Mechmike
Well-Known Member
That type of board is pretty easy to repair. To de-solder an led, just apply a small amount of pressure to the top side (lens) of the diode while melting the solder on each lead. The leads on your new diodes will have to be flattened so they will rest evenly on the board. I usually trim the diode leads a bit so they fit perfectly. Once you have the diode on place just touch the leads with a hot iron and a touch of solder. That's all there is to it.So I tested the board and found 4 dead leds out of a total of 168.
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Looking at the pic, what is my best course of action at this point? I'm reading that I can solder a wire bridging the anode and cathode, but is this my only option? My soldering skills aren't the best just yet even though I've been practicing..
If you want to run softer you can use one like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-Driver-Power-Supply-for-36pcs-1W-High-Power-LED-18w-36w-18-36-x1W-LED-/221255343940?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3383d89f44. I have done the same with Chinese 3w lights. It does reduce the amount of light but not by 50%. It's more like a 30% reduction. You are right about the reliability. They don't seem to fail when driven soft.