RGB Floodlights
Aim to cover RGB flood lights that can be sourced in the both the UK and France, should have long term support by been made by named manufacturers.
IP Ratings
DSMT have a useful description.
IP 6x is dust tight which is the minimium for outside use
| Rating | Meaning |
|---|---|
| IP 65 | 6.3mm jets from any direction |
| IP 66 | 12.5mm jets from any direction |
| IP 66 | 1M submersion |
| IP 68 | beyond 1M eg Hermetically sealed |
Table of Lamps
| Lamp | Amazon UK | Amazon Fr | Manufacturer | Watt | IP Rating | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loftek 50W | Loftec50WUK £33 | [Loftec50WFr] N/A | Loftek | 50W | IP66 | RGBW, with TV type control |
| Loftek 30W | [Loftec50WFr] 23Eur | Loftek | 50W | IP66 | RGBW, with TV type control | |
| Ustellar 60W | [Ustellar60UK] £36(min 2) | IR credit card Controller | ||||
| Ilux 10W | Ilux10UK £19 | Mesh Bluetooth and app |
Ustellar 60W RGB Flood lights
The unit looks quite good. The cooling fins at the back look very thin. In use the lamp was
not getting noticeably warm.
I took off the cover of the Unit by unscrewing 8 scres and you can see the insides:
USTellarRGB60W first dissasembly
The silicone gasket looks like it has been made in a mold using quite a simple press.
Then detail of the potted electronics:
USTellarRGB60W potted electronics
The electronics are a combination switched mode PSU and current supply and presumably controller.
The reflector cover is held on by two screws and you can unscrew it easily. The IR receiver is
held in at the bottom right hand corner by bent tab of the reflector. After removal it looks
like this:
USTellarRGB60W removal of reflector
There is a little space in the sides for adding electronics but since all potted I think quite tricky.
Power consumption
Measured on a Uni-T clamp meter. When turned off 11mA, with Red full on 77mA, Green 60mA, Blue 64mA White 190mA
Step down in brightness:
| Power Level | Current White | Current Red |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 190mA | 77mA |
| 2 | 142mA | 60mA |
| 3 | 95mA | 41mA |
| 4 | N/A | 29mA |
| 50W == 250mA |
Use of Floods
Using these 60W floods in a single colour mode it seems you need them about every 5m for lighting trees and 2-3M for the front of a house:
Wiring systems
There are various options in order to have waterproof out door wiring systems. If it rains and surface water collects you want to make sure the wiring is still safe and is not leaking current to earth which would trip a RCCB.
- Household wiring protected in water proof boxes. DriBox manufacture boxes just for this purpose
- IEC 60309 blue water proof cables
- Waterproof cables on LED par lamps
IEC60309
There are a two variants of these conectors re waterproofing IP44 splashproof and IP67 water tight. See here for a range https://www.internationalconfig.com/catalog_pages/pg172.pdf
The colour denotes the voltage range, Blue is for 200-250V.
Most stuff sold is IP44 rated which is just about ok to keep outside. You can get some IP67 rated but mostly this will come from China.
Harmonised Cable standards
https://www.elandcables.com/electrical-cable-and-accessories/cables-by-standard/har-approved-cable