2' x 4' LED panels installed

Moving into a new house and the kitchen had this box thing in the ceiling. Behind the hideous diffuser grid were two ancient fluorescent fixtures with 2 4-foot T12 bulbs each. It looked like a dentist office.

I was weighing ripping it out and all the painting and texturing I’d have to do afterwards when I found these 2’x4’ panels at SuperBrightLeds.com . No affiliate links, I just really like these panels. All I had to do was add a strain relief where the power wires come out of the fixture and wire-nut them to the wires from the old fixtures. They hang in the frame and provide an even sheet of diffuse light.

I realize in the picture my friend is shielding his eyes, but they are really less intense to look at than a regular fluorescent because the light is generated over a large area instead of just from the inch-wide tube. The effect is almost like having a big sky light in the kitchen.

These are the 72W / 7200 lumen / 3900K panels. They are BRIGHT. Borderline too bright. If the enclosure wasn’t already there we could have gotten by with only one of them. There are also 50W / 6000 lumen / 3900K panels that would have been totally adequate but like my flashlights I went for the brightest possible. Also available in 4800K and 2900K tints.

Like all fluorescent replacements the LEDs come on instantly with no flickering. There is no gap between the LEDs and diffusing layer so I don’t think it will collect dust and bugs like a regular fluorescent. The fixtures also have little hooks so you can suspend them by wires or something, but I don’t know how well that would look. These would be great in a basement or other place where you have drop ceiling tiles.

cool!

Very nice. SSL (solid state lighting) is really making strides right now. Street lights, stage lights, luminaires to name a few. A real revolution taking place.

Hey mate how high do the lights sit up in the fitting?

The main part of the panel is about half an inch thick, but there is a small box on one side with the power supply that makes the total thickness about 2 inches. The box appeared to be riveted on so there’s no way to put the power supply somewhere else, like above the ceiling, and run it down to the panel. I wish that were possible because I would like to flush mount a lot of these to my garage ceiling.

Here’s the dimensions from the website:

They have a picture of the 2’x2’ panels sitting flush against the ceiling of a garage:

I asked them how this was done when there is a box for the power supply on the back and I got this response:

Sounds difficult to pull off well. I’ll probably get regular fluorescent fixtures and T8 LED replacements for the garage.

Nice, and the price isn’t too bad either.
One could easily spend that much or more for another fixture that wouldn’t be anywhere near as nice

Easy-peasy. First make a cardboard template (pattern) the size of the lightboard. Then use the lightboard to locate the box on your pattern. Add about 1/2”m (12mm) on all sides of the box cut-put for clearance and variance. Thumbtack template to ceiling where you want the light and check where the box is for obstructions. Put a pencil dot at the 4 corners of the template before removing it. Repeat till all lights are done. Thumbtack strings on the ceiling to help with alignment. Drop a couple bucks into a cheap keyhole or sheetrock saw for the cuts.

Hint: Do the full layout before cutting anywhere so you can maintain linearity should one part of the layout find obstructions. Framing is usually either 16” or 24” from center-to-center but can vary. Tap with a hammer to find the framing members by sound. Use a slender brad or finish nail to pierce the sheetrock and confirm clearance. A tiny dab of caulking will hide misplaced nailholes well enough if the shifted light doesn’t. Be sure the box isn’t covered with insulation on tip unless its rated for that (ask manufacturer).

They look just too cool in that pic. I’d have to go with them over the florescent’s or I’d never forgive myself.

Phil

You can buy fixtures from HD that are very thin, about 3/4”, that need no hole cut for the power supply.

Any chance it has a 0-10V dimmable LED driver? If so, and if designed properly, you can put a resistor across the 0-10V dimming leads (will be different for every driver) and dim them to the level you want. You can do that remotely so you can control it (0-10V dimmer), or one time so that it always comes on at the right level.

These are cool panels. I have been buying from super bright leds for years with nothing but great bust omer service and quality products. As someone else mentioned, look into getting a dimmer switch, most of their products are dimmable.

Edit: never mind, just checked the specs on the website and it says not dimmable.