MR16 halogen IRC Decostar much longer??

What is the current situation with the availablity of halogen MR16 downlights?? I know the government had a plan to ban the importing halogen and incandesent lights after a certain date.......anyone know what the go is?

It begs the question with halogen and incandesant lamps being run out of town what the situation is going to be with the C-Bus dimmer modules. The demand for dimmer packs must be reducing??

I am still a big fan of the Osram IRC Decostar 35W series as an energy efficient solution. I know they don't comply to current standards but what I have seen with CFL and how many you need to produce compareable light levels it seem silly that a smaller amount isn't a smarter option.

I run the IRC 35W with the dimmer set to 90% max and run them 30% to 70%from the already reduced max. Two years and not one has gone.

Anyone heard what the availability is ongoing....replacement etc?

Regards,

Fleetz

 

Hi Ashleigh,

Thanks for the reply.

I can only agree with you comment that CFL are indeed poxy. Some good friends have just put these into their new house up here. They were over last night for dinner and I am sure the forum rules forbidden me to post what they thought of CFL. On the best advise available at the time they went with Megamann so to rub salt into the wound they paid a premium to finish up a very unsatisfactory outcome.

I think you are very kind to call CFL poxy.....although I suspect the furom rules have stopped you from using other words.

I am currently helping design a mates large reno with C-Bus and where there are a good number of dimmerable loads. Of course it would be nice to recommend a solution that wasn't poxy, LED I believe will get there as a solution and will have a look at the Starbust's.

I assume the one you refer your refereing too is http://www.pierlite.com/au/16259/starburst ?? Interesting they look like MR16 physical replacements but they are not. Anyway worth a look.

Be interested in find out what you might know on " Of course it may be that more efficient halogen lamps appear some time in the next few months " If there was a possibility of a complying halogen energy effecient coming through to the market would be a sweet. Can you share what you have heard???

Regards,

Fleetz

PS Do you know if these Starburst have hit the market yet?

 

These LED fixtures look like a replacement in terms of the ceiling mounting hole, not necessarily just the MR16. They are not always going to be a drop-in replacement in terms of just the lamp as they are physically longer, which may preclude retrofitting into many fixtures, and require their own driver.

The proper way to drive LEDs is with constant current, not regulated voltage like halogens, so I suspect that any attempt to make a simple MR16 lamp substitution with an LED version is always going to wind up less than optimal.

 

Hi Newman,

Agree with your comments.

I suppose as long as the LED solution is complete and nicely integrates into C-Bus dimmers (5508DIA etc) then it is a result. Of course it has toprovide nice lighting too.

It appear these Starbust units might have the energy effiency compliance " Compliant with AS/NZSCISPR15, IEC/EN613427.2.13" I think that is what this means so they mght hit the ground running.

Has anyone bought any of these to try? If where and what were your thoughts.....some indicative pricing would be nice too.

Regards,

Fleetz

 

Hi Ashleigh,

Awfully close indeed.....

Interesting temp spec "Ambient working temperature must be within the range ?20?C to 50?C" .......50C max with some thermal protection. Could be interesting in some loft spaces here in Australia.

I have the local Pierlite rep coming today to show off their Starburst unit. Will feedback my thoughts.

What is obvious is that if you come in now with this technology you will be paying a premium. $120 is not cheap however if you do the costing based on50,000 hours operation assuming the driver is still going then the pricing probably isn't that bad. I suspect over time and with greater volumes and more competition will see them come down in pricing.

Regards,

Fleetz

 

Hi Ashleigh,

Yes you are right it is the total cost of ownership that counts.

Just finished looking at a Pierlite Starbust. I am quite impressed and one can only think they will improve more as time goes by.

I compared the Starbust with a Osram IRC Decostar 35W 60 degree in a dark room and the light was linear no hot spots. Colour temp is warm I think they quote 3000K. I then connected it to a spare dimmer channel on the 5508DIA and dimmed it through the range, I could not see any or very little colour temp change which you would expect from a LED.

You can only run 6 Starbust on a single channel on the 5508DIA, power is not the limiting factor but the input capacitance. I can only assume it must be around the 15nF mark however it is a guess based on the approx maximium of the 5508DIA.

On balance I would have to say this is a real solution, of course compared to the poxy CFL's it really shines. If you were forced into putting in CFL's say Megamann dimable lamps say $40 with fitting verses $110 -$120 complete with LED, fitting and driver and the Megamann last say a year then in 2 year you have broken even. I have a freind who has put a combination of standard and dimable Megamann's three months ago and the dimable units are flickering already!!! Of course the light sucks too...

I heard something interesting, not sure if it is correct but the CFL's are currrently being reaccessed for their energy rating. Seems some bright spark as realised that watt per square metre might have something to do with efficiency! Wrote a letter to Malcom Turnbull 3 odd years ago with something to that effect.....still waiting for a reply.

The Crompton unit is indeed identical to the Pierlite just packaged differently (colour only). Pierlite for your commercial-industrial market and Crompton for domestic. Rob Gerard owns both companies and are the same product marketed to cover all markets through to business Gerard Lighting own.

Regards,

Fleetz

 

Still struggling a bit with this one. Can anyone confirm one way or the other if the Osram IRC Decostar 35W series meets the new MEPS standard?

Are these still going to available after 1st Oct 2010??

Regards,

Fleetz

 

I contacted Osram here in Australia via email and just got a reply. They confirm the IRC Decostar series meet the MEPS standard. Osram confirmed that they will continue to manufacture and sell these on an ongoing basis.

Sales restrictions on mains voltage reflector lamps as it currently stands will only be enforced from October 2012, unless otherwise stated by the government.

Cheers,

Fleetz