Electronics - Illuminating a display case

[gwelmarten]

Hi
I have an olympic case in a display case. I want to illimunate it from the bottom. Basically I just want to put a high intensity LED at the bottom of the torch. How can I connect electrical components like LED to a UK mains socket? Are there devices that convert mains to DC and then downstep it so I can run individual components from it?
Sam

[samiwas]

Originally Posted by gwelmarten

Hi
I have an olympic case in a display case. I want to illimunate it from the bottom. Basically I just want to put a high intensity LED at the bottom of the torch. How can I connect electrical components like LED to a UK mains socket? Are there devices that convert mains to DC and then downstep it so I can run individual components from it?
Sam

Of course. All you have to get is an LED driver which will support the LED you want to use. I don't know the size of this display or the LED you want to use, but this is extremely common.

I have seen these used on exhibit dimply cases running 240v:
http://www.lumotech.com/en/led-drivers.html

And there are even now MR16 (no idea what they call them in the UK) sized lamps that run on mains voltage (using a GU10 base), at least here in the US. I'm sure they have them there as well.

Also, a lot of LEDs nowadays will run off standard 12v AC, so even a standard wall wart transformer will power them.