I have an IKEA GU10 Zigbee bulb above the sink, triggered by a motion sensor. Lately the light has been flashing on and off. I did the usual, and even deleted the bulb in HE. Still flashed on and off about every second. Remembered I bought 2 the last time we were at IKEA, so I substituted bulbs. Still flashed. Now I am thinking this is typical behavior caused by low voltage. I took the fixture down, and didn’t see anything wrong. A new fixture is too expensive, so I bought a new GU10 socket (had to buy a bag of 10 for less than $10.00). Got it wired up and it still flashed. Both bulbs did the same thing, even before pairing with HE so it wasn’t the driver causing the issue. The fixture is connected to a switch that is left on all the time. Pulled the switch, and jumped the wires. Still flashed. Now,I am thinking the only thing left is the wiring between the switch and the fixture.
Remembered my wife has a few GU10 bulbs for her candle warmers. These draw about 25 watts. I put one of these in the fixture and no flashing.
I had two bad IKEA bulbs that were doing the same thing. New means Never Ever Worked.
Went to IKEA today and bought 3. The design has been changed, and the new GU10 Zigbee bulbs weigh more than the old bulb.
This reminds me when I had 8 bad new remanufactured starters. I was really doubting my diagnostic skills. A starter circuit is simple. A switch controls a relay that energizes the starter motor, and a solenoid engages the starter drive with the flywheel. After the 8th starter, and my boss agreeing he wasn’t paying a nitwit, we changed brands. Started right up. Got in touch with the remanufacturer (local company) and they said the man that rebuilds the Ford starters gave his notice 2 weeks prior to that day. Apparently he didn’t test anything. Just slapped it together and painted it.
