I know I can use an AC adaptor but I want to create the transformer myself. Most LED designs seem to run off batteries but I want my lamp to plug into the wall/mains. I'm new to wiring but have done basic soldering and could handle a design using basic

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A: The simplest adapter uses a linear regulator. Switching adapters are much more complex. The attached reference shows the steps involved in constructing a typical linear power supply. It's a good place to start.

Into the limelight

Legislation coming into effect this year will prohibit traditional energy-inefficient incandescent light bulbs being manufactured or sold in the European Union, while similar rules are under discussion in the United States. At the same time, LED (light-emitting diode) technology, once epitomised by the little red dots inside television remotes, has advanced to such an extent that designers are able to create lights previously seen only in implausible futuristic films.

While evangelists for alternative lighting have long argued the environmental benefits of low-energy, long-life bulbs, those within the nascent industry argue incoming legislation, coupled with technological and design improvements, mean its time has now come.

The EU’s 20-20 campaign, which aims to achieve a 20 per cent increase in energy efficiency by 2020, is expected to usher in an age of LED, as they become staple household products.

Frost & Sullivan, the business research group, expects revenues in the efficient lighting market in Europe to reach just under $2bn by 2018, double last year’s amount, as legislation to phase out different types of traditional light bulbs comes into effect.

Source: Financial Times

Modular LED Lamps With Intricate Interchangeable Leaves ...

“Abstraction” is a series of modular pendant lamps laser cut from recycled and recyclable materials and designed by Brandon Perhacs of Lichen and Perhacs Studio. In a clever and playful move, the designer made the leaves of the lamps interchangeable with one another. This allows for a wide variety of design possibilities as the different [...]

" class="digg-icon" title="Share on Digg">digg “Abstraction” is a series of modular pendant lamps laser cut from recycled and recyclable materials and designed by Brandon Perhacs of Lichen and Perhacs Studio. In a clever and playful move, the designer made the leaves of the lamps interchangeable with one another. This allows for a wide variety of design possibilities as the different [...]

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