Smart LED 8W Downlight $13.99. On Sale Wed 7th May.
They were just slow, and using cloud is unbearable.
This or Philips made?
https://www.amazon.com.au/WiZ-Tunable-Ceiling-Downlight-WIZW…
I reckon the Wiz one is better but slightly more expensive. The native app is better and/or you can integrate with Google home too.
I bought 20 of these last time and used Cloudcutter to remove the chineasium spyware for full local control with LibreTiny
Been rock solid for the past 2 years. They can act a bit weird with the colour temp.
The adjustable white, does anyone know if the colour temp can be changed to any point in the 2700-6500K range or are there set temps that you have to choose from?
its a slider, so can do the range
Cool, thanks.
How many lumens?
Most of the robot vac/mops know the internal layout of your household or location premise.
What is the difference if they know the lights are on?
Hmm turn them on 50-60metres away before they breach? More likely to have technical issues with your wifi.
@punter1 - 8watts of lumens, somewhere around 60-75w incandescent bulbs if I am not mistaken is measuring in the loo.
That's amazing value. Might just get one for when my existing smart downlight carks it.
Wonder if these are able to be done with cloud cutter and ESPhome like the last few deals - the colour looks different (orange not blue) so might be a different Tuya version?
This is the right statement and question.
If they've updated the tuya firmware then you could be out of luck.
Buy one and check then go stock up if it works.
I've got a mix(50) of lifx and blue aldi's. LIFX in rooms I care about and aldi's elsewhere. Aldi's don't really compare but they have been solid with esphome for 6 months or whenever the last sale was.
1/4 of the price makes aldi's attractive with a bunch of spares.
Hrmm some seem to have a few reservations about this. Any recommendations for a good value, reliable 90mm LED downlight that does NOT have smart capabilities? And in silver/chrome finish to match my existing lights which are starting to fail after 10yrs. With a long warranty would help. I'd need about 10-15 of them. TIA.
If you only want to spend $10 approx and intend diy
2 year warranty back to base warranty though.
But the price is right lol and silver is getting harder to find these days.
NLS is an okay brand imo. I’d rate it over arlec.
Thanks mate, yes I came across this in my searching and was wondering about the NLS brand.
I regret getting silver downlights now, 98% seem to be white. I'm considering whether to start buying whites in bulk and replacing them area by area in groups as the silvers are so hard to find now.
In that case, it opens up my options a lot. SAL and Robus look like they are well regarded.
sal robus
yeah they are the 'big boys' of the industry along with others like Havit, Haneco and Atom.
NLS lighting goods I dont see actively stocked in any electrical wholesaler i've visited but seems actively stocked with sparkydirect.
Could always get creative with some painters masking tape and a spray can if it comes down to it.
I’d recommend finding a paint with a speckle through it if you’re doing that way. Flat uniform paint imo looks horrible.
FYI if you don't set up the smart capability it will act as a non-smart unit. It can't "phone home" unless you get it on to your wifi network.
Yes but in that case you can get decent non smart downlights for even cheaper.
yes absolutely, I wasn't sure if it was more a security concern rather than price. Some may assume that if you buy them and plug them in, it starts reaching out to the cloud immediately.
PWM-free or will it gradually destroy the eyes of my family?
You seem to be confusing the 100Hz flicker of rectified AC with PWM.
Hue bulbs switch at 1kHz, and nothing in your eyes is capable of distinguishing that from continuous, even if there was no capacitance smoothing it out.
Perhaps some of the cheap bulbs run PWM slow enough to be detectable? set it to 50% and move on object rapidly - can you see multiple images like with floro lights? I've not.
Sorry, not confused. I'm asking if these lights use PWM or not? If so, you are saying these bulbs run at 1kHz which I agree would be high enough frequency to avoid eye damage. If it's even at ~200Hz they are detectable by way of eye strain / headaches for some.
Here's some quick googled info for you in case you aren't across this: https://quinled.info/what-is-pwm-led-dimming/
I see. The problem you refer to is related to old-fashioned analog dimmers, made for incandescent bulbs.
Modern smart-bulbs are not affected. PWM itself is not the problem, it is the frequency. Everything digital uses PWM internally. Fast PWM plus filter = continuous.
@bargaino: Modern LED bulbs are constantly having issues with flickering. Go into Bunnings or Beacon, take out your smart phone and video the bulbs on slow-mo to witness how most bulbs are using low frequency, harmful PWM
Note while many people like yourself perhaps are not affected, it's a real issue. I only purchase "modern" smart-bulbs or electronic devices that meet IEEE 1789-2015 standards or specifically state they are 'flicker free' or as you say are of such high frequency that it's much less of a problem - see here e.g. : https://www.bunnings.com.au/hpm-90mm-white-led-tri-colour-zy…
For further reading, here's some info from rtings I rely on for TVs/monitors: https://www.rtings.com/tv/tests/motion/image-flicker#our-tes…
Further reading on how bad screens used on some phones are hurting people's vision and causing headaches: https://cybershack.com.au/guides/pwm-is-your-phone-making-yo…
or specifically state they are 'flicker free'
If you check that Bunning link, you will see they specifically refer to analog dimmers. Very different to smart-lights.
Your other link is about TV backlights, also irrelevant. Have a google on analog triac dimmers if you wish to understand.
The cybershank link is written by someone who is way out of their depth, knowing a little but also talking a lot of garbage. Try not to fall into the same trap.
Half the stuff in consumer electronics magazines is crap, and you can't tell which half. Avoid them, except as entertainment.
@bargaino: Thanks for clarifying. So you feel these lights on this deal won't flicker to cause potential eye strain / headache? If so, I'm going to go buy at least a dozen
@tarutso: I have tried to be careful what I say. My message is not to worry about PWM in smartlights.
As you are aware, using analog dimmers (made for incandescent lights) often work poorly with LEDs. These do a sort of PWM on the AC waveform using triacs, but it works at 50 or 100Hz. Hence the potential for problems.
Smartlights work totally differently, converting AC to DC, then applying PWM to the DC at high frequency.
It is possible that a cheap downlight could show 50 or 100Hz flicker due to poor power design. So no guarantee. But that is separate from PWM.
There are other possible issues. You could get audio out at the PWM frequency - but that would have to be a bad design, or faulty board.
Some people worry about the CRI .
You'd be safer getting a brand name. But while I have plenty of cheap Ikea bulbs that are high quality, I am not aware of a source for cheap quality downlights like these. So give it a try I guess.
@bargaino: I have the previous "Blue" RGB versions. Definitely a flicker when set to minimum 1% power. I just noticed when walking into a room where one is set to provide ambient light. Never noticed it until mentioned in this thread. Dam :-)
@Borg: thanks mate that's really useful and saves me testing. Have you tried the phone video capture on slow-mo test? Maybe at max brightness? I'd be really interested in whether in non-dim operation it flickers using the slow-mo test
@tarutso: No. If I think about it later (when dark), I'll try it. I didn’t realise it would show anything. What should I be looking for…..obvious flicker to show on camera?
@Borg: If you use your phone's slow-mo camera mode you'll see very obvious flickering like on/off/on/off or quite obvious strobing if it's an issue. Would appreciate it if you get a chance
@tarutso: 100% Flickers in slow-mo. In fact noticed flickering on other non smart LEDs. Will now look into this….although none in main living areas.
Other:Lifx bulbs, Yeelight & Kogan bulbs seem fine (non downlight)
@Borg: Thanks so much for looking into this. Note my partner has seemingly no issue with flickering lights. For me I'm particularly sensitive. I might sit in a restaurant or store and then start getting eye strain, mild headache and I'd do the slow-mo test and realise it's the lighting etc. So it might not be an issue for you at all.
Quick google of this model suggests it runs at around 50-60Hz which suggests there will be significant flickering for those sensitive which leads to unwitting headaches / eye strains
e.g. https://hmr.ph/product/casalux-smart-led-downlight-706391-xn…
The 50/60Hz mentioned in your link is the AC input frequency.
Would the adjustable brightness in these LEDs be subject to flickering due to ripple injection like a dimmable LED? I had to replace all my dimmer controlled LED downlights with flicker-free version because of that.
These are fully digitally controlled, so I cannot see them suffering from a problem like that.
The problem you describe would be related to old style analog dimmers being used with edge-detection LED controllers. Those things were always an ugly retro-fit hack.
no it should not
I am pretty sure you can see these being affected by ripple controllers at night, but only if they are on low brightness.
Hard to say definitely, but around 10pm I do see them kind of "wobble".
Doesn't occur at 100% brightness. I have the blue ones (non-rgb).
No CRI specs really fills me with confidence
Replaced approx 20 lights in our home with these about 2 years ago and have not had any issues. Works perfectly fine with Google Home Assistant, scheduling and automation through HA were very easy to do.
Only issue I faced are the 2 in our downstairs room due to network signal strength.
Anyone know if this takes bayonet or screw type bulb?
Neither, it's a sealed unit.
Oh, so if something wrong with the led then the whole unit must be replace?
Yes, but a) they're very easy to replace since they have a mains plug, and b) LEDs last way longer than ye olde fluoro/halogen bulbs
Interesting that the colour model and the white model are the same price. I'm assuming the colour one can do the same as the white can do, plus with the added benefit of colours. So why would you buy the white-only one.
comparing whites out of a cct (like in the op) downlight , and a rgb+cct , you should be getting higher lumen out of the tuneable white one when comparing daylight/cool/warm white.
an rgb+cct light expressed as a '10w' light is an expression of the total theoretical draw of the chip.
its not like its a 10w blue / 10w red /10w green / 10w daylight / 10w warm etc.
Note the Bunnings ones are $9.99 without WiFi and have 3 white temperature settings if anyone is after something more basic. They do the job perfectly fine if you're just going to set-and-forget the temperature. https://www.bunnings.com.au/arlec-9w-tri-colour-dimmable-led…
Apparently CRI of 80+ but can't find any official sources (ie manufacturer website) to back this. Isn't listed on Bunnings website, just found it on some random listing.
I bought a few last time, about 30-40% of them developed issues where they'd lose the connection and become uncontrollable requiring me to unplug them and reset everything (couldn't use the light switch becaus it would reset the normal ones too). When this happened, they'd just flicker on and off which was nauseating. Then after I'd reset and they'd be off overnight they'd reset again. I pulled them out and replaced them with the Mirabella ones from Bunnings (also on Tuya).
Any comparison between this and Mirabella Genio?
Does anyone have options for using a smart switch or something so physical switches don't stay 'off or on' if smart bulbs are operated from a mobile?
I never saw the use in these smart downlights, WAF would be atrocious.
Do it properly, put in a smart switch or relay like a Shelly behind a momentary switch and have them work even if your smart home is being dumb.
My setup is a mix of Fibaro and Aeotec relays/dimmers behind Clipsal Saturn momentary buttons, for lesser used areas I just have toggle buttons which you never know as on or off either, just press it.
I have a few of these around and controlled via Ikea Smart switch & Remotes. Having said that, everything is centrally managed/controlled via HomeAssistant so perhaps not what you are looking for?
If the traditional wall light switch is turned off whilst the Smart light is on then turned back on, does the smart light remember that last state it was in? Or do they need to be turned on again via the app?
Depends on the exact model unfortunately.
This is a major part of why I prefer to use smart wall switches rather than smart lights. But smart lights do offer some advantages, particularly in colour and dimming control
It does for me but the non RGB ones flack once quickly before going back to the last set state. It's one flash and is like less than half a second but my missus is going to murder me if it keeps happening.
Found my comment from a previous post
Can't say for sure these are the same as that refers to the older blue backed ones but startup behaviour was selectable on those.
I had these and they all died. avoid
I have 5x blue ones and all going strong after a few years…but more for ambient light and not running 100% brightness.
I'm not sure if he's telling the truth because the timing of this comment on a 3 day old post is a bit suss. Only a few minutes after my comment on his post.
Also they've been posted a few times before & nobody has ever had all of them fail.
Unlikely as all the previous ones at Aldi that I ever spotted were Blue, not Orange (I'll stand corrected). I suspect the orange are a new model?
@kampret: Yeap and is how I read it and agreeing with WN i.e. unlikely that Broden is telling the truth. Not sure why you were negged for checking I read correctly. Have a + from me. :-)
Do these things run on mains or 12 volt?
240v mains with a standard Australian plug. If your ceiling doesn’t already have a standard PowerPoint (“plug base”) you’d need to have a sparky pull out the old 240v->12v transformers and downlights and get a plug base wired in instead, and then plug this straight in. The benefit is in the future if it blows , you can diy.
Anyone know if these are IC rates?
Not advertised or confirmed yet, but the last model (with the blue cap instead of orange) had Ic-4 printed on its side casing.
Great thanks for that! Hopefully these are too then
Confirmed they are in-4. Printed on the silver label on the cord.
Surprised this deal isn’t more popular - and wondering what other alternatives people are using on the budget $ end of things? Seems everything else is $25-30 per light that’s decent.
I’m planning to get another bunch of these to complement the ones I got last year, and hopefully use cloudcutter to flash them local. Provided this version allows it !
Just grabbed two of the rgb versions to see if they could still be flashed with esphome via tuya cloudcutter
Just fired one up to see the what firmware version it’s running looks to be running v1.5.40 which appears to have been patched.
Haven’t actually tried to flash it yet but don’t expect that it will work. Will give it a crack a bit later tonight just to confirm.
also just delved into this too (RGB version), also v1.5.40 on my one, no updates available, and also see it is on the known patched firmwares so tuya cloudcutter can't work via OTA. I believe it can still work via serial flash - never done it and now makes these far less appealing, unless I'm missing something! https://github.com/tuya-cloudcutter/tuya-cloudcutter/wiki/Kn…
How hard is it to serial flash? Is it super tricky and has high failure rates?
Did you happen to try serial flashing? Happily try myself (have done it several times with other Tuya devices), but I don't know how to get the damn thing open.
Here is a pic of the older blue one I Opened. You can see the clips oround the white shell. One needs to break the seal and slow pry apart. I managed without damaging.
@Borg: Thanks for that. I'll give it another try, but it seemed really hard to budge it. (side note: I also have one of the old blue ones like yours, didn't need to open it as was able to OTA flash it with cloudcutter)
@Borg: I've given it another try, but not having any luck. I reckon they have deliberately designed it to make entry very hard. However, I'm sure others are more ingenious than me, and will find a way in.
@noz: Use the likes of a stanley knife blade around the crack that joins the parts…to crack any glue around it. Makes more of a clean/definded ridge to work with. I then gently managed to get in between the seam using various pokey metal tools. Got it open without damaging (for the most part). Not easy but have had worse :-)
@Borg: good suggestion, just tried, but no cigar. The two pieces are so tight against each other. They've made it so hard for a $14 item.
@noz: I'm also trying to get this thing open.
I managed to lift the orange part by 1-2mm all around (with some damage) but it still seems strongly attached somehow.
It doesn't look like there are clips or even glue on the edge.
Also, it looks like the board is placed vertically in the taller side of the orange cap.
@lorikeet: Great effort to get it 1-2mm open. And yes, I have also damaged some of my plastic. I'm at the point where I don't care too much about casing damage (and hence probably not being legally able to use it in a production setting), it's more now about the challenge of getting it open, seeing how the casing is held together, and getting the unit flashed..!
@IMadeYouReadThis: Well yes, as one has broken the seal. One of course could easily reseal with a tiny bit of glue.
@noz: I ended up cutting the orange part on the empty side.
There are actually two screws attaching it from the other side. So it looks like it must be assembled from the leds side?? I don't see how it can be opened without damage unless there is a way to remove the led cover on the other side.
The WiFi board is a CBLC5. I haven't tried to flash it yet.
@lorikeet: Thanks very much for doing this! That's interesting how they have screwed it in from the LED side. They have certainly designed it so that one cannot get to the circuit board without wrecking the unit. After seeing your last post I tried getting in from the LED side with a stanley knife between the seam, but didn't have much luck. I saw this video where a guy took the front face of an LED downlight off, but it doesn't appear to be as straightforward with the Aldi one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5xYNW0PoM0
@lorikeet: The LED covers on the Blue ones were easy to remove. If the same, just a matter of pushing down around the outside edges of housing to assist making a little gap between it and the led cover. Gently sliide something thin between and work you way around if needed, It pops off. There are no latches on it and more or less just sits in place with slight groove edge to hold it in place. Simple enough.
Picture as a guide
@Borg: I broke the white edge when trying, but I think it should still be possible to remove the cover without too much damage. And from there remove the two screws and open the back. I'll try to get a new one to try again but not sure if there is still stock in stores.
I also managed the flash the module with OpenBeken. I flashed using UART with the version OpenBK7231N_QIO_1.18.101.bin. For the adjustable white version there are only two channels: P24 (PWM4) for Warm and P26 (PWM5) for Cool.
The light still does a quick bright flash at power on, even with the option to remember previous state enabled.
@lorikeet: Sorry, I should have noted to gently push down on white edge (if needed) to assist creating a gap to help slide a blade or whatever in.
Great to hear you managed to play around and test flashing. All in the name of fun and hobby time, and potential capabilities of future Aldi lights when back in stock. Nice one.
@Borg: Maybe a suction cup in the middle to pull it out, if it can hold suction long enough or at all on that surface of course.
@bamzero: In my case I didn't need but decided to test as that's a great idea.
I just used a little clear suction cup…the type that one licks :-). I can confirm that they stick well and maintains a very strong hold. Nice one..
@bamzero: I also though about this but the material of the cover is a bit textured so it's not good for suction cups. Maybe a really good one could do it, or using vacuum or tape/glue to get a better hold.
@lorikeet: See above, I thought the same until I tested a sec ago. Mine was just the common little clear suction cups that sticks to bathroom tiles/ shower screen etc and worked fine on "Older" blue ones which are also textured. :-)
@Borg: Thanks for the inspiration. Used a suction cup for sticking a baby on board sign, popped the cover off easily.
No heating, nothing broken!
https://imgur.com/a/3fteXYR
@Borg: Got 6 of the white versions flashed with OpenBK, worked quite well, with some small metal clips on the TX/RX. No soldering was required, and all went back together quite well. It also doesnt need any power supply, or voltage to flash, which confused me. I guess it gets the voltage through the TX cable?
When re-attaching, t appears there was some thin glue holding the plastic in, but its not really needed as the circle kind of clips in.
The RGB though was much harder to remove. They have a different type of plastic, much more bumpy. I went to using "TIKSEN" suction cup. But even then, you need to push hard, hold it on, and then QUICKLY pull it away. Takes 1-2 goes for a white light. And between 4-20 goes for a RGB light.
I am now struggling to get the RGB light to work. I cannot seem to find any pin combination. No matter what I do, I cannot get a single LED to turn on.
Tested with a non-flashed, and the LED's are not broken, so I suspect its just my lack of understanding about how to configure the pins.
Does this mean they cannot be used with localtuya?
I have the old version which works, but never flashed them with esphome.
localtuya should still work
Do you think it might be a signal issue? I had a friend replace all downlights in his apartment with more premium brands (hue or nanoleaf or something) and had issues turning them on and off because the signal couldn't penetrate the plaster ceiling of all reasons. Not sure if that's actually the case.