IKEA mains LED lightbulbs PWM

[dks]

I got a 5W 240V LED from IKEA, 130Lm

It looks nice and starts immediately, being an LED.

However I was surprised to see it has very noticeable PWM.
If you move your hand quickly in the room it looks like you are looking at an old animated film.  Really annoying. 

I have no other mains LEDs in the house.

Is this normal for all  household LEDs?

[Steinar]

I don't know, but FWIW I haven't noticed it in any of the LED bulbs
we have.

[dks]

It is weird.
Maybe if they are several on at the same time they flicker at different poins so you do not notice it since they cover each others gaps.

[legtu]

It could be because of cheap/poorly designed electronics + the combination of AC power causing the flicker.

[dks]

There is something not right with it and it was not cheap.

I will replace it with a standard light bulb.

[Landrew]

I think it's normal and unavoidable.  Mains power is a sine-wave pulse, fluctuating at thousandss of times per minute, which accounts for the pulsed light output.  To achieve continuous output would add greatly to the expense of the bulb.


The reason the old incandescent light bulbs didn't pulse is because the metal filaments stayed hot for the tiny interval of time that the current was at zero in the cycle.

[dks]

That is why I was wondering if this is common or a problem with the IKEA led.

I have not heard of such issues on mains LEDs before, though it is common with the low output of handheld torches.
As most people will have several LEDs on at the same time they may not notice it.

But, it is annoying and could have health implications as your brain will register the flickering even if your consious mind does not notice it all the time.

[Landrew]

I have some LED lights in my house, and I honestly can not detect any difference between them and regular incandescents. I can't say which brand they are, but I bought them at a local hardware store.

[dks]

Maybe I have a bad one..

Try and see what happens when only one is on.

By the way the IKEA ones were about 7Euro and look decent...

[Landrew]

Maybe I have a bad one..

Try and see what happens when only one is on.

By the way the IKEA ones were about 7Euro and look decent...

I think you may be right, its a cheap way to boost apparent light output, by pulsing the light.