12-Volt LED Night Light
If you’re like me, getting up at night and stumbling to the bathroom in pitch dark then being blinded by the bathroom light is not enjoyable. I have been looking for some time for a 12-volt night light, preferably LED. I found just what I was looking for from superbrightleds.com. It is the Mini Recessed Light. It comes in cool white (25 lumen) or warm white (20 lumen). I chose the warm white. It draws 50 mA at 12 volts (.6 watts).
I ordered two, did some light testing and found they were still too bright. I had a small rheostat that was left over from a mod that replaced the cooktop exhaust fan with a server fan. I placed the rheostat in series with the light and dialed down the intensity to just the right amount, measured the resistance and found that it was exactly 10k ohm. A quick trip to Radio Shack netted a 5-pack of ¼ watt, 10k ohm resistors for $1.50. With the resistor in the circuit the calculated amperage draw is 1 mA, but was measured with the Fluke on the 300 mA scale at .56 mA. With this draw the light could be wired in to run continuously with no measurable effect on the battery bank. However, I wanted to be able to switch them off so I bought these switches also from superbrightleds. They are also available at Radio Shack or most any automotive parts store.
The lights required a 1-¾ inch hole saw and a little extra work on the hole with a drum sander. Be careful with the drum sander because the light just presses into place. The lights mounted easily in both 5/8 inch wood and the 1/8 inch ceiling panel. A ¾ inch hole saw cut the hole for the switch and a hacksaw blade was used to cut the notch for the switch keyway.
Now I have one light that shines in the bathroom and one that illuminates the steps from the bedroom into the living room.
I ordered two, did some light testing and found they were still too bright. I had a small rheostat that was left over from a mod that replaced the cooktop exhaust fan with a server fan. I placed the rheostat in series with the light and dialed down the intensity to just the right amount, measured the resistance and found that it was exactly 10k ohm. A quick trip to Radio Shack netted a 5-pack of ¼ watt, 10k ohm resistors for $1.50. With the resistor in the circuit the calculated amperage draw is 1 mA, but was measured with the Fluke on the 300 mA scale at .56 mA. With this draw the light could be wired in to run continuously with no measurable effect on the battery bank. However, I wanted to be able to switch them off so I bought these switches also from superbrightleds. They are also available at Radio Shack or most any automotive parts store.
The lights required a 1-¾ inch hole saw and a little extra work on the hole with a drum sander. Be careful with the drum sander because the light just presses into place. The lights mounted easily in both 5/8 inch wood and the 1/8 inch ceiling panel. A ¾ inch hole saw cut the hole for the switch and a hacksaw blade was used to cut the notch for the switch keyway.
Now I have one light that shines in the bathroom and one that illuminates the steps from the bedroom into the living room.
