1156 led bulb not working

[Bluetang99]

I recently purchased a pair of generic amber 1156 led bulbs off ebay for my porch light and they don't work. I tried switching the led bulb and still nothing, but the regular filament bulb works just fine.

When I hook the led bulbs up to a 12v jumper pack i have they light up just fine. Can anyone tell me what the problem might be?

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Bluetang99

I recently purchased a pair of generic amber 1156 led bulbs off ebay for my porch light and they don't work. I tried switching the led bulb and still nothing, but the regular filament bulb works just fine.

When I hook the led bulbs up to a 12v jumper pack i have they light up just fine. Can anyone tell me what the problem might be?

It could be that the light fixture is feeding positive to the base and negative to the center conductor. The incandescent would not care about the polarity (which was positive or negative) but the LED will. If this is the case, just switch the wiring in the fixture.

When you tested the bulb did you connect negative to the base of the bulb?

[Bluetang99]

Originally Posted by gordon2

It could be that the light fixture is feeding positive to the base and negative to the center conductor. The incandescent would not care about the polarity (which was positive or negative) but the LED will. If this is the case, just switch the wiring in the fixture.

When you tested the bulb did you connect negative to the base of the bulb?

That's exactly what it was, thank you. All the LEDs I purchased use white wire for the ground and I had it hooked up backwards. Now that it works I'm not sure if I like the amber led, it's very dim. I kind of wish I would have went with an actual led porch light, not just a replacement bulb.

[Glenn Baglo]

I replaced my white bulb with amber and it was so dim that even the mosquitoes had to get quite close to see it.
I couldn't see the step, so I switched back.

[The Minimalist]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I replaced my white bulb with amber and it was so dim that even the mosquitoes had to get quite close to see it.
I couldn't see the step, so I switched back.

Well, Glenn, that's not the way it's supposed to work, but heck, if the mosquitoes are looking at the bulb, they're not biting you right?

[Bluetang99]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I replaced my white bulb with amber and it was so dim that even the mosquitoes had to get quite close to see it.
I couldn't see the step, so I switched back.

We'll see how it goes maybe I'll get a white led and amber cover. I do want something dim enough for bugs, just not too dim.

[The Minimalist]

Though my porch(?) light lens is a very dark amber, when the LED light is on, it's so bright as to make it look white. However, it does not attract bugs, so it must still be in the right frequency range.

[Carol H]

Its a bit of a myth that bugs are not attracted to LED lights. ;-)

Most LED's regardless of colour do produce enough blue light to attract bugs. Its blue light bugs are attracted to. Although LED's do produce less blue light than a incandescent light bulb.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Bluetang99

...I'm not sure if I like the amber led, it's very dim. I kind of wish I would have went with an actual led porch light, not just a replacement bulb.

I used just this amber replacement bulb and find it to be quite bright, although at $19.95 it was also the most expensive single bulb that I ever purchased.

The linked website gives data on the bulb's appx wattage equivalent and brightness which helps one to find the right bulb for their application.

[Steve L.]

I've had good luck with Superbrightleds. I feel I'm getting a quality product and will pay the extra. Somewhere I read that the color of the LED should match the color of the covering for maximum light transmission. I try to do that.

[Bluetang99]

Thanks for the link I'll check out that bulb. I did use superbright LEDs to purchase my interior led fixtures and they do have nice stuff.

[Garylee in SC]

The cost led replacement bulbs on my scamp were going to be too expensive for just the bulbs. The interior lighting fixtures I just ordered all LED fixtures similar to the ones originally over the sink and got rid of those funky reading lights over the table. Now everything works like it should as the fixtures are designed for the led bulbs inside and my battery never goes dead now. I do not recommend the replacement of bulbs only, the fixtures replacements were even a little cheaper through ebay than just the bulbs you guys bought?? That is just my personal experience but I am happy with. also added a led light right over the top of the screen door inside, this allows light at night to see in the side storage compartment as well or an entrance light to click on as you enter the Scamp. Have a great weekend.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Garylee in SC

Now everything works like it should as the fixtures are designed for the led bulbs inside and my battery never goes dead now. I do not recommend the replacement of bulbs only, the fixtures replacements were even a little cheaper through ebay than just the bulbs you guys bought?? That is just my personal experience but I am happy with.

I replaced the bulbs only in all my Scamps light fixtures as well as the one in my current trailer without any issues, other than with 2 bulbs that another party gave me that they had purchased in bulk cheaply off the internet. To have replaced all the light fixtures in my current trailer would have been a costly undertaking.

The LED bulbs I had/have purchased and had no issues at all with all came from a very reputable supplier/manufacturer.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Carol H

I replaced the bulbs only in all my Scamps light fixtures ... The LED bulbs I had/have purchased and had no issues at all with all came from a very reputable supplier/manufacturer.

DITTO... Replacement bulbs are a fine option and I, for one, chose known quality and bulb specs above price as priorities.

But replacing fixtures, while it might be more work, also has some advantages. LEDs open up the door to all sorts of lighting options, from multi-colored, to strip lighting, to much more. I had thought of putting a LED light strip on the perimeter of the large (escape) vent in a square, which would make a nice light for the entire middle of the camper as opposed to just over the sink or stove as the current fixtures do.

So let your creativity shine.. I always like to see photos of unique lightning in campers.

[Carl V]

My old trailer had a mixture of older and newer 12V fixtures, all with incandescent bulbs.
I wanted LEDs and I was looking at replacing the fixtures anyway with some LED pucks.
Problem is, over here it's pretty hard to find LED pucks for less than about $15 each.
Then one day at my local hardware store they had some 12V xenon puck in their bargain bin: $1.75 each. Home Depot sells the exact same puck for $20 each !!
I grabbed 10 of them. Total: $17.50!
Then I ordered some LEDs that fits the xenon bulb's G4-type socket.
I paid $3.13 each (DealExtreme.com). I had to make some modifications to the puck to fit the LEDs, but it turned out great! Now I have my pucks for less than $5 each. And they have this nice "brushed metal" finish that matches my interior.
The LEDs I picked are rated for 8V to 30 V, so I'm not concerned about the possible high charge voltage from the converter. Anyway, this type of LED is real easy to find if I ever need a replacement.
They are not quite as bright as the original xenon bulb, I would say about 80% as bright. But they run much cooler, and draw 0.12A versus 1.45A for the xenon bulb (less than 10% of the power draw).

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by gordon2

DITTO... Replacement bulbs are a fine option and I, for one, chose known quality and bulb specs above price as priorities.

.

Lots of folks here have discovered the hard way that often the LED's you find for very cheap on line do not last more than a season or they do not work at all & cost to much to return or they cause interference with electronics in the trailer. So at the end of the day they may not in the long run be the best bang for the buck.

When it comes to LED replacement bulbs the old saying "you get what you pay for" seems to apply.

[Bluetang99]

Originally Posted by Garylee in SC

The cost led replacement bulbs on my scamp were going to be too expensive for just the bulbs. The interior lighting fixtures I just ordered all LED fixtures similar to the ones originally over the sink and got rid of those funky reading lights over the table. Now everything works like it should as the fixtures are designed for the led bulbs inside and my battery never goes dead now. I do not recommend the replacement of bulbs only, the fixtures replacements were even a little cheaper through ebay than just the bulbs you guys bought?? That is just my personal experience but I am happy with. also added a led light right over the top of the screen door inside, this allows light at night to see in the side storage compartment as well or an entrance light to click on as you enter the Scamp. Have a great weekend.

When I was redoing my electrical I bought all led fixtures except for the porch light and my track lighting over the sink which i left as 110v since it's mainly for aesthetic purposes. I guess I didn't research good enough and then after I installed it I found that Amazon sells an exact copy of my Bargman porch light but with an actual multi chip led inside for $8. I'm still debating whether it's worth changing it out.

[Carl V]

Originally Posted by Carol H

Lots of folks here have discovered the hard way that often the LED's you find for very cheap on line do not last more than a season or they do not work at all & cost to much to return or they cause interference with electronics in the trailer. So at the end of the day they may not in the long run be the best bang for the buck.

My experience is different.
I've bought literally dozen of products, including many LEDs from online resellers (mostly DealExtreme). Some of these LEDs, including those in my camper, have been working flawlessly for over 5 years now.
Only ONCE I had a LED that was DOA (an H4 high power LED for my car), and ONCE I received a LED that was different from what I ordered (MR16 light instead of a MR11). On both occasions, the issue has been resolved quickly with no fuss, and I never had to return anything. I certainly can't complain about the customer service.
Delivery is slow, and I admit they do sell a lot of junk that you have to sort through, but when the price is 1/2, 1/3 or even 1/4 of the price of the "reputable store" for the same China-made LED, I think I can take my chance. I've never had an LED fail so far.
YMMV.

[CampyTime]

I purchased the same bulbs Gordon did at superbright leds. Only issue I had was a tight fit in mini wedge base bulbs so I gently squeezed base together and all went well. I love the Amber porch light. Did not know what Carol just taught me about some blue light being in all leds which bugs are attracted to. Ah well I love the Amber porch light anyway. I only replaced interior and porch light, around $70 bucks. Don't know if that's cheap or expensive but I like them and scamp stuff is fun for me so....😃

Sent from my VS985 4G using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[flaco]

I am looking into a new Parkliner with the LED option. I would think that from the factory all the necessary LED specific hardware is built in right? I know for example I had to use an LED compatible dimmer switch in our home before installing the new LED bulbs to prevent flickering.