Instructions to Convert a 4-foot Florescent Fixture to LEDs Using 60W Power Supply Using 2 or 3 strips 30Dec15 Thank you for purchasing the Shoplight Solutions 4-ft conversion kit. This is a companion document to our YouTube video which you can find at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ucib9ieljxw5iy06a5qei5yg Each kit contains one 24 volt, 60W switching power supply and two or three precut 47-inch flexible LED strip. The strip has 72 bright LEDs with wires that connect to the power supply. This LED strip will provide as much or more light than a florescent tube using half the energy, while lasting 4 times longer. The kit also contains wire cleaning wipe, connectors and double sided tape. In other words, everything you need you to easily and safely convert a 4 foot florescent shoplight fixture without special tools or the need to solder. We have chosen a 24-volt system because of efficiency and the quality of light all the way to the last LED on the strip. The kit s LED strip and power supply have been carefully engineered as a matched pair. Reliable suppliers have been carefully chosen. When these components are purchase together as a kit and correctly used, Shoplight Solutions offers a unique 2-year warranty. Both the LED strips and power supplies are factory tested. Of course these kits can be used for many other lighting project like under counter and shelf lighting. For more creative ideas visit shoplightsolutions.com. Please send us your project ideas to leds@shoplightsolutions.com. Any existing 4-foot fixture will work, T5, T8 or T12 will work. Any clean 4 surface is a possibility (See our website). Work on a flat bench-like surface. It is best not to work while the light is hanging over head. Disconnect all power to the light. We will use 2 Shoplight Solutions kits and 4 common tools: A small and large Phillips screw driver or drill-driver with Phillips bits. A wire striper or pocket knife to remove insulation from the wires. Any kind of wire cutting pliers. Scissors to cut the double-sided tape Disclaimer: Shoplight Solutions is not liable for any improper electrical connections or incidental damages from the application of its products. For instance, if you hook the AC 120-240 VAC input to the DC output it will blow the power supply which you can replace at your own cost. Please read instructions carefully and closely watch the video. Shoplight Solutions Copyright 2015 all rights reserved 1
Step 1 Preparing the fixture You will remove everything except the power cord. 1. Remove the tubes and set them aside. 2. Remove the 2 screws that hold the reflector to the back-side box. Save the screws. 3. Slip off the tombstones bulb connectors and set the reflector aside. 4. Remove the screws and nuts that hold the ballast. 5. Cut the ballast free of the power cord leaving as much of the power as possible. Cut the green ground wire close to the ballast, leaving it connect to the fixture housing for later. 6. Cut all the longest wires from the ballast and tombstone bulb connector, keeping the pieces as long as possible. Step 2 Installing the LED strips on the reflector The 60W power supply will mount on the back side, center of the reflector, close to the end so that the leads from the LED strips can be easily attached without stretching. We ll use wire salvaged from the ballasts to hook the power supplies to the power cord. 1. Thoroughly clean the reflector with a damp rag on both sides. Then, finish cleaning both sides with the supplied alcohol wipes. The reflector must be dry with no oil or dirt on the surface. 2. The LED wires will pass through 2 opposite of the tombstone slots in the reflector. These wires must be protected from the rough metal edges using a piece of the double stick tape that covers the slot. 3. Apply a 1-inch square piece of the supplied double sided tape on the back side of the reflector at opposite tombstone slots. Next cut a slot in middle of the tape to hold the wires in place. Cut the slot short of the metal so there is no possible contact with the reflector metal. There is no need to remove the backer from the top side of the tape. 4. Apply the LED strips to the front side of the reflector starting from the same fixture end (not as shown). Pull back a couple of inches of the LED adhesive backer on the wired end and place the open adhesive end near a tombstone slot with the tape used as a wire protector. The white heat shrink should be an eighth of an inch beyond the slot edge minimizing any potential contact with the reflector s metal. As you are gently sticking this end to the reflector, be sure the remainder of the strip is pointing to the center of the opposite slot. If you pull up the LED strip and reapply it, voids the warranty so please be careful to make it straight the first time. If it isn t completely straight it is only a shop light. 5. Peel back more of the strip s backer while making sure the loose end is point straight at the center of the opposite slot. Gently apply pressure to the strip so it adheres to the reflector. The pull off more backing. Repeating until the end of the reflector. 6. Starting at the adjacent slot, affix the second strip to the reflector. Since we are using one power supply for 2 or 3 strips, you need to start the strips at the same end so the leads can be routed Shoplight Solutions Copyright 2015 all rights reserved 2
together to the one power supply. You may have to extend the LED lead wires to reach the power supply. We have included gray wire nuts for that purpose. 7. Tape down the third strip in the middle if you have the 3 strip kit. 8. When using the third strip, you will have to have extend the leads with supplied hook up wire and wire small gray wire nuts. Route the wire in of the notches in the adhesive tape. There will be 2 wires in one of the notches. Step 3 Adhering the power supplies to back of reflector 1. Note: If the fixture housing does not have good ventilation please add ventilation holes near the power supplies. If possible, use the two enclosed selftapping screws so that the power supply is in contact with metal. Otherwise we have provided double stick pads to adhere the power supplies to your surface. 2. For the adhesive pads: a. Turn over the reflector, back side up. b. Apply the supplied double stick adhesive pads to the bottom of each power supply. Remove the backing and expose the adhesive. 3. Place the power supply with the 24-volt LED output end in the center of the reflector facing a slot where the LED wires can be attached directly with a little slack. Use two self-tapping screws on diagonal corners to attach the power supply or press down on the adhesive pads. 4. Connect the LED wires to the power supply. Partially unscrew the two terminal screws with a small Philips screwdriver. Important: Insert the red wires into the terminal marked the + (plus) sign. DO NOT CONNECT AC POWER TO LED TERMINALS. Step 4 Wiring the AC Power 1. Use the 3 longest wires salvaged from the ballast. There should be a blue, red and yellow wire. We will use blue and red to connect the 2 power wires and yellow for ground. Strip ½ inch of insulation from the power supply end and ¾ inch from the end that will be used in the wire nut connector. 2. Wire the 3 wires to the power supply as shown. The red and blue wires attach to the terminals market as AC in red lettering. The yellow goes to the terminal with the black ground symbol below it. Shoplight Solutions Copyright 2015 all rights reserved 3
3. For the second power supply, there should be a shorter red and blue wire that can be used. Use the white wire from the ballast for the ground if there is not a third yellow wire. Strip the insulation as previously described and attach 3 wires to the power supply. Step 5 Connecting the power cord The power cord typically has 3 wires. The center wire is ground and usually attached to the fixture housing. 1. Using the wire nuts attach a long and short wire red wire to one of power cord s outside wires, not center ground. Make sure all three wires are secure in the wire nut. Twist the wire nut on good force. 2. Connect a long and short blue wire to the other power cord s non-ground wire. 3. Connect ground wires to the green wire to the fixture s case: Typically, it will be the yellow, white and green wires. 4. Give your wire nut connections a tug to make sure all wires are securely connected. If there is a loose wire, reapply the wire nuts. 5. If there is exposed wire not covered by the wire nut, unscrew the wire nut. If too much insulation was removed, trim the wire. Align the wires and re-apply the wire nut and tug the connection again. 6. It is good practice to tape the connection with electrical tape just in case. Note: If one of the wires is too short, you can extend it with any remaining wire that can be salvaged from the ballast. The picture on the right shows that we extended the yellow ground wire with a piece of black stranded wire from the ballast. The kit includes an extra wire nut for this purpose. Step 4 - Test 1. Visually double check your work, looking for loose wires or wires that may rub against metal edges. Make sure the LED lead wires are double back over the notch in the tape covered slot. 2. Once satisfied, make sure no wires are touching, then plug in your new LED shoplight for a quick test before re-assembling the reflector to the back. Step 5 Button up and reinstall your shop light 1. Using the 2 saved screws, attach the reflector to the back box, make sure that no wires are pinched along the sides. 2. You re done! You can re-hang your shoplight. Thanks for using Shoplight Solutions! Please Tell a friend Shoplight Solutions Copyright 2015 all rights reserved 4
Disclaimer: Shoplight Solutions is not liable for any improper electrical connections or incidental damages from the application of its products. For instance, if you hook the AC 120-240 VAC input to the DC output it will blow the power supply which you can replace at your own cost. Please read instructions carefully and closely watch the video. Shoplight Solutions Copyright 2015 all rights reserved 5