Dave_H
Flashlight Enthusiast
On what do you base your conclusion?Mostly no.
The simple answer is "not at all".
Mostly this is probably not something you have to worry about. And I don't think any of the experts on this forum are even sure that constantly turning on and off an LED bulb does hurt it.
Unfortunately there are no hard statistics in this discussion.
Ikea rates some of their bulb life by number of on/off cycles, not operating hours (usually). Ikea is a reputable supplier of bulbs. They must have reasons.
(Maybe) not coincidentally, a number of Ikea low-cost bulbs use switching regulation
versus linear regulation common in other brands. I have confirmed two by opening up, including the 40W equiv. selling for under $1 each. I believe this is to allow a single design with only minor adaptation to operate at either 110v or 220vac. The two bulbs checked convert line voltage to around 80v dc. That's getting a bit off the topic though.
Thermal on/off cycling can and does reduce lifetime of components and electronic
assemblies, including solder joints. I have been directly involved in such testing, although not for LED bulbs, and for qualification, not lifetime testing (only correct functionality or early failures).
Say, in a very cold environment with a bulb which runs hot, allowing to run and heat
up, then switching off and cooling down, several times per day, may shorten the life compared to letting it run continuously for some period (say 8-10 hours). I think it will vary with the circumstances.
Switching regulators themselves may have failure modes due to frequent cycling,
possibly items such as input capacitors, but I do not know specifics.
Dave