Question about Powering a lighting unit: 14 VDC @ 3.2A / 28VDC@ 1.6A

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The discussion centers on powering a lighting unit rated at 14 VDC @ 3.2A and 28 VDC @ 1.6A. Users noted that connecting a 9V Duracell battery, which has a capacity of 550mAh, caused the battery to bubble due to excessive current draw, potentially reaching 5A. The light unit is designed with an internal electronic circuit that regulates power, allowing it to operate across a wide voltage range. To safely power the unit, a power supply providing either 14 V or 28 V with at least 3.2 A or 1.6 A is recommended.

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exp6
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TL;DR
Help reading to decide how to power units without burning them up
New to electricity so take it easy on me...

I have a light unit: 14 VDC @ 3.2A / 28VDC@ 1.6A

2 questions:

I was curious to see if a 9V Duracell battery will power it up: and it turned it on but I noticed my battery head bubbled up. From my understanding correct me if I am wrong on a 9V Duracell - 550mAH = 900 Milliamps in an Hr. that converts to .55A? Comparing 14 VDC @ 3.2A and my 9V @ .55A the light unit should have not turned on but it did ...why? And why did it cause the battery to bubble up?

Last,

How would I read and know what power cord to use to turn it into a lampstand?

Thank you for your time!
 
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If your light can work both with 14 V and 28 V then it has some electronics inside that converts the input to a different voltage. The given currents are what the lamp will use at these voltages. We don't know what it will do at 9 V because it's not designed to be connected to 9 V, but it's likely that it will try to draw at least 3.2 A, maybe even more.

The mAh value for a battery tells you the total charge it can deliver which is linked to its lifetime. It doesn't tell you anything about the current that will flow. The battery will provide 9 V (at least for reasonable currents) and the current flow is determined by whatever you connect to it.

If you connect a 9V battery to a circuit that leads to a current flow of 3.2 A then you damage your battery. You shouldn't do this. The battery is not designed for these currents.
exp6 said:
How would I read and know what power cord to use to turn it into a lampstand?
Get a power supply that delivers either 14 V or 28 V and can provide at least 3.2 A or 1.6 A, respectively.
 
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exp6 said:
Summary:: Help reading to decide how to power units without burning them up
I have a light unit: 14 VDC @ 3.2A / 28VDC@ 1.6A

Could you tell me if you are talking about this light?
https://www.knots2u.net/aeroled-par36-landing-light-4-950-lumens/

If it is this LED light, it has a very complicated electronic circuit control inside it. Otherwise it cannot work in the wide voltage range of 9-40 VDC.

Assuming that the light output can be controlled and kept constant, this implies that it should draw approximately constant 45W from the power supply, which means it may try to draw 45W / 9V = 5A from the 9V battery, which is a very frightening situation. Because it is about ten times the specifications of the 9V Duracell battery, it is no wonder the battery head bubbling in this case.
 
Last edited:
mfb said:
If your light can work both with 14 V and 28 V then it has some electronics inside that converts the input to a different voltage. The given currents are what the lamp will use at these voltages. We don't know what it will do at 9 V because it's not designed to be connected to 9 V, but it's likely that it will try to draw at least 3.2 A, maybe even more.

The mAh value for a battery tells you the total charge it can deliver which is linked to its lifetime. It doesn't tell you anything about the current that will flow. The battery will provide 9 V (at least for reasonable currents) and the current flow is determined by whatever you connect to it.

If you connect a 9V battery to a circuit that leads to a current flow of 3.2 A then you damage your battery. You shouldn't do this. The battery is not designed for these currents.Get a power supply that delivers either 14 V or 28 V and can provide at least 3.2 A or 1.6 A, respectively.

Thank you
 
alan123hk said:
Could you tell me if you are talking about this light?
https://www.knots2u.net/aeroled-par36-landing-light-4-950-lumens/

If it is this LED light, it has a very complicated electronic circuit control inside it. Otherwise it cannot work in the wide voltage range of 9-40 VDC.

Assuming that the light output can be controlled and kept constant, this implies that it should draw approximately constant 45W from the power supply, which means it may try to draw 45W / 9V = 5A from the 9V battery, which is a very frightening situation. Because it is about ten times the specifications of the 9V Duracell battery, it is no wonder the battery head bubbling in this case.
Not that specific light but you're close.

Just what you are trying to say is the unit itself is like A MAGNET and it will suck whatever power it needs to make it work?
 
exp6 said:
Just what you are trying to say is the unit itself is like A MAGNET and it will suck whatever power it needs to make it work?

What I mean is that there is a kind of high efficient LED driver/ LED lamp with a wide power supply voltage range and approximately constant output current/ brightness. In this case, if the power supply voltage is low, it will automatically reduce the input resistance to draw more current from the power supply, that is, trying to maintain an approximately constant input power.
 
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exp6 said:
battery to bubble up
12-year-old female patient referred to our emergency room as a result of battery explosion caused by short circuit seen in homework designed by her with 3 batteries (each 1.5 V, AA).
They have a picture "after 2 years" (unsightly scars on thighs, otherwise OK) but I won't post it because it is half of the same JPG with the post-operation image.

You can get a 4-pack of 100w equivalent LED bulbs with 1600 lumens each for $20. It is not worth messing with the light you have unless you happen to also own the appropriate power supply and know what you're doing.
 
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Keith_McClary said:
You can get a 4-pack of 100w equivalent LED bulbs with 1600 lumens each for $20. It is not worth messing with the light you have unless you happen to also own the appropriate power supply and know what you're doing.
Funny coincidence. Today I took a neighbor shopping. The first stop was a large-chain, national hardware store. One item searched for was a 100Watt equivalent light bulb. The lowest price was $8.45 for one piece of LED bulb. She decided it wasn'r needed THAT badly. Location: Southern California.
 
Tom.G said:
price
Light bulb prices could be a thread. Walmart has 8-pack of 60 watt eq for $16 Canadian ~US$12. Six of those bulbs (US$9) would equal @exp6 's light.
 

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