We have a new trailer and all the lighting is LED. The one over our sofa where we sit and read is too bright and I would like to change it out for one not as bright.When I take the lens off there is an electronic card with a bunch of LED's. It appears that this whole fixture is a throw away since the card is riveted to the fixture housing, so evidently I will need to replace the whole fixture. My problem is how do I determine the brightness of this fixture and one that will replace it ?Is it a case of buying a fixture with less LED's ?Jack L

Fixtures should be rated by lumens, that is the brightness. If lumens aren't available figure on 60 lumens per watt, assuming you can find a watt rating.A 100 watt conventional light bulb is 800-1000 lumens for comparison.There are RV LED fixtures with selectable brightness and also dimmer knobs.

Can you replace the lens cover with one that is frosted?Also there are LED controllers, to reduce voltage and current and dim the fixture(If you can get to the wiring)

Is it the brightness or the color? Can you remove the fixture and get a model number?Post a picture too.Helps to know where you are at to know where you want to be.Good chance the 'bulb' can be replaced with a bit of handyman skill.

GordonThree wrote:Fixtures should be rated by lumens, that is the brightness. If lumens aren't available figure on 60 lumens per watt, assuming you can find a watt rating.A 100 watt conventional light bulb is 800-1000 lumens for comparison.There are RV LED fixtures with selectable brightness and also dimmer knobs.These fixture have no lumen or wattage rating. When I took the lens off I was hoping to find that and then I wouldn't have any problem, find one with less wattage/lumens.I don't think light emiting diodes are rated that wayjack L

time2roll wrote:Is it the brightness or the color? Can you remove the fixture and get a model number?Post a picture too.Helps to know where you are at to know where you want to be.Good chance the 'bulb' can be replaced with a bit of handyman skill. You would need more than "handy man skill" to change these.There are no bulbs, just LEDs affixed to an electronic card that is riveted to the fixture. I was hoping that someone in the know would give me some help. jack L

I need an education on LED lighting | Good Sam Community

webslave
Explorer
Jan 14, 2017
CavemanCharlie wrote:
Duct tape.

(I'm only partly kidding here)

Remember I'm a caveman that looks for the simplest way to do things. I would just remove the cover and add something to the inside to dim the light. It would take a few tries and you might end up covering only part of the covers interior surface.

X2

I had a trailer like that once and I used hi-temp electrical tape to cover the diodes themselves. Covered three on one end of the card...still too bright, so, I covered 3 more on the other end. This left the visible diodes centered in the fixture for balance. Perfect!

Since I was covering the diodes themselves, as opposed to masking the lens, optically the lights looked normal, but, dimmer. No wiring needed, no guessing about resistor values and no drilling holes to install a dimmer or rheostat that may shorten the life of led diodes (not all diodes take dimming in stride).
CavemanCharlie
Explorer III
Jan 13, 2017
Duct tape.

(I'm only partly kidding here)

Remember I'm a caveman that looks for the simplest way to do things. I would just remove the cover and add something to the inside to dim the light. It would take a few tries and you might end up covering only part of the covers interior surface.
GordonThree
Explorer
Jan 13, 2017
Color temperature affects apparent brightness but not actual brightness.

The brightest LEDs you can get are cyan colored, blue-green because that is the peak of human vision. However that monochromatic color doesn't make very effective lighting due to poor color rendition.
RGar974417
Explorer
Jan 13, 2017
The brightness of the fixture depends on how many watts each LED is rated and how many LED's there are total.I am an electrician and have taken apart an LED fixture from a commercial post light that went bad. In that one, it was possible to remove some of the LED's from the board. It may be possible to do that with yours if you're handy. Remove the fixture and see if this is possible.
Ava
Explorer
Jan 13, 2017
LED lights come in three colours, brightest are almost blue, then daylight, and warm white which is similar to original incandescent bulbs. They are rated in kelvins. The higher the number the brighter.
aruba5er
Explorer
Jan 13, 2017
somehow you could add a resistor to the fixture. Better to be able to dim it than not have enough light when you need it.You could put in a resistor or a reostat to adjust the voltage. A household dimmer will not work.
Durb
Explorer
Jan 13, 2017
My source for plastic (TAP Plastics) will cut you a piece of plastic that will go between the LED plate and the lens of your fixture. The translucent plastic is rated in terms of light transmission for instance 70%. This will dim your fixture and can be removed when you may want more light. If considering this make sure your LED panel does not get hot.

From personal experience don't use a yellow filter to make the light look warmer. Green light will come out the other side. Yuck.
GordonThree
Explorer
Jan 13, 2017
In my RV, I've opted for a lot of fixtures, rather than a few that are very bright. I can turn 'em all on if i'm cleaning or need a mood brightener after been trapped in by rain. or just turn a few on here or there for ambient lighting.

the kitchen and dining areas have 32 watt (actual not equivalent) LED strips installed that light things up like the noon day sun. They're tied into existing fixtures, where I replaced the on/off switch with an on/off/on switch.
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Jan 13, 2017
Depending on the fixture electroincs it may be possible to lower the voltage to the unit using a resistor.. I have found that I can go easily to 1/2 the rated current on an LED and it still provided usable light.

Or you could use a "Fliter" (Gel or smoked window tint) to darken it.

Me. I generally want MORE light, not less and some of my LEDs.. Deliver Others not so much.
NanciL
Explorer II
Jan 13, 2017
time2roll wrote:
Is it the brightness or the color? Can you remove the fixture and get a model number?
Post a picture too.
Helps to know where you are at to know where you want to be.

Good chance the 'bulb' can be replaced with a bit of handyman skill.

You would need more than "handy man skill" to change these.

There are no bulbs, just LEDs affixed to an electronic card that is riveted to the fixture.

I was hoping that someone in the know would give me some help.
jack L