Blinking lights?

The light is an HLG 550 v1. Not my light but this is the info that I gathered. Around four years old, been used pretty much nonstop. Has always been in a room with proper circulation, temps, RH. When the light goes on in the morning(12/12), it blinks. The person said that it's almost like the light has to warm up before it stops blinking. Is a light like this worth fixing? If so, how would one go about this? Would this be worth selling if fixable? I'm kind of interested in purchasing it off his hands if conditions prove to be ideal.
 

DoubleAtotheRON

Well-Known Member
The light is an HLG 550 v1. Not my light but this is the info that I gathered. Around four years old, been used pretty much nonstop. Has always been in a room with proper circulation, temps, RH. When the light goes on in the morning(12/12), it blinks. The person said that it's almost like the light has to warm up before it stops blinking. Is a light like this worth fixing? If so, how would one go about this? Would this be worth selling if fixable? I'm kind of interested in purchasing it off his hands if conditions prove to be ideal.
When I had my 550's installed, my electrical contractor suggested that I install mechanical latches on the timer box instead of magnetic for this reason alone. Does it do it straight into a wall socket?, or through a digital timer?
 

Chip Green

Well-Known Member
Meanwell drivers do have a "hiccup" mode. It can flash like a strobe light, if a fault is detected. Something is triggering that flash, until it heats up. At least that's what it sounds like to me.
Could be the driver itself nearing failure, or potentially an intermittent fault somewhere on one of the boards.
Hard to say where in the chain really.
It could also be as simple as a loose connection, try pushing the wires that connect the boards together in a little bit.
 
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SnoopyDoo

Well-Known Member
Sounds like a cold solder joint to me. Once the board/joint heats up the intermittent connection "fixes itself" and the light works properly. It's hard to say if it's worth fixing.
 

MICHI-CAN

Well-Known Member
I do electronic repair and replacement soldering here. Mostly RC and PC stuff. I suggest checking your wagos or wire nuts at fist sign of an issue. Most common problem I have seen across electronics. Then there is the cold solder issue. Need magnification to detect hairline breaks or cracks. Is easily repaired with liquid solder and some proper prep and precision application. Actual diode failure requires some skill and basic tools. Google it. LOL. And all my drivers got really bright for a bit and then just quit. Bad driver is dim otherwise in my adventures. But my knowledge if of use.
 
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