Led lights
I just replaced my 12v lights with LED lights from Caming World. They started out with a blueish tint but now they are turning white. I'm not sure they are actually brighter than what came with the ...
Forum Discussion
I have a beef with the lights sold at CW. I purchased some in a pack for $70 about a month or two ago. They are the type that fit into an incandescent socket like many of us have(bayonet type).
Now they're starting to flash while I'm running the generator. The entire light isn't flashing but just one of the rows. There's three lights to a row. To stop the flashing of the affected row I would clip the resistor for that row. I did this thinking this is just an anomaly to this light but it's happening to most of them now. I checked the voltage at the socket while the genny's running and it's 15.5 volts.
My research is telling me that I may need a current regulator to the lights. The resistors on board don't seem to be handling the voltage too well. Nobody ever mentioned anything about the voltage issue on LED's and that they are sensitive to under and overvoltage conditions. This is especially noteworthy when they're being sold in a configuration that gives the impression that you just pop them into your existing fixtures and you're good to go. Well maybe so but NOT if you're running the lights while you're generator is running.
I'm doing some more research on this to see if I can nail this down. I did buy some lights that came in a different fixture and configuration and they're holding up so far but so are some of the bayonet type.
Update 1: Superbrightleds.com has bayonet mount lights sort of like mine and they show teh voltage requirements as 9-14.8 volts so clearly I'm overpowering my bulbs and causing them to fail. You may want to measure the voltage at your wiring prior to installing LEDs in your coach. You may need a power modifier. I'm looking into this now.
Update 2: I need a constant power driver and that can add about an additional $6 per light. Some lights come with CPDs and some don't. Mine obviously don't because the lights I've just looked at with a CPD is WAAAY more robust than my CW lights.
Now they're starting to flash while I'm running the generator. The entire light isn't flashing but just one of the rows. There's three lights to a row. To stop the flashing of the affected row I would clip the resistor for that row. I did this thinking this is just an anomaly to this light but it's happening to most of them now. I checked the voltage at the socket while the genny's running and it's 15.5 volts.
My research is telling me that I may need a current regulator to the lights. The resistors on board don't seem to be handling the voltage too well. Nobody ever mentioned anything about the voltage issue on LED's and that they are sensitive to under and overvoltage conditions. This is especially noteworthy when they're being sold in a configuration that gives the impression that you just pop them into your existing fixtures and you're good to go. Well maybe so but NOT if you're running the lights while you're generator is running.
I'm doing some more research on this to see if I can nail this down. I did buy some lights that came in a different fixture and configuration and they're holding up so far but so are some of the bayonet type.
Update 1: Superbrightleds.com has bayonet mount lights sort of like mine and they show teh voltage requirements as 9-14.8 volts so clearly I'm overpowering my bulbs and causing them to fail. You may want to measure the voltage at your wiring prior to installing LEDs in your coach. You may need a power modifier. I'm looking into this now.
Update 2: I need a constant power driver and that can add about an additional $6 per light. Some lights come with CPDs and some don't. Mine obviously don't because the lights I've just looked at with a CPD is WAAAY more robust than my CW lights.
