables.com/id/Repair-Dead-COB-LED-Light-Bulbs/ ).

The problem with cheap LED fixtures is they don't actually pay out: if you have to landfill them, the energy savings is not worth it. Consider buying a fixture with screw in bulbs, and then bulbs from a quality vendor such as Cree. Never get anything from a big box store: the energy efficiency is poor and the quality is suspect. Insist on at least 95 lumens of light output per watt of energy used.

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  • I'll definitely give this a try! I didn't set up that light fixture in the first place (it was there when I moved in), but I'll be sure to take that advice when/if I replace it. – Alex Reinking Jun 1 '18 at 17:05
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You said that you do not have a tester.

Here is how to make a $3.00 tester.

Go to Home Depot and buy one of these for $1.50 and a regular lightbulb.

Replace the defective fixture.

enter image description here

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    You can get a simple 110/220 V two-probe contact voltage tester for about $4. There's little need to roll your own. homedepot.com/p/… – Stanwood May 31 '18 at 18:04
  • That's super dangerous, given all the bare connectors that would be made. Downvoting. – Bryce Jun 1 '18 at 16:57

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