Lesson learned: If you're rich enough, you can strong-arm international corporations not to screw you over.

Imagine designing a reliable, efficient lamp, but then not being allowed to sell it everywhere...and potentially not going to anyway just because of the fact they can last longer.... what a world we live in.

I bought a few of these in Dubai a few years ago and brought them back with me. I didn't realize how unique they were at the time, just that they looked good and were cheap. ---and they work perfectly.

For those wondering they are marketed as "phillips ultra efficiency" in some places.

I remember having a conversation with my brother about this a few weeks ago. When they forced the change from incandescent light bulbs into LED ones here in the states. The so called "first generation" (For the lack of a better term) of LED bulbs seemed to last forever. But as we replaced them over the years they seemed to have shorter and shorter lifespan to the point we now have to replace them more frequently than we had to replace the old ones. And it's so obvious they lasted too long for the amount of sales the companies wanted so they intentionally made them have a lot shorter lifespan.

It's incredibly frustrating seeing good technology intentionally held back like this.

I don't know about other countries but this product finally made it to the italian market in the last weeks, Philips calls it "Classe A". The "40w 485 lumens" lamp draws 2.3w and it costs around 10€.

"Edison bulbs" arrived with long lives in the first metal filaments, and then they realized what they'd done, and raised the voltage standard. There's a light bulb that was installed in a fire station I believe in New Jersey, that is still burning today, well over a hundred years later. The first "nylons" produced didn't wear out, but that was immediately changed.

This makes me wonder how many beneficial technologies are being kept from the world

Google search trends suddenly has a spike in searches for "dubai lamp" - I love it!

I'm very impressed with your reverse engineering of the lamp circuit. I've been reverse engineering circuits for about 60 years now and have a real appreciation for what you did. I was surprised that it wasn't a switching regulator, but that would be something prone to failure. I wondered about the "filaments" that they were many LEDs wired in series. If I recall, the junction voltage of an LED is about 1.65 volts, the last I can remember. I remember seeing my first LED back in the late '60's as a replacement for pilot lamps, not very bright but used hardly any power. I hope your schematic gets archived somewhere - got job - Jim

I wanted these when I saw this video a year ago. A couple of weeks ago I was pleased to see very similar lamps available in Germany and Switzerland. They have 8 and 12 filaments for 4 and 6 watts respectively. So they are running at 0.5 W per filament. Not quite as cool as these ones but still better than the bog standard ones.

To clarify: Phillips has an exclusivity deal *in Dubai.* That means they're the only ones allowed to sell these kind of lamps in Dubai for the duration of the deal, making them the sole supplier whenever they're mandated. *Phillips and others could still sell these kinds of lamps anywhere else in the world if they so desired.*

Title: "The lamp you're not allowed to have." Me: "I have never heard of these before today, and yet I have never wanted anything more in my life."

I have one of the little 1W ones here in the UK or something very very similar in a side lamp. It's always on, on an evening and has lasted almost 6 years now. It has 4 filaments

I remember when LED Bulbs first came out they were $20/each. My brother lives in Seattle Washington and they subsidized the LED bulbs so they only cost $4 each. I had my brother buy me a case of bulbs and ship them to me in Alabama. Saved myself a ton of money.

Oh Phillips could sell them everywhere, they just don’t want to.

Fun fact : this isn’t anything new but lamp makers entered an agreement as a cartel about a century back to produce very limited lifespan lights. Manufacturers producing bulbs with higher than agreed lifespan (in hours) were punished.

Here’s a couple of pointers to remember. Each 100n capacitor on the input will deliver 3.5mA in half-wave configuration . . . when the device you are powering drops a low voltage such as 12v. When it drops say 120v, the current will be 1.75mA. Add up the front-end capacitors and multiply by much (much) less than 1mA per 100n (in this case) and you will be able to work out what the circuit will deliver.

Thank you this channel was instrumental in my education so far.

Classic. The bulb lifespan cartel never died!

I thought his was going to be some dangerous light bulb that could catch your house on fire. It actually turned out to be something that would beneficial to the entire world. Why can’t we get them everywhere? Efficiency is good.

Believe it or not, my father, 25 years ago, bought a non-branded Light bulb from some random chinese electrical shop and brought it back home and put it on our outdoor roof light, it was a very bright white lamp compared to other available lamp brand at that time. But what was so surprising was that single lamp lasted for more than 11 years, he bought it when i was probably 7, and when i come to collage that lamp still run and as bright as when it was new. But the house got renovated and the lamp accidentally damaged in the process and we sadly can not bought it again or check which brand it was made from since it had nothing written on it nor in its packaging.

I remember seeing this from an Overseas Filipino Worker from Dubai staying here to install this on his home here in the Philippines.

Now I really want some for my house, but I don't know if that's because they look high quality, or if it's just the fact that I'm not allowed to have them!

Never thought I’d spend an hour searching for gray-market lightbulbs but here we are.

You can now get these bulbs - or something very comparable - from Philips in the UK. Initially the ones I found were all clear glass, E27 base and seemed to be cold or cool white, but I've started finding some B22 recently, frosted versions and warmer whites. Still no dimmable versons. I can see these being a great bulb for situations like garden lights that are left on all night, or hospitality where lobbys and halls are lit all night in hotels. Since they're not dimmable I can't use many of them around my house, but maybe that will change in the future.

I barely understand the technical parts of your videos, but for some reason, I watch them all the way through.

When I heard "Dubai Lamps" I thought it was some old technology being obscured by Big Light but it's a recent technology being obscured by Big Light.

My crush: likes bad boys* Me: "Wanna see the most illegal thing I own?"

I have 30x 5w GU10 lamps that I fitted in 2016. Not one has failed in 7 years. Really impressed and they were cheap Homebase branded at the time.

Super awesome video. Im a student and a member of ieee, and i want to make a led light project with lower than spec amperage, to make ultra-efficient light fixtures. Thank you for the inspiration.

Does anyone but me appreciate the extra thought and care taken to cut out the round shape of the circuit board pictures?

I find amusing how almost everyone knows about planned obsolescence and how can it be bad, but almost no one tries stuff to circumvent it.

You are probably aware of this, but on the efixx channel very recently they looked at several lamps and the Philips lamp is now available in the UK. They also have an efficiency that puts them in the A band of the new energy rating scheme, whereas lamps of bargain basement makes now can have an efficiency half as much and would be rated F under the new scale.

no idea why i watched it but this guy has some passion for the lamps :D

Damn I work at Philips and had no idea this even existed!

I watched how a grown man talk about lamps like a sommelier about wine. 32 minutes...jesus

I flinched slightly when Clive touched the back of the two capacitors on the blown up picture.😅

Thanks for the detailed tear down and explanation.

Clive tore-down a lamp from Dubai An item most people can't buy With great light emittance For mere power pittance Sure wish I could give it a try

UKposts algorithm at 2:30am: "Hey, you wanna learn about LED lamps from Dubai?" me: "Heck yes I do!"

The way you rolled the R for محمّد بن راشد المكتوم was perfect and I prefer that pronounciation lmao

I don't understand all of this, but I enjoy the conversational descriptions and the diagrams.

"I need an LED lamp please" Salesman: _Puts LED lamp on the counter_ "No, you don't understand, I need a _real_ LED lamp" _Puts $20 on the counter_ Salesman: "Ah, I see!" _Puts Dubai lamp on the counter_

So I guess it's not so much "Dubai" as it is "can't buy".

Thanks Clive for the videos. They are so interesting and educational. I would love to use their technique and yours to do this with Led bulbs for camping.

Spicy voltages...love that term. It's nice to see some devices manufactured to have long life versus being engineered to fail.

I'd like to see that label on everything. "Warning: this circuit board contains spicy voltages"

"Lamp seller... I'm going into battle. And I need your strongest light bulb!"

This is the most interested I've heard you be, in a long time. An "oh, this is interesting" type of "unusual" rather than a "WTF is this" type of "unusual" that I normally hear :-)

This was soooo satisfying to watch

The ceilings are so high in Dubai that they don’t want to have to change the light bulbs..... simple economics

This would make a good BBC investigation - "LED light bulbs designed for shorter life use double the electricity ! " If Boris wants to hit his green targets he should get this fixed pronto.

My Dad did the same with a incandescent bulb. We have a very large 5' tall basement and he wanted to be able look under there from time to time. Leaks, animals, be able to store long term items and retrieve them and whatnot. so a 20w lamp he rigged to use 1/4 power and that ran for decades (before motion detectors). Was still working when we finally upgraded to motion detection LED lights.

Well I doubt very mch Sir Clive will see this however it needs to be said. I know next to zero about electronics and the like, I am not an electrical engineer. I watched the entire video and the way that you explained it made it so easy to follow and not only follow but I UNDERSTOOD more than I didn't and when you wrapped it up I was smarter for having seen this! Wow! Great job! Thanks!

So basically the sheik demanded led lamps that actually have a lifespan that is equal to what the packaging says. Smart guy...

clive: what are you in for? criminal: i killed a family of 8 what about you? clive: i owned illegal light bulbs

Thank you, I enjoyed learning a lot from you.

You need to design your own lightbulbs and blow the competition out the park!!

who would have ever guessed we're all getting screwed on hot running junk bulbs. I could never have figured that out :))

A CRI of 80 means "Honey, are these pants black or navy?"

A completely different product, but it relates to this story. I was in Istanbul in 1998. I bought two pairs of nondescript grey dress pants at a mens clothing store not in the tourist area. The material is some kind of synthetic, and on the thick side, but not excessively so. It's 2022, and I'm still wearing them at work. The stitching has let out a couple of times, and I had them repaired. The material does not wear out! I do not know if these pants are still common in the middle east. So much junk is specifically designed to wear out way too early is pushed on all of us.

I always hated how easily LED lamps "burn out". Like, out of nowhere they start to flicker, jump from bright to dim every 30 seconds, etc... I feel like I've swapped more LED lamps already than any other kind of lamp. That *can't* be good for the environment.

Congratulations Mr BigClive! You've been 'mentioned in dispatches' in my industry mag, Electronics Weekly. In being forced to comply with EU law regarding getting their LED lamps an 'A' rating they have, basically, started supplying Dubai type lamps for the EU market albeit including, what looks like, any advancements in technology which have come along in the interim. Not surprisingly Phillips are turning this into a marketing opportunity when it should really be an apology!

it's crazy how simply these lamps double efficiency and run at crazy low wattages. I mean of course people like to acknowledge that lightbulb companies scam us sure but like holy heck i'd never expect it to be this blatant.

I like using 7.5 watt light-bulbs, refrigerator bulbs for most. Mood lighting, low-level lighting, it's so natural.

Thanks for making this video and educating everyone. 😎👍

Any time an Architect is miffed, an Engineer somewhere smiles.

So for an extra dollar of cost in led and electronics you can make a lamp lasting forever. Capacitor droppers are so cheap and reliable. No funny high freq regulation

Browning up we had a light bulb in our garage that we used almost everyday. Durning the summer we transformed our garage into a screened in area. It was a family room in the garage. We used the light a lot. We moved into the home in 1969 and my parents sold the home in 1995. The light bulb still worked.

I've learned more on your channel than in any EE class.

It makes me all warm inside that a video like this can get 1.5 million views in a month. There's hope for the world.

Big Clive: "and here's the schematic " Lots of competitors: "thanks Clive "

15 years is already good, and to my knowledge led lamps pretty much never break unless you have them on 24/7 but I will keep an eye out for these efficient bulbs.

As far as I know, Phillips is selling similar light blub in Chinese market, labeling 2.5W@500lm and 4W@800lm, providing similar efficiency to these Dubai ones and claiming to last 50,000 hours on average. It's labeled 27CNY for 2.5W model and 35CNY for 4W model.

We used to wire incandescent light bulbs in series. It would halve the output, so it required twice the bulbs to get the same lumens, but they never burned out. It also shifted the light color towards the warm spectrum. We had one pair that ran for more than 30 years until we replaced them with LED bulbs.

Well, I keep claiming warranty on the ones that die on me too early, if every body does that they might reconsider as it might become more expensive...

That ruler of Dubai sounds like a very sensible guy. a deal where all your consumers get better products sounds great.

100 years ago they strategically made bulbs to be disposable.

Clive: "Not quite sure what r2 does.." Me: *"R2 is usually gas pedal"*

The way he said "could this be a voltage regulator?" had very strong "ooh, naughty!" vibes.

I ordered 2.5w bulbs after watching this. They're a little dim, probably should have ordered something in a cooler light instead of the warmer spectrum but i feel far less guilty leaving the lights on in my living room. I think its 10w total now! Far better then the 52w that was there when we bought the place.

this is pure passion!

So finally a lamp that theoretically lasts as long as all other manufacturers claim on their packaging (but never comply) …

The king has pissed off architects royally. I like that!

IMagine that Phillips does want to show the world of how to do things right in Dubai. The rest of the world gets planned obsolescence. Thank you for sticking it to us all in America and the rest of the world.

In the winter, when waste heat is not waste, I use incandescent bulbs. They are much cheaper, last much longer , and give a much more pleasant light. But in the summer (and outdoors year-round) I try one crappy LED after another… Definitely going to try to get a few of these ones. Never thought I would say this, but maybe there is one reason to visit Dubai after all.

Having been in electronics for over 60 years, I found this video to be quite satisfying. Thank you for the time of production.

It's genius, really. They sell shoddy lamps all over the world with an intentionally short lifespan, and then one country has long-lasting lamps and everyone wants those instead so they rush out and replace all the working lamps they've already bought

I think maybe we should see resistive thread inserts, that'd undercurrent the lights and give them a longer life. Adding resistors into lights is not something a regular consumer can do. Having some way of adding this current limiting in a simple way could help a lot.

thanks for your video i was only just telling my friend about the difference between what we use and those overseas.

Me, who has a house full of them: *hears sirens *

This man has a particular set of skills.

I watched this video years ago and it set me thinking. I tried to buy these efficient and long lasting lamps in the US--forget it-- you can't find them anywhere. So I made one instead. I didn't go with the filament type. I used the type that has a "light dome" on top of the non-lit part. I got mine from Dollar Tree. I removed the light dome and examined the circuit board. I found a "current sense" resistor that carries the current going to the LEDs and it's voltage drop is fed to the linear current regulator IC. I removed this resistor and soldered in one with twice the resistance. It will have enough voltage drop to tell the IC to "back off" at half the current. So instead of the lamp running at 60 mA and hot enough to burn skin, it now ran at 30 mA and was only hot to the touch but not burning. The drop in brightness was barely noticeable. I experimented with different resistors, and found I could run them at 15 mA and they were only barely warm. Not bright enough though. Since these bulbs only come with 11 surface-mount 3-chip LEDs, I can't achieve the efficiency of the Dubai lamps, at least for ordinary uses. There is one place I have actually exceeded the efficiency of the Dubai lamp! I am an ammature astronomer, and hate having my porch light killing my night vision, but I want to be able to see the steps. So I modified a bulb to run at 2 mA! The brightness did not drop as much as I expected. I would guess it to be about 100 lumens. Voltage times current equals watts, so 120 x 0.002 = 0.24 watts. That means I am getting about 400 lumens per watt! The trade-off is the size of the bulb, compared with the amount of light it gives. So far (3 years later) I have not had to replace ANY of the modified bulbs, except for the ones whose LED's I scratched with the knife as I removed the light dome. This let moisture into the LED, and it failed, opening the circuit so none of the LEDs would light. Again, thanks for making this Dubai lamp video. It opened up new possibilities for me. I should make a video showing how I modify my lamps. if you know basic electronics and can use a soldering iron (it actually takes 2 to remove a surface mount resistor) you can do this. When you get good, you can do a bulb in 10 minutes and the cost of the replacement axial-leaded resistor is only about 5 cents.

It seems that Philips started selling something like these over here in Indonesia. They are advertised as having 200 lm/W, last 50000 hrs / 50 years, and the picture shows it has many filaments. It's priced at slightly more than 2x of "standard" LED lamps of equivalent brightness.

As an electronic technician I get excited when someone like Clive dives deep into the circuity and can explain the nuances of the design. Yes watched the video and will rewatch specific segments. BTW there have been inventions that have been made to make our lives more cost efficient, sensible and better for the environment. The profit motive is more a motivation than to do the right thing.

We used to call this "planned obsolescence". And they still would if the truth was anything people spoke any more.

Another thing is the extra length of filament gives more surface area for any heat to dissipate more quickly.

Thanks for the taking the time Demonstrates that we need to see a more considered approach to product design. Instead leaving to traditional sales guys. Engineers with an eye on longevity and value should be taking more decisions in our delicate world.