LED light testing

[Rene]

Thanks Tom, That looks like it works well. I have a bunch of flashing. Is it worthwhile having a pop rivet gun with fiberglass trailers? I see a lot of people swearing at pop rivets here.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Rene

........ Is it worthwhile having a pop rivet gun with fiberglass trailers? I see a lot of people swearing at pop rivets here.

I've never pop riveted fiberglass, but they work great for metal parts that don't need a lot of strength and aren't likely to need to be taken apart.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Rene

Just had a nasty surprise with these LED panels. The foam tape on the back of the panels has reacted to the heat produced over several hours by shriveling up into a marshmallow like ball. Then the panel drops off the reflector and lays on the lense where it does a lousy job of providing illumination. Much better when fastened to the reflector. Has no one else had this happen? I have to figure out a better method of attachment. The panels do not get as hot as bulbs but it is still uncomfortable to the touch. Any ideas?

Well you made me look. Mine are held inplace with double stick tape aswell. I used the 3m stuff , foam with adhesive on both sides. So far so good. How hot are your lights getting? Raz

[Rene]

Not as hot as bulbs but still too hot to hold onto for long. Had two out of seven drop off so far. The tape on mine says 3M but they make alot of different tapes and I am not sure this stuff is authentic.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Rene

Not as hot as bulbs but still too hot to hold onto for long. Had two out of seven drop off so far. The tape on mine says 3M but they make alot of different tapes and I am not sure this stuff is authentic.

Unlike incandescent lights, LED's require additional components to work. The least expensive way to do it is with resistors. Unfortunately resistors turn electrical energy into heat. Of course the reason for using LED's over incandescents is efficiency, more light and less heat. Sounds like these are not as efficient as they could be. Still I am sure they are better than the incandescents they are replacing. Instead of tape perhaps a dab of adhesive (goop?) would work. The fixture could be taped with masking tape until it cures. Good luck, Raz

[Thomas G.]

I hate to say it, but silicon might make a good adhesive, as it is highly heat resistant.

Don't tell Donna.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

I hate to say it, but silicon might make a good adhesive, as it is highly heat resistant.

Don't tell Donna.

I originally wrote silicone but it occurred to me that some silicones conduct and you don't want to short the printed circuit board. Raz

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

I originally wrote silicone but it occurred to me that some silicones conduct and you don't want to short the printed circuit board. Raz

I didn't know that. I've used silicon caulk to make my own waterproof 110 volt underground splice. After 20 years it hasn't tripped the GFCI.

I guess one could test a cured sample with a multimeter.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

I didn't know that. I've used silicon caulk to make my own waterproof 110 volt underground splice. After 20 years it hasn't tripped the GFCI.

I guess one could test a cured sample with a multimeter.

I knew a guy who sealed some antenna connections with silicone. That particular product conducted. It shorted out the antenna. Took a while to figure it out. . It think it depends on the product. Raz

[Cat futrell]

OK, silly question.. do I understand correctly that either resistors OR regulators not both? And are they installed at the fixture or at the source?

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Cat futrell

OK, silly question.. do I understand correctly that either resistors OR regulators not both? And are they installed at the fixture or at the source?

I assume you are talking about for LED lights. I used a voltage regulator so that when the battery is hit with 14.5 volts on a fast charge, the LEDs would still only get 12 volts, which keeps them from overheating.

I installed them at the fixture, though if you had a single circuit that only had LED lights on it you could regulate the circuit in the feed wire. The downside would be if you added something like a fan to the same circuit later, it might be too much current draw for the regulator.

Sometimes dropping resistors are used if, say, you want to run a 6 volt constant current draw device (like an incandescent light bulb) on 12 volts, but that is not a practical application for LED lights with a variable voltage input.

[Cat futrell]

Thanks for your reply Tom,

Yes talking about LEDs. As much as I have read and studied this whole electrical thing still seems to elude my full comprehension. To clarify - Is it necessary to use both regulators and resistors or are they one in the same? Or are regulators alone enough?

Do I understand that it is possible for 12v fixtures to share power supply with one another?

Have purchased 45 amp power converter with built in charger wizard. Have not yet purchased a DC distribution Panel. The plan is to be completely 12 volt with LED. With the possible of a fridge if we decide that we want one later.

Also, Have I hijacked this thread and if so how do I move this post elsewhere?

[Cat futrell]

Thank you Spanke for sharing your research. This thread has helped me to gain understanding (and that ain't easy to do)

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Cat futrell

Thanks for your reply Tom,

Yes talking about LEDs. As much as I have read and studied this whole electrical thing still seems to elude my full comprehension. To clarify - Is it necessary to use both regulators and resistors or are they one in the same? Or are regulators alone enough?

Short answer, they are different and only a regulator is desirable. Some here don't even use a regulator and just take the risk of overheating the LEDs.

Do I understand that it is possible for 12v fixtures to share power supply with one another?

Not sure exactly what you mean by sharing power supply, but they can be wired in parallel so two light fixtures could be run off a single circuit (feed wire from the fuse)

Have purchased 45 amp power converter with built in charger wizard. Have not yet purchased a DC distribution Panel. The plan is to be completely 12 volt with LED. With the possible of a fridge if we decide that we want one later.

You can run a compressor type refrigerator off a 12 volt battery, but not an absorptive type, which usually also runs on LP gas. If you have a 3 way refrigerator, it is better to run it off 110 volts than 12 volts through the converter because the 110 volt heating element is more powerful.

Also, Have I hijacked this thread and if so how do I move this post elsewhere?

Ask a moderator to move it if you want.

[Cat futrell]

Thanks Tom,

Patient and helpful as always.