New exterior LED night lights
I'm one of those people who avoids the use of exterior lighting whenever possible. Yes, I do know, those big outside lights can be helpful when driving onto leveling blocks or negotiating into a tight spot at night… but in general I find them to be way too bright, power-hungry, disruptive of my night-vision, unnecessary, and inconsiderate of others.
That said, I have been looking for a way to get just a tiny bit of light onto the camper steps to make nighttime ingress and egress safer for DW, the kids, and me. I initially tried some glow-in-the-dark tape on the front of the steps, but it wasn't enough illumination to actual see the stair tread. Conveniently, I found a solution that is working very well for us; I bought some inexpensive (4 for $20) solar-charged step lights and installed one above the top step and one on the bumper. These lights have a stainless steel housing and a little solar panel that charges a single NiMH AAA battery. They turn on automatically at dusk and then run continuously for about 8 hours. The illumination is provided by 2 small cool white LED's which are mounted behind a diffuser. All of the light is directed down (not in my eyes ;) ) and they are just bright enough to illuminate the stair treads.
Below are a few pics.
Cheers,
-Mark
Note: The step lights are the only light source in this photo and as a result of the long exposure they appear much brighter than they actually are.
That said, I have been looking for a way to get just a tiny bit of light onto the camper steps to make nighttime ingress and egress safer for DW, the kids, and me. I initially tried some glow-in-the-dark tape on the front of the steps, but it wasn't enough illumination to actual see the stair tread. Conveniently, I found a solution that is working very well for us; I bought some inexpensive (4 for $20) solar-charged step lights and installed one above the top step and one on the bumper. These lights have a stainless steel housing and a little solar panel that charges a single NiMH AAA battery. They turn on automatically at dusk and then run continuously for about 8 hours. The illumination is provided by 2 small cool white LED's which are mounted behind a diffuser. All of the light is directed down (not in my eyes ;) ) and they are just bright enough to illuminate the stair treads.
Below are a few pics.
Cheers,
-Mark
Note: The step lights are the only light source in this photo and as a result of the long exposure they appear much brighter than they actually are.
