ᐅ Mini LED downlights for patio roofing

Hello,

we want to build a patio roof. Which LED spotlights would you recommend?

Should we use 12V/24V or connect directly to 230V and save the transformer?

What would you recommend?

Ask for recessed ceiling lights with an appropriate IP rating and a wide beam angle (e.g., 120°), possibly with a diffuser. Pay special attention to flicker-free dimming, especially if you use lights with a high luminous flux (lumens). Check the color temperature of the light and choose what you prefer. For a cozy atmosphere, most people like "warm white" somewhere between 2800K and 3500K. A high CRI (I would go for 92 or above) ensures colors appear rich and vibrant. Whether the transformer/driver is integrated in the bulb, inside the fixture, or external does not really matter, as long as the cable lengths are not too long.

Since I don’t need a specific IP rating in the covered area, I used ones from Ansorg and installed them in the wood ceiling.

We can only install mini LED spots because the rafters where they will be placed are only 50x100mm (2x4 inches). The hole size is about 30-35mm (1.2-1.4 inches).

What do you mean by too long cable runs? The farthest point is about 10m (33 feet) of cable length, or rather slightly less. They usually have a beam angle of around 90-100 degrees.

We were thinking of a color temperature of 3000K (2732°F). I already found LED spots with a CRI of only 90—is that too low?

FrankChief schrieb:

What do you mean by too long distances? The farthest point is about 10m (33 feet) of cable length

When several lights are connected in series to a transformer, the one 10m (33 feet) away at 12V can already appear noticeably dimmer than the one at 1m (3 feet).

FrankChief schrieb:

We were thinking of a color temperature of 3000K
I already found LED spots with only 90 CRI – is that too low?

I also like 3000K.
CRI is an index that describes the accuracy of color rendering for LEDs. Since LEDs don’t emit the full light spectrum like a heat-based light source (halogen or incandescent), but only a partial range, there are challenges with natural color reproduction. With a low CRI, some colors can appear "washed out" or less vivid. You can’t tell exactly which colors from the CRI value alone. Red and green are especially prone to looking faded. A CRI of 90 was considered “good” about eight years ago; today, much higher values are common without much extra cost. The difference is striking when you compare them directly. If you choose 90 CRI, you won’t miss anything, but if you go for 95 or higher, you’ll enjoy that light more comfortably without knowing exactly why.
Because of this comfort factor, be sure to check for PWM (flickering). This depends more on the quality of the driver and dimming technology than the LED itself. The less you need to dim, the easier it is to have flicker-free light. Therefore, you might want to avoid a very bright max illumination and instead focus on the intended use. For very bright lighting, you can always use a work light for occasional needs.

Thank you.
I’m not very familiar with LED lighting so far.

Our patio cover will be 6 x 4.5 m (20 x 15 feet), and we are planning 14 LED spotlights (2 spots per rafter) evenly distributed.

The LED spotlights are intended to be dimmed using a phase-cut dimmer.

Can you recommend good small LED spotlights that are suitable for outdoor use?

So far, I have found Mini LED spots from Luxvenum and was thinking about ordering the set of 14, which have 3.3 watts each.

FrankChief schrieb:

Can you recommend good small LED spots suitable for outdoor use?
So far, I’ve found the mini LED spots from Luxvenum and was thinking of ordering the set of 14, which have 3.3 watts.

I don’t have a current overview of the market. I am very satisfied with the Luxvenum spotlights in our bathroom.