Anyone know if it’s possible to fix this LED screw-in "bulb"? It’s a Philips hue BR30 and it fell from the ceiling. The base fell off, and I am not sure exactly where the black and white wires were beforehand.
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asked Oct 13, 2022 at 22:55
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1The black was soldered to the center pin. The white was soldered to the metal rim– JeffreyCommented Oct 13, 2022 at 23:01
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Philips Hue products have a 2-year warranty. Some retailers my exchange it past that as a service. Those bulbs are too expensive to "kludge" back together. philips-hue.com/en-us/support/legal/warranty– gnickoCommented Oct 14, 2022 at 0:40
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You are very unlikely to get those metal teeth to grip properly on the plastic housing. If you go to screw it back into the base then they will just detach from one-another.– MonkeyZeusCommented Oct 14, 2022 at 15:13
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Good luck soldering to that giant hunk of metal at home.– nobodyCommented Oct 14, 2022 at 15:40
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Future reference: Toss some pillows on the floor underneath your work area next time...– Darrel HoffmanCommented Oct 14, 2022 at 16:46
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3 Answers
I generally agree with RMDman's answer, replace the bulb. And if this were an ordinary bulb, where replacement would typically be $1 - $10, that would 100% be my advice. But these bulbs are apparently quite pricy, depending on features, so I see the rationale for trying to fix it.
Black = hot = center, white = neutral = side.
That is universal going back to incandescent days. It means that if you don't turn off the physical switch when changing a light bulb, and accidentally touch the metal side, you won't get zapped. That actually goes double for a bulb of this type because they could be used somewhere that doesn't have a readily accessible true on/off switch, as the bulbs need to be powered all the time to receive commands such as "turn on".
Doing this safely is a big problem
Safely here includes two parts:
- Solder or otherwise secure the wires to the appropriate locations, in a way that provides a good low-resistance connection.
Traditionally that would mean soldering. But if the original connections were soldered, they were done by machine, which can produce a consistent connection in tight spaces. Getting that middle hot connection done will likely not be easy. And problems are big problems because this is 120V AC, not 5V DC. The original connections might not have been soldered at all but may have been crimped or secured in some way with a very high pressure machine.
Because of the low power usage of an LED bulb, a high-resistance connection will work but will eventually fail, possibly damaging far more than the bulb when it goes.
- Securing the "cap" to the rest of the bulb.
It looks like it was originally crimped in place, secure enough for everything but a fall from the ceiling. Making it that secure again may not be easy.
I'd actually consider this much better as a bench project/experiment:
- Build an enclosure with an opening for the bulb.
- Run a plug/cord (from an old lamp or chop up an extension cord) into the enclosure.
- Connect the black and white wires with wire nuts (or WAGO or other proper connectors) to the cord.
Secure connections, no risk of the bulb falling on your head.
answered Oct 14, 2022 at 0:01
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1Thank you for the thorough answer. I may try and see what I can do with it. If it’s too difficult, guess I’m out some $$. Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 2:05
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1A little dab of epoxy might suffice to hold the black wire to the insulation in the base so that any strain is on the epoxy and not the solder connection. Also, if you can get the soldered connections solid enough, another few dabs of epoxy to hold the base to the rest of the bulb would be a decent idea. Then test it hanging from a lamp socket over a pillow for a few days, somewhere close enough to the ground for the dog & kids to bump into it, but not play with it. Make sure it's going to stay before putting it back in the ceiling.– FreeManCommented Oct 14, 2022 at 12:11
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1I suspect that in addition to your very good points on how it was attached, the assembly sequence wasn't something that can be replicated at home. I reckon the wires were attached to the base before (all) the plastic was. Plastic on LED bulbs often shows signs of having been welded together as a late assembly step– Chris HCommented Oct 14, 2022 at 14:17
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I'm sure I've seen somewhere a DIY bulb base. You could buy such a base and attach your bulb to it. Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 15:06
Replace the bulb. Why risk a fire or it dropping on someone.
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5If it wasn’t a $60+ bulb, I would’ve thrown it away. Just trying to see if I can salvage it. Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 2:03
Swap the hot wire for a longer one, drill a hole in the end of the base and run the wire though, solder it as flat as you can, solder the neutral to the inside of the base, refit and glue the base..
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