12v ac to 12v dc conversion

Dalork

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jun 2, 2008
Messages
32
Location
Australia
Hi all,

I have no idea how best to do this and need some help please, I have a 12vac / 100w (240v-12v) garden light power supply and 5x 12vdc (10w) LED garden floodlights. Is there a converter I can buy to rectify the 12v ac to output 12v dc? Is there some way to use this power supply safely for these led lights.

any help would be fantastic.
 

RetroTechie

Flashlight Enthusiast
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Oct 11, 2013
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Hengelo, NL
I have a 12vac / 100w (240v-12v) garden light power supply
AC -> AC, chances are that's just a transformer (+ a fuse and maybe a line filter and/or switch). Came with a set of incandescent / halogen lights, right?

You'd need a bridge rectifier, electrolytic capacitor, and voltage regulator IC (a 7812 for example) to turn that into a stable 12V DC. None of those are expensive, but chances are a ready-made AC -> 12V DC regulated power supply is cheap, smaller and more efficient than that. Btw:

and 5x 12vdc (10w) LED garden floodlights.
Is that 5 LEDs, 12V DC / 10W each, or 5 LEDs, 12V DC and 10W in total? (so 2W per LED)
 

Dalork

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jun 2, 2008
Messages
32
Location
Australia
No it didn't come with any lights, I have a similar set-up I did my backyard to give lighting to BBQ and eat/entertain. Except the LED floodlights I bought operate on 12vac (think they run on both ac/dc). He wants to do the same thing and me wire it up for him but the difference is the LED lights he got seem to be dc only.

This is the transformer http://www.tortech.com.au/toroidal-...-transformer/100-watt-outdoor-transformer-12v

The LED flood lights are 12v dc 10w each unit and there is 5 of them. They look like this http://image.dhgate.com/albu_267684637_00-1.0x0/cheap-10w-led-floodlight-flood-light-landscape.jpg


I'd like to buy a device to correct the voltage or if it's not hard and someone is willing to instruct me on what and how to solder together to fix it. If not maybe just get him a different transformer 240Vac to 12Vdc, just trying to save him money and maybe learn a little myself lol.
 

Conte

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 15, 2009
Messages
735
Location
Canada
You need a 10 amp Bridge Rectifier.

It will be clearly labeled, two pins with ~ for the AC input. Doesn't matter which pin.
Then two pins will say + and -. Those will be DC out to the lights.

The filter cap should be optional.
You won't be able to regulate it with a 7812. There is no need to anyway.
 
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