Finally, I have come full circle on this repair that started five years ago when one of my IKEA FLOALT light panels (L1529, 60×60 cm) suddenly started flickering. It has long been gathering dust, but I finally dug up this old Reddit post with a suggested repair that I had bookmarked:
So credit where credit is due, I did not come up with this repair on my own but I figured I could take some more photos and add another mention of it on the Internet so hopefully more panels can be fixed and saved from being thrown away.
The first step was to remove the LED driver from behind the panel. (I did this 2-3 years ago, but you don’t have to wait that long.)
💀Note: If the driver was just plugged in (and not on a shelf for years), there can be still be high voltage across some of the capacitors. Only proceed if you know what you are doing!
Inside the case is the driver board. It can be lifted out and turned over to reveal the culprit – R6. I verified with a multimeter that it had indeed failed open and no longer measured 47 Ohms as it should.
R6 is a 47 Ohm 1206 resistor and after replacing it with a new one, the LED driver was assembled back together. Luckily this was all that was required, the panel now works fine again!
Update: Just a few days later, the problem returned. I replaced R6 again but this time with two stacked 100 Ohm resistors. Simply soldered two on top of each other. Has worked for weeks now!
Since this seems to be a widespread problem, the current through R6 is most likely above its rating. If it fails again, I will consider looking for 1206 resistors with a higher current rating. I have also heard that one can stack two SMD resistors on top of each other, effectively putting them in parallel, sharing the current. A couple of 100 Ohm resistors would probably be close enough.
Now go repair your IKEA FLOALT light panel!
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