LED Replacement "Bulbs"

[fusedlight]

Working on the things that happened on the trip and putting in some mods. Today saw the installation of LED's instead of incandescent bulbs.

(Click to Embiggen)

Instead of a 23W draw this one is around 4W. And, it's actually brighter than the bulb it replaced! Not bad for under $5. I got it on eBay:
LINK: "Warm White 48 LED 3528 SMD BA15S 1156 Car Dome Bulb Ceiling Light | eBay"
(This link will probably die about a month after this post, I'm guessing.)

What's nice is that the LED comes with an adapter that plugs right into the existing light socket. The LED comes with an adhesive back which is pretty lame, so I used a blob of epoxy to hold it in there. It runs a bit warm so I'm going to drill a couple of air inlets into the plastic case. This is the brightest of the LED's that I got. I put another one like this in the outside light, a smaller one over the sink, and a still smaller one back by the back bed. I'll probably wire in a couple of more fixtures. At the end of the day, ALL of these bulbs on at the same time pull less power than ONE of the old ones.

Oh... and I should point out that for the price of ONE LED replacement bulb at an RV center I replaced ALL of the bulbs with eBay sourced units. They all come from the same factory in China so I figured I might as well go to the source.

[Thomas G.]

I added these to my UHaul lights. Good call on the foam tape - it releases once the device heats up.

[RogerDat]

Wow that is a good price, especially since it has the adapter.
Thanks.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by fusedlight

It runs a bit warm so I'm going to drill a couple of air inlets into the plastic case.

If the incandescent lamp didn't hurt the case, the more efficient LED shouldn't. The efficiency comes from less energy being converted to heat. Raz

[Byron Kinnaman]

I replaced my incandescent lamps with these.

They're bit more costly but a direct replacement so no modifications needed.

This is where I bought them.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

I replaced my incandescent lamps with these.

They're bit more costly but a direct replacement so no modifications needed.

This is where I bought them.

I bought the same lamps from the same place . Easy to install , good color
work well. You also get a discount if you mention your a member of this group

[fusedlight]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

If the incandescent lamp didn't hurt the case, the more efficient LED shouldn't. The efficiency comes from less energy being converted to heat. Raz

Raz--- it's not the case I'm worried about, it's the LED itself. Note the previous comment about the foam tape.

[fusedlight]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

I replaced my incandescent lamps with these.

They're bit more costly but a direct replacement so no modifications needed.

This is where I bought them.

I thought about these... they're the type that Camping World and others sell as replacements (for a LOT of money!). One of the reasons I went with the flat panel was that all the light went DOWN. Bulbs like the one in your post are best suited to an application where the bulb is hanging down and is visible from all sides. In a "dome" light application where the bulb is parallel to the back of the fixture, which is what most RV lights are, you are losing some light from the top LEDs. If there's a decent reflector, that's not an issue. The flat LED panels avoid that entirely.

[Ron F]

Gary, You may want to check out another post, currently active regarding protecting LEDs with voltage regulation.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...eds-53155.html

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by fusedlight

I thought about these... they're the type that Camping World and others sell as replacements (for a LOT of money!). One of the reasons I went with the flat panel was that all the light went DOWN. Bulbs like the one in your post are best suited to an application where the bulb is hanging down and is visible from all sides. In a "dome" light application where the bulb is parallel to the back of the fixture, which is what most RV lights are, you are losing some light from the top LEDs. If there's a decent reflector, that's not an issue. The flat LED panels avoid that entirely.

I'm very aware of how the bulb is situated in the fixture, exactly the same as the incandescent. The same reflection from the back of the fixture as the incandescent, the same spread of light as the incandescent. The LED panel puts all the light directly to the front center of the fixture.

I put in two LED fixtures with flat panel LEDS on the bottom side of the overhead cabinet that's over the dinette. Very good light directly below the fixtures at the table, 6 to 8" away from the center, not so good.

I'm thinking about getting a couple more fixtures for the other end of the trailer, over the couch. Incandescent fixtures with direct replacement LED lamps are probably what I'll do.

As for the cost, to me the additional cost is worth it. My trailer is my home for almost half the year.

[fusedlight]

Every application is different. As the great camper in the sky says "Your Mileage May Vary!" What works for you, well... "works".

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by fusedlight

Every application is different. As the great camper in the sky says "Your Mileage May Vary!" What works for you, well... "works".

True.
And the more you know about something the better decision you can make.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by fusedlight

Raz--- it's not the case I'm worried about, it's the LED itself. Note the previous comment about the foam tape.

A well designed LED "bulb" shouldn't be that hot. The reason for using LED's is that they convert most of the electrical energy into light. Most likely the heat you are seeing comes from the current limiting resistors. The more I see of these inexpensive EBay LED's, the less of a bargain I think they are. Still, they are an improvement over the incandescents they replace.

I too went with flat replacements. I have found the light cover does a good job of diffusing the light. Take care, Raz

[fusedlight]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

A well designed LED "bulb" shouldn't be that hot. The reason for using LED's is that they convert most of the electrical energy into light. Most likely the heat you are seeing comes from the current limiting resistors. The more I see of these inexpensive EBay LED's, the less of a bargain I think they are. Still, they are an improvement over the incandescents they replace.

I too went with flat replacements. I have found the light cover does a good job of diffusing the light. Take care, Raz

I suppose it's a case of "you get what you pay for". And, as an engineer, that heat really annoys me. If the energy going in isn't coming out as light, then it's not right. Oh well... I'll still take 4W v 23W. I'll just swap 'em out when they improve the lamps.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by fusedlight

I suppose it's a case of "you get what you pay for". And, as an engineer, that heat really annoys me. If the energy going in isn't coming out as light, then it's not right. Oh well... I'll still take 4W v 23W. I'll just swap 'em out when they improve the lamps.

As a fellow engineer, I share this: Better is the enemy of good".

[fusedlight]

Speaking of GOOD lamps. Here's a sale sight from the place where I bought the lamps for my kitchen:

Special Offers On LEDs | LED Lights & Lighting On Sale - ElementalLED.com

Check out THIS unit:

High Power LED Light Bar - Under Cabinet LED Lighting - ElementalLED.com

That's one heck of a price for a VERY good piece of hardware.

[Raz]

Personally, I think we need fewer engineers and more poets on this site.

[fusedlight]

I've Got a Light,
And it's LED,
it shines As Bright,
But sips Energy!

(he ducks...waiting for the tomatoes...)