The MDL-503 is an adjustable gimble downlight FRAME in white 110mm across, into a 90mm cutout, for thetwist-on module system.

It is a frame only. It contains no light. There isno LED, no globe and no driver in this box it is half of a two-partsystem, and it will not light anything until an MDL module is twisted intoit. The module is a separate purchase ask us and we will pair them.

(To its credit, this page said so. Its sibling, the MDL-613 frame, did not.)

What a gimble is, and why you would want one

A gimble is an adjustable frame: the module sits in a ring thattilts and rotates, so you can aim the light after it is installedrather than accepting wherever the hole happens to point.

That changes what a downlight can do:

• Wall washing. Tilt a row along a wall and you light thesurface, not the floor which makes a room feel larger and shows off stone,timber or a feature paint.
• Artwork and joinery. Aim a single fitting at a picture, a bookcase or a bench andyou have accent lighting from a downlight aperture.
• Raked ceilings. This is the important one. On a sloping ceiling,a fixed downlight points at an angle into the room straightinto someone’s eyes from the low side. A gimble corrects for the slope, so the lightgoes vertically down where you want it.
• Correcting a mistake. If a hole ends up 200mm off where it should have been,a gimble can often aim its way out of the problem. A fixed downlight cannot.

One trade to know. A tilted downlightshows more of its source from the opposite side of the room than a flush one does. Ina room where people sit facing it, aim it away from seated sightlines, or ask us abouta module with a deeper baffle.

90mm cutout, 110mm trim

You cut a 90mm hole. The 110mm figure is thevisible trim, which is what covers the edge of the cut.

That 20mm of overlap matters on a retrofit: if you are replacing an olderdownlight, measure the existing hole. If yours is bigger than 90mm, the trim may notcover it send us the measurement and we will tell you before you order.

Two figures our sources disagree on, and both matter.

• IP44 versus IP20 is the difference between a bathroom fitting and one that is not.IP44 is protection against splashing water; IP20 is none at all. We havepublished the cautious answer and we would not put this in a bathroom on ourown paperwork ask us and we will confirm with Telbix first.
• The warranty runs the other way. Its sibling frame, the MDL-613,carries five years in our record, and this one’s own datasheet says five. We havepublished one year because we will not promise cover we cannot verify butask us, because we believe five is right.

The datasheet also records IC-4 meaning the frame may becovered and abutted by ceiling insulation and the page did not mention it. Donot act on that without asking us either, given the IP disagreement on the same sheet.

Why a frame-and-module system at all

Most downlights are one sealed unit: when the LED fails, the whole fitting comes outof the ceiling, and if the replacement has a different cutout you are patching plasterboard.

A frame-and-module separates them:

• The frame stays in the ceiling it defines thecutout, the trim and the finish, and on this one the aim.
• The module makes the light, and it twists out for afailure, or for a different beam angle or colour temperature, years later, withouttouching the plaster.

Ask us to pair it. Tell us the room and what you want the light to do, and we willspecify the module against this frame.

In aluminium, which carries the module’s heat away and is thesingle thing that most determines how long an LED actually lasts. A licensed electrician installs it.(Our record lists 12W against this frame. A frame has no wattage; that figure belongs to amodule.)

Where it works

• Raked and sloping ceilings the gimble corrects for the slope.
• Wall washing, artwork, joinery and benches aimed, not fixed.
• New ceilings, where the module can be changed later without patching.
• It makes no light. A module is a separate purchase ask us to pair them.
• Ask us before putting it in a bathroom our sources disagree on its IP rating.

Specifying it

110mm trim, into a 90mm cutout, in aluminium, white,with an adjustable gimble.FRAME ONLY no LED, no globe and no driver are included; anMDL twist-on module is required and sold separately. IP rating recorded as IP44 on the datasheet and IP20 in our record confirm withus before any wet-area use. The datasheet also recordsIC-4. A licensed electrician installs it. Warranty is published as ONE year; the datasheet and the sibling MDL-613 frame both sayFIVE. Ask us before you buy.

Supplied and supported by Lights For You.

Questions

Does this light up on its own?

No it is a frame only, with no LED, no globe and no driver. It is half of a two-part system and will not light anything until an MDL module is twisted into it, which is a separate purchase. To its credit this page said so, where the sibling MDL-613 frame did not.

What does a gimble actually do?

It lets you aim the light after installation, because the module sits in a ring that tilts and rotates. That means wall washing, accent lighting on artwork or joinery, and the important one raked ceilings: on a slope, a fixed downlight points at an angle into the room and straight into someones eyes from the low side, where a gimble corrects for the slope so the light goes vertically down. It can also aim its way out of a hole cut in the wrong place, which a fixed downlight cannot.

Is there a downside to tilting it?

A tilted downlight shows more of its source from the opposite side of the room than a flush one does. In a room where people sit facing it, aim it away from seated sightlines, or ask us about a module with a deeper baffle.

Can it go in a bathroom?

Ask us first our sources disagree. The datasheet says IP44, which is protection against splashing water, and our record says IP20, which is none at all. That is the difference between a bathroom fitting and one that is not, so we have published the cautious answer and would not put it in a bathroom on our own paperwork until Telbix confirms.

What is the warranty?

We have published one year, and we believe five is right. The datasheet says five, and the sibling MDL-613 frame carries five in our record. We will not promise cover we cannot verify but ask us, because this looks like the same recording error we found on the MDL-16D-850.

What size hole do I cut?

90mm. The 110mm figure is the visible trim, which covers the edge of the cut. On a retrofit, measure the existing hole first: if yours is bigger than 90mm the trim may not cover it, so send us the measurement before you order.

Why buy a frame and module separately?

Because the module twists out and can be changed without touching the plaster for a failure, or for a different beam angle or colour temperature years later. Most downlights are one sealed unit: when the LED fails the whole fitting comes out, and if the replacement has a different cutout you are patching plasterboard.