LED lighting

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I seem to use duct tape alot on everything (notice door window on trailer). I even have the furnace hole duct tape shut. I keep a roll of duct tape in my truck because you never know what might need to be secured.:o
The duck was teasing the children (dogs) and needed to be punished plus bath time is quickly approaching.:wub
Rubber duckey your the one.....

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Steve:

If you've heard about duck-tape on PBS (Garrison Keilors Prairie Home Companion), you probably have a kuart of ketchup in the fridge also :) ?!

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:wave Hi Michael
a website: www.ledmarketplace.com ... go to "business directory" for a list of suppliers.
see you Saturday? cheers

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Hi All,
Just got back from Fla., 2 weeks in the sun. Very nice!
I didn't take the Burro but stayed at the mother-in-laws place.
After the first two days I wish I had brought the Burro down!!!!
Next time I will for sure.

Anyway, while cruising there and back I noticed that a lot of trailers and cars now have LED tail/stop lights. Also most cars/vans now have LED center stoplights.
Soooo, I'm thinking a junkyard would be the place to look for some of these. Just cut the pc boards they are mounted on and shape it anyway you want, solder up some wires to reconnect and you have
High intensity LED lights.

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Here's a courtesy light for $17 with 4 white LEDs. I don't know if it's bright enough to read by, but at the price I'm inclined to try one.

Courtesy light at westmarine.com

They also carry, but I can't seem to find a link at the moment, a 6 or 7 led "bulb" that plugs into an 1141 single bayonet socket. It's about $44! That's a little over my "piddle away" budget so I'm
wondering if anyone has tried it?

From what I've read, LEDs tend to be more focused, that is, most of it's light comes out the top of the LED rather than being omnidirectional like an incandescent bulb. The bayonet socket LED has it's LEDs more or less pointed axially so I'm curious if enough light gets reflected into the living area.

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Pete J ... welcome back! We missed you!

Steve ... thanks for the tip on the West Marine Lights. LED's are more directional than conventional bulbs. Replacement LED bulbs for ceiling or under cabinet fixtures would have to have right-angle-mounted LEDs ... such a set-up is hard to find!

Webmaster Mikey ... how are you coming on your invention?

Morgan, still waiting for you to make me something (out of LEDs)

Petey D ... if you asked Pam's opinion ... she beg all of you to make me "grow up."

Ah, suffer the children.

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How can I help you "grow up" if I can't seem to do it (or even *want* to do it) myownself? I am 59 1/2, going on 12...

The LEDs are indeed quite focused, and most of the brake and lamp fixtures have the bulb pointing the wrong way. I bought some red 1157 LED replacement bulbs at a Canadian WallyMart (about $13 CDN) and tried them in both my truck and trailer tail light fixtures, but they weren't bright enuf.

Pete and Rats

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Orginally posted by Charles Watts
Webmaster Mikey ... how are you coming on your invention?

Charles, I just got back for my two week vacation as you know. While I was gone, Morgan and I got together and compared notes on several issues. We both bought a 9 LED courtesy lamp. I was bitterly dissapointed and Morgan liked it less.

I took mine apart and over clocked it to see how much light I could get out of it. I figured, who needs 100,000 hours. If I ramp it way up maybe I’ll only get 20,000 hours (but good hours). So I sucked the solder off the circuit board and replaced the resisters with lower resistance. I got about twice as much light and still don’t like it.

I have a 7 LED flash light that blows your socks off. I had hoped the 9 LED courtesy lamp would be equal.

I have another project that is in testing now that will have the light output and be within the right price range. We are importing Super Bright White LEDs directly from China. More to come on this. I should have a prototype later this month. I gave Morgan a 12 volt Halogen version. The nice thing about LEDs is you can dim them down or dial them up to full brightness. Romantic - Reading; Reading - Romantic.

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>>Romantic - Reading; Reading - Romantic

Well, I'd like that feature ... although mine will probably be set on the romantic setting most nights.

Not that I don't read much .... just that I .... well, hope springs eternal!

... 7 led flashlight

Streamlight? Sure Fire Huh, huh? What brand you got?

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Orginally posted by Charles Watts
Streamlight? Sure Fire Huh, huh? What brand you got?

I have the Streamlight 4AA. I like it alot. After I bought mine, I found it for 1/3 less at a truck stop on sale. Lori said I don’t need two.

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>>Streamlight 4AA

I like that one too! Save up all your other "dead" AA's from other devices ... you'll get hours of free light from the Streamlight.

>>don't need two

Well, what if, in the dark, you go one way ... and Lori goes another?

You'd need two then, wouldn't you? Be prepared

What truck stop??

Flying J?

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Orginally posted by Charles Watts

>>Streamlight 4AA
What truck stop??

Flying J?

It is our local Truck Parts house on Hwy 46 in Paso Robles, CA. The sale was in December last year. :o

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Orginally posted by Charles Watts
Well, what if, in the dark, you go one way ... and Lori goes another? You'd need two then, wouldn't you? Be prepared

I got Lori the little Brinkman Halogen that Walmart was closing out last year that you told me about. She loves it. (If fact I bought several on their closeout sale.)

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I would suggest a small 12 vdc converter that puts out 120 v a/c. I used a 15 watt florescent light that was plenty for our scamp. That was a few years ago but we are looking at another small trailer to start over again.

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I just ordered some led bulbs- they fit in an mr16 socket( the little two pin projector style) look just like halogen, but are 12 led supossedly in white. when they come in I'll let you know how they work- I plan on putting in an aimable fixture to direct the light where I want it. the price was right - 8.95 each:lol
I found them at this sight:

www.superbrightleds.com

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Let us know how they work!

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I got my bulbs!!!!!:cblob
exactly as described, and for the quoted price.
They use an mr16 base- thats the one for low voltage halogen lights

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3e92d846b739cmr16_f.jpg/>

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3e92d853e5ee1mr16_w.jpg/>

They wouldn't be bright enough for room lighting, by themselves, but for reading at night- perfect.:sunny I tried them in my basement, and one bulb has close to the brightness of a 10-15 watt bulb, but more focused.
I bought the narrow beam, because I wanted it for reading.

I compared it to the current draw of other bulbs, with my multi-meter and these are the readings I got:
1156 bulb- 2.0 amps
1141 bulb- 1.4 amps
12led bulb- .07 amps

now I just have to pick out my fixtures, and get busy mounting them

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I've been on the SuperBrightLED web site before and I don't know how I missed the bulbs you pointed out in an earlier post. I was pretty excited about this and I ordered a couple each of the spot, area and festoon bulb lights.

I agree with your assessment. The spot is bright enough to easily read by but it's still a little tightly focused and the drop off in brightness is fairly sharp. I'm imagining this light over the dinette table.

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3e92ef0662b3bLamp.jpg/>

This lamp is about $30 US at West Marine. I'd like to find a double headed lamp to put two of the bulbs into in order to broaden the lit area some.

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I was thinking of something like this one, from home depot.

runs about 50.00 us

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3e9371a08e7d43bulbfix.jpg/>

I thought about just removing the heads from that huge base, and mounting two on one smaller base with a switch each.Then putting the third one in a different spot

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That is a standard commercial/residential fixture made almost anywhere, and by many manufacturers. Most of them are the same quality - so shop around. 50.00 US for the triple head seems a tad high. (I used to work for an electrical distributor)

You can buy the single head units and each comes with it's own base/finishing plate.

And one other thing - throw away the lamps that come with it (i.e. offshore lamps) as they do not last, especially in areas with vibration such as TT's. Pay a buck more for each lamp and get name brand such as Philips, GE, Sylvania, Iwasaki, etc.


Cheap MR16 lamps do not last.