| Author |
Message |
R.C.Bishop (128.123.221.222)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 10, 2002 - 8:12 pm: | |
Anyone have any comments on the possibilities?
HOME improvement store units are just not acceptable for long life, bulbs are expensive and they seem to go bad in a very short. time.
Ideas. comments?
Thanx.
RCB |
FAST FRED (209.26.115.203)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 11, 2002 - 5:10 am: | |
There is a thread on Xeon bulbs on the MAK board , but I have never used them.
FAST FRED |
joe shelton (Littlewind) (165.247.9.208)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 11, 2002 - 10:01 am: | |
I too have Halogen interior lights, over 20 in headliner from front to back. they run hot and don't last. LEDs pull next to no power, run cool and last up to 100,000 hours. I am at this moment pulling together the data and parts list for replacing them with LED. replacement units (3 white LEDs in a fixture) are about $20 each from West Marine. i think i can build them myself for about $5 each for white and $2.50 each for yellow. if you want to know more e-mial me and i'll tell you what i'm doing and where i'm getting the info. Joe |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (66.190.119.82)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 11, 2002 - 10:20 am: | |
Hey Joe, How about putting it on the board? most of us are interested in upgrading our lights and learning the best way.
This is of course the purpose of the board so that all of us can learn.
Richard |
joe shelton (Littlewind) (165.247.9.208)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 11, 2002 - 10:59 am: | |
Richard, As soon as I get it, I'll pass it on. Joe |
Stephen Fessenden (Sffess) (65.130.19.135)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 19, 2002 - 8:38 pm: | |
If you are considering LED interior lighting and are not that far along with your conversion, you may want to wait to purchase them. Prices are dropping fast as technology improves output. They are the future. It is possible to make LED replacements for any existing fixture. They are smaller than anything you are replacing. Since they run so cool you can easily design your own fixtures and enclosures. |
OAE Palmer (208.164.96.56)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 20, 2002 - 2:56 am: | |
I have sorta followed this thread as a lurker since post 1....
Long ago in another life
a product we manufactured required that I become the best instant LED expert I could,
at the time when LED's were just starting to get seriously powerful.
(BTW LED's output are measured in MCD's or millicandles)
the 1st commercialy available LED's were very low output .....in the 20-280mcd range.
Naturally the item I needed was JUST becoming available (3400-5000mcds)
and the bloody things were about $5.00 ea in lots of 100...
the 1st blue LED over 2000mcd cost me $15.00,
I was only allowed 4 and they they were hand carried into the USA.
While "boneyardin" (my Darlin calls it BoneHEADIN) today
for my genset slideout rails,
I came across some scrapped letters for a store front sign...
flat faced hollow letters that usually have NEON in them
HOWEVER these letters had LED's in them..!!!
The set-up looked like this....
a 2inch strip of curcuit board 1inch high
with 6 tiny H/O LED's mounted along one long edge..
2 mounting holes and 2 wires on each end of the board.
These units were spaced every 6inches
inside the letter to backlight it.
Now if this arrangement comes close to the output of neon
(which is lame compared to incandescent)
which it obviously is
(otherwise they wouldn't use it or manufacture it)
AND
it needs to be inexpensive..
(judging by the number used in just one letter I had in hand, prices have dropped to the floor)
THEN...
All of the above is the basis for me adding this 2 cents worth....
If you are serious about LED lighting,
you need to buy it wholesale
and you NEED H/O 2000mcd's or higher...
AND if it was me,
I would be heading for the nearest sign shop that makes
"Pan Channel" letters,
to find out a source for the units I saw today....
if anyone is really hot on the product I saw,
I would be happy to shoot a digipic on Saturday and email it to you.
My thinking is that these units are about a buck a shot
and 100 or more of them would provide enough light to read by if that were to be one goal...
they would also be good for continous indirect strip lighting along a wall or in the ceiling
( you can hide these in a 1/8th to 3/16 gap very EZly)
.....I hope this contributes to the general information base and that someone gets something from it.
One other thought....
some LED's are highly directional....
take this extreme example for instance...
In a dark 20x20 ft room one RED LED would NOT throw enough light to be seen reflected off the white wall 20 ft away...
while another put a 36 inch SPOT on that same wall with fair intensity...
the best one put a 10inch spot on the wall so BRIGHT that we all saw green spots for 20 minutes after the lights went back on.
LEDS all have specific goals..broad pattern...spot...bright...dim....colors...$$$ and cheap....(surplus is all over)
so ask questions before you plop down the dough.
....and just to throw a new wrinkle into the mix...
if you were really cleaver and working with a shell..you COULD light your entire interior with JUST a handfull of LEDs & a couple hundred bux worth of fibre optic stranding....just run bundles of FOS from a cenrtal LED array in a box to where ever you need the light...for under $400 you could have low draw lighting for the rest of your natural life!! |
joe shelton (Littlewind) (165.247.11.107)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 8:16 am: | |
Richard & others, I haven’t yet determined what LED solution I am going to choose but thought I would tell you of my progress.
1. Requirement: I’ve decided to use a minimum of 3 white LEDs in each fixture and preferably 4.
2. Home Made: The white LEDs are about a $1 each wholesale. Each fixture would have about $5 in it plus my time. (There was a time when I had a lot of time.) Amber are around $.25 but I want white. So yes, I could make them but not cheap enough (for me). I will make an amber unit to see what it looks like. Tell me if you want the details on making them yourself; I got the info off the NET, verified it with an electronics engineer, and its not too hard.
3a. Assembled Units: A white 4-LED unit costs about $20 and up. I can get them for about $6. I have one and it looks great but I would want to put it behind a defractor or lends as the white LEDs are BRIGHT!
3b. Assembled Units: I found auto replacement 194/168 Superwhite LED bulbs for about $4 each. A couple of them are on there way here for evaluation. A defractor or lends will be required.
So I still haven’t made up my little mind. But I’m leaning toward purchasing ready-made units. It will come down to light quality and cost (time + $). In the running are making amber units myself and the units listed under 3a & 3b. |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (66.190.119.82)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 8:29 am: | |
Thanks for the update, Joe. I do not need any details on making units. Thanks.
Richard |
Dale MC 8 (64.66.199.174)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 11:13 am: | |
I wouldn't mind details on making units. Thanks.
Dale |
Ralph Peters (63.163.166.35)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 7:08 pm: | |
At the RV show in Harrisburgh PA ,there was a vendor selling leds,but i did not think i would have my coach this soon. So i did not get his name ,but he had a white white that was very bright.13dollars. buue-white 4dollars. Truch markers red,yellow an stop/tail . Some LEDS work on 4.5-32v. Wal-Mart has a section with flashlights,I have several, batterys last 200hrs. |
joe shelton (Littlewind) (165.247.11.66)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 30, 2002 - 11:19 pm: | |
Home Made LED. Sorry this is so long.
All the information I have accumulated is in reference to using LEDs with auto 12 or 24 vdc power. A resistor in series with the LED is required to protect it when operated from an unregulated power source such as auto 12vdc which fluctuates from around 11 to 14 volts. A regulated or non-fluctuating power source, like my key-chain LED flashlight, has NO resistor and the LED ridged leads make direct contact with the batteries via a switch.
The only problem with the series resistor is that it makes heat instead of light. But the amount of power dissipated is small and, therefore, so is the heat.
Other data that I found states that a minimum of 4 volts should be used for the resistor. That means you must limit the number of LEDs in a series so that the remaining voltage is not less than 4.
So here are some basic info:
Volt (V) across components in a series circuit is accumulative. If you have a series circuit of 10 LEDs & the V across each is 2, then the total V for the series circuit will = 20.
The current or amps (I) thru components in a series circuit is NOT accumulative. If you have a series circuit of 10 LEDs & the I across each is 20mA, then the total for the series circuit will = 20mA. [20mA = .02 amp]
OHM's LAW [will use #2 for making LED circuit]: 1) amps = volts/ohms, 2) ohms = volts/amps, 3) volts = amps X ohms
WATTs (W): W = volts X amps
Here is a data sheet on LEDs along with prices.
http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/Products/ProdCT/p030.pdf
I stated that a resistor in series with the LED is required to protect it from our bus vdc. So to find the resistor needed:
1. Determine what color LEDs you want. Sample: Yellow super bright LED (the ones I will be trying out)
2. See what the voltage across (Vf) is @ specified amps (If). Sample: Yellow super bright LED 2.1 Vf @ 20 If (mA)
3. Add as many LEDs in a series as desired. Multiply Vf of the number of LEDs in the series circuit. NOTE: The remaining voltage must not be less than 4. Sample: For a 12 vdc system, 3 Yellow super bright LEDs is the max but I will try 4 because its close enough. 4 X 2.1 = 8.4 Vf.
4. Subtract total Vf from your operating voltage. Sample: 12 - 8.4 = 3.6. So my remaining voltage is 3.6.
5. You need to calculate the ohms and watts to determine the resistor needed . Sample: Remaining voltage divided by the amps = ohms {3.6 / .02 = 180 ohms} AND Remaining voltage times the amps = watts {3.6 X .02 = .072 watts}. So for my 4 Yellow super bright LED circuit I will need a 180 to 200 ohm resistor that will dissipate about .1 watt of power or heat.
6. Order your parts and build your LED light. The entire circuit (mine) will include 4 Yellow super bright LEDs and the resistor, all wired in a series and will cost less than $1.
Please let me know if this is not clear.
Joe 4106-2119 |