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Old 01-18-2012, 11:02 AM   #1
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LED light testing

There has been much discussion in the forums concerning LED lights and how they compare not only to incandescent bulbs, but, also each other. In an effort to satisfy my own needs and curiosity, I purchased several different types of bulbs and tested them for LUX (light intensity), amperage, color shifts, cost, etc. The bulbs all had an 1156 type base and fit the standard 12 volt fixture in most older trailers

I built a test rig 30" high. This is the distance between the light and my table in my egg. I installed a standard "porch" style fixture, used a 12 volt regulated power supply, hooked up an amp meter and used a meter to measure LUX. I took readings on start up and after the bulb had been on for an hour. I also compared color shift under the different types of bulbs compared to natural sunlight.

In general, as you would expect, the more LEDs on the bulbs the brighter the bulb. The "panel" type bulbs also emitted the most light. The light intensity and amps did change on some bulbs depending on the length of time that the bulb was on. The different temperature of the bulbs (warm white vs. bright white) also tended to shift the perception of colors. LED bulbs did burn cooler and used less power than incandescent. Most of you guys probably knew that already. The type of bulb you choose will depend on your needs and personal preferences, but, I hope this will clear up some of the confusion and stigma surrounding LED bulbs.

If you're interested, this link provides a little science on LUX, Lumens and Watts: http://www.brillianz.co.uk/data/documents/Lumen.pdf

This link provides information on measured LUX of various light sources and LUX recommended for different tasks: Illuminance - Recommended Light Levels

Anyway, The results are tabulated below. Double click on the individual pictures to enlarge them so you can read them.

Hope this helps,

Spanke
Attached Thumbnails
led test page 1.jpg   led test page 2.jpg  

led test page 3.jpg   led test color comparison.jpg  

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Old 01-18-2012, 11:19 AM   #2
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You sir are a steely eyed missile man! Good work!

#7 it is.
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Old 01-18-2012, 11:41 AM   #3
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Nice work Spanke!
I was glad to see this post, as I am now in need of a LED conversion for my Scamp. I appears the flat format is more efficient at getting the light to the table. The 48 led panel has a favorable lumen per watt, and the color temp seems close to sunlight. I kind of like the warm glow of incandescent color though for it's cozy ambiance. Did you have to canniblize a bulb to get a base to hook up the panel or just wire it direct? Does the panel style light have good spread off of center axis?
Thanks for taking time to prepare this info! Well done.
Russ
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Old 01-18-2012, 12:30 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by ruscal View Post
Nice work Spanke!
I was glad to see this post, as I am now in need of a LED conversion for my Scamp. I appears the flat format is more efficient at getting the light to the table. The 48 led panel has a favorable lumen per watt, and the color temp seems close to sunlight. I kind of like the warm glow of incandescent color though for it's cozy ambiance. Did you have to canniblize a bulb to get a base to hook up the panel or just wire it direct? Does the panel style light have good spread off of center axis?
Thanks for taking time to prepare this info! Well done.
Russ
The 48 led panel came with a variety of plug in bases, just not one for an 1156 bulb. I bought empty 1156 bases at LED Lights, Bulbs & Accessories - SUPER BRIGHT LEDS for $1.29 each and soldered them on. The panel light does have good spread off center and are very bright. They also come with double sticky tape on the back, just peel and stick!
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Old 01-18-2012, 01:36 PM   #5
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I just went over to eBay to see what was available. eBay seller exrell has item no. 270889106944 which looks to be similar to your tested 48 panel. It is listed as warm white and 190 luminus flux. I also saw brite white 48's that produced a little more light. Your link to the bases didn't work for me, but the problem may be my pc.
My trailer has three gooseneck fixtures where the light must project straight out from the socket, so panels may not work or fit in the bucket. I will need to measure. The bulbs in my dome lights I think had an odd number like 1142 or 1147 as I remember. The bases appeared to be bA15s though.
Thanks again,
Russ
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Old 01-18-2012, 02:21 PM   #6
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Smile

You can get the BA15s bases on eBay here for $3 for 20, plus shipping.

20 BRASS SINGLE CONTACT SC BA15S LIGHT Bulb BASE Shells | eBay . I bought some a year or so ago and used them when making my LED light assemblies, as described in a posting back then.

Rick G.
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Old 01-18-2012, 02:58 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ruscal View Post
I just went over to eBay to see what was available. eBay seller exrell has item no. 270889106944 which looks to be similar to your tested 48 panel. It is listed as warm white and 190 luminus flux. I also saw brite white 48's that produced a little more light. Your link to the bases didn't work for me, but the problem may be my pc.
My trailer has three gooseneck fixtures where the light must project straight out from the socket, so panels may not work or fit in the bucket. I will need to measure. The bulbs in my dome lights I think had an odd number like 1142 or 1147 as I remember. The bases appeared to be bA15s though.
Thanks again,
Russ
Here's the current EBAY for the 48led warm white: Warm White Light Panel 48 SMD LED Bulb Lamp T10 Dome Bulb BA9S 12V DC Adapter | eBay Currently 40% off!
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Old 01-18-2012, 10:10 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Rick G View Post
You can get the BA15s bases on eBay here for $3 for 20, plus shipping.

20 BRASS SINGLE CONTACT SC BA15S LIGHT Bulb BASE Shells | eBay . I bought some a year or so ago and used them when making my LED light assemblies, as described in a posting back then.

Rick G.

Thanks rick,
I just ordered some of these. Now I'll just wait for the slow boat from China!
Russ
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Old 01-18-2012, 10:22 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Spanke View Post
Here's the current EBAY for the 48led warm white: Warm White Light Panel 48 SMD LED Bulb Lamp T10 Dome Bulb BA9S 12V DC Adapter | eBay Currently 40% off!
eBay tells me I can't order this item due to it being no longer available?
I just ordered the other 48's from the item number in my previous post. They seem to be the same or similar as far as I can tell.
I tried to order the bases from Superbright leds but they didn't accept Paypal. I try not to use venders that need my credit card info anymore. Two weeks ago a vender compromised my info, so had to cancel card and order a new one. They tried to charge $2500.00 to my card at an online vender, but the card company declined the transaction luckily. Paypal provides some insulation against that kind of fraud, as the vender doesn't see your card info. Sorry for the rambling hijack, but It may save readers from future problems.
Thanks,
Russ
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Old 02-01-2012, 02:41 AM   #10
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Wow Spanke very impressive testing. Just the sort of thing that answers all the questions I could possibly have about LEDs for my trailer. Thanks so much for all the effort! Not to mention the money I am going to save will pay for my solar charge controller with remote monitoring.
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Old 02-01-2012, 04:26 PM   #11
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Spanke, if you are not yet on Candlepower Forums, I bet you'd like it there. Good to see these test results.
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Old 02-01-2012, 05:48 PM   #12
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Well after doing some research I am questioning some of the data here.

The first issue is the amps measurement. The 48 SMD is measured at 0.1 amps. The specs on ebay say that the 48 is 4.5 watts. 0.1 amps is a nominal 1.2 watts. Also the 36 smd is also listed at 0.1 amps. There should be a current draw difference between a 36 and a 48.

I like the methodology of measuring the lumen output of the lamps as if they were above the table top. The 1156 is listed with 104 lumen output. This matches up with the factory specs. But at table level I would expect that the lumens would be somewhat lower than at bulb level. On ebay the 48 SMD is listed with a lumen output of 190. Your measurements are somewhat lower at table level as should be expected. Still think you have done a great job with this testing but maybe a few retests are in order?
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Old 02-01-2012, 06:06 PM   #13
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Just as an aside, if you go with the 36 or 48 LED panels, it is a good idea to add a voltage regulator as LEDs turn any voltage over 12 volts into a lot of extra heat - enough to destroy them. The good news is that you can get a voltage regulator for about $1.50 on eBay. Search for LM2940CT-12
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Old 02-01-2012, 06:50 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rene View Post
Well after doing some research I am questioning some of the data here.

The first issue is the amps measurement. The 48 SMD is measured at 0.1 amps. The specs on ebay say that the 48 is 4.5 watts. 0.1 amps is a nominal 1.2 watts. Also the 36 smd is also listed at 0.1 amps. There should be a current draw difference between a 36 and a 48.

I like the methodology of measuring the lumen output of the lamps as if they were above the table top. The 1156 is listed with 104 lumen output. This matches up with the factory specs. But at table level I would expect that the lumens would be somewhat lower than at bulb level. On ebay the 48 SMD is listed with a lumen output of 190. Your measurements are somewhat lower at table level as should be expected. Still think you have done a great job with this testing but maybe a few retests are in order?
The reason I did my testing in the first place was to "satisfy my own needs and curiosity", hopefully provide a guide to help others make somewhat informed decisions and to test the validity of the factory specs. According to my tests on the 48 LED bulb, the factory specs are not correct.

My test equipment only had a resolution of .1 amp. So .01 amp to .09 = .1 amp, etc. I really didn't figure it mattered a whole lot since .1 amp over 10 hours usage only adds up to 1 amp. Suffice it to say that all LED's will provide significant power savings compared to incandescent bulbs.

My reading were taken in "LUX" not "LUMENS". Mainly because I already a LUX (Candlepower) meter. According to the web site that I provided In Link One:

"The difference between the lux and the lumen is that the lux
takes into account the area over which the luminous flux is
spread. 1000 lumens, concentrated into an area of one square
metre, lights up that square metre with an illuminance of 1000
lux. The same 1000 lumens, spread out over ten square metres,
produces a dimmer illuminance of only 100 lux."

Again, I wasn't taking the factory specs as gospel, that is why I did the testing in the first place.

As far as retesting goes, I stand by my original somewhat home-brew results. If you want to retest, I suggest you do it yourself.
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Old 02-01-2012, 08:00 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by Thomas G. View Post
Just as an aside, if you go with the 36 or 48 LED panels, it is a good idea to add a voltage regulator as LEDs turn any voltage over 12 volts into a lot of extra heat - enough to destroy them. The good news is that you can get a voltage regulator for about $1.50 on eBay. Search for LM2940CT-12
How and where do you connect the regulator in the circuit?

Noel
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Old 02-01-2012, 10:48 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by Spanke View Post
The reason I did my testing in the first place was to "satisfy my own needs and curiosity", hopefully provide a guide to help others make somewhat informed decisions and to test the validity of the factory specs. According to my tests on the 48 LED bulb, the factory specs are not correct.




My test equipment only had a resolution of .1 amp. So .01 amp to .09 = .1 amp, etc. I really didn't figure it mattered a whole lot since .1 amp over 10 hours usage only adds up to 1 amp. Suffice it to say that all LED's will provide significant power savings compared to incandescent bulbs.

Aaah... your meter resolution is pretty standard but it could easily be hiding those extra milliamps.

My reading were taken in "LUX" not "LUMENS". Mainly because I already a LUX (Candlepower) meter. According to the web site that I provided In Link One:

"The difference between the lux and the lumen is that the lux
takes into account the area over which the luminous flux is
spread. 1000 lumens, concentrated into an area of one square
metre, lights up that square metre with an illuminance of 1000
lux. The same 1000 lumens, spread out over ten square metres,
produces a dimmer illuminance of only 100 lux.

So then 190 lumens according to factory specs was measured at 160 Lux 30 inches away? That seems reasonable.

Again, I wasn't taking the factory specs as gospel, that is why I did the testing in the first place.

As far as retesting goes, I stand by my original somewhat home-brew results. If you want to retest, I suggest you do it yourself.
Thanks again for the effort. I only wish I had a lux meter. I plan to order the LEDs because they are a bargain and are not that awful cool blue white. My solar charge controller may be accurate enough to measure the current they use so I will report back on what I find out.
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Old 02-01-2012, 10:51 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Thomas G. View Post
Just as an aside, if you go with the 36 or 48 LED panels, it is a good idea to add a voltage regulator as LEDs turn any voltage over 12 volts into a lot of extra heat - enough to destroy them. The good news is that you can get a voltage regulator for about $1.50 on eBay. Search for LM2940CT-12
How do we know they do not have a voltage regulator built in? And why did they not put one in?
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Old 02-02-2012, 03:21 AM   #18
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How and where do you connect the regulator in the circuit?

Noel
The device has three leg connectors. 12 volt power in connects to the left leg, power out connects to the right leg. The center leg is a common ground.
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Old 02-02-2012, 03:30 AM   #19
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How do we know they do not have a voltage regulator built in? And why did they not put one in?
I have purchased these from eBay and all the components are visible. There is no voltage regulator. They are made as cheaply as possible and leaving off the voltage regulator saves a little cost.
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Old 02-15-2012, 01:35 AM   #20
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I installed the SMD 48's in all my dome lites. They do a pretty good job in light intensity, and the spread is good. The warm white color is also good. I trimmed down the length of a SMD 48 panel with a belt sander and also radiused the corners so it would fit into my swivel spot lights. There are a couple of negatives regarding doing this. One is that the panel will only go into the bucket about 3/4". This makes for some pretty intense glare when looking at the light fixture. The other negative is there is no mounting surface for the panel to stick to. I have not mounted mine yet, just done some light spread testing with the panel stuck in there temporarily. I have not done any current draw testing yet either. Our camping trip 2 weeks ago we still had the incandescent bulbs installed and had no battery problems on a 2 day stay using the furnace a little. Battery measured about 12.5v Sunday night. We should get five days out of the led's I would assume.
Russ
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