A Guide to LED Gear Trays & LED Bulkheads

An LED gear tray consists of a metal tray on which the electrical components: LEDs, driver, wiring and terminal blocks, are mounted. (For emergency versions there will also be a battery and a battery charger / changeover unit, although the changeover unit and battery charger may be integrated with one or more other components. For microwave sensor versions there will also be a microwave sensor, again possibly integrated with other components)

Gear trays are normally used in combination with plastic or metal cases to produce a luminaire, such as the LEDSAVE 15W Polycarbonate Bulkhead.

Gear tray applications.

Our gear trays can be used for the following purposes

1. To replace old fashioned, energy hungry 2D fluorescent lights with an energy saving LED equivalent.
2. To replace broken or worn out emergency / PIR sensor 2D or LED units with very economical LED replacements
3. To upgrade standard 2D fittings or LED fittings to sensor and / or 3-hour Emergency fitting

Our gear trays are round, with a diameter of 244mm, a max depth of 30mm, and have three keyhole mounting slots. They consume only 15W of electricity (the Emergency units are 17W due to the energy used by the battery charger) but have a light output of over 90lm/W or 1350lm.

They have a CCT of 4500K, which is a little cooler that their fluorescent’s equivalent of 3000-3500K, but we find that our customers like the cleaner look that 4500K provides.

Unlike some of our competitors’ gear trays, all our gear trays feature the LEDs spread across the full gear tray, which ensures the greatest and most even spread of light (no dark spots in the fittings) and ensures the greatest possible heat dissipation for long life.

We have the following models available:

1. Standard – this consists of a metal tray with LEDs and an LED driver only.
2. Emergency – as Standard but with the addition of a Ni-Cd battery, and a charging / change-over unit. This is our most popular product, due to its unbeatable performance and price.
3. Sensor – as Standard but includes a Microwave sensor (like a PIR sensor) incorporating corridor function (also known as 10%-100%, see below).
4. Emergency and Sensor – as its name suggests, this incorporates both the Emergency and Sensor functionality into one unit!

Corridor function

All our units that feature a Microwave Sensor, also include corridor function – at no extra cost!

Luminaires with built in corridor function are a very simple and highly efficient way of reducing energy consumption. Wherever light must be provided 24 hours a day for statutory reasons, the corridor function helps provide the right light, combined with energy-efficient and cost-effective operation. This economical form of 24-hour lighting is ideal for pedestrian underpasses, underground train stations, ATM booths, telephone kiosks, hotels, public buildings and hospitals.

For example, it is possible to set the unit to be on 10% light output until the sensor is activated by a person, which then causes the unit to switch to 100% output for a period.

The are many variables that can be changed such as:

1. Sensor detection range
2. Hold time – this is the time that the unit gives the increased light output for, once the sensor is activated.
3. Daylight threshold – the light level at which the unit is active.
4. Standby dimming level – the light level when the sensor has not been activated.
5. Standby period – this is the time that the unit will show the lower level of light for before switching off (Can be set to always on).