Gripping about LED lighting costs.....

[KATOOM]

I just need to complain. Reading all the topics about LED, I think LED lighting is worth looking into and possibly even worth tearing apart the few incandescent lights I have on my TH in order to help lessen battery usage while boondocking. Most living area lights in my trailer are florescent, so I always thought that florescent was far better than incandescent. Even at that, maybe switching over to some lights to LED is a good idea, but wow..........LED lighting is freaking expensive. I dont understand why either except that its still "new" technology to the consumer world, and manufactures understand that people will still pay outrageous prices for an LED light. :h After seeing whats available and it entails to install, I quickly found out from most, if not all, websites that I could easily spend mucho buckaroos converting to LED. Remember when florescent lights were expensive?
Thanks for listening.....:B

[tenbear]

I tried Goop. It doesn't stick to the adhesive on the double sided tape. I finally put a piece of plain paper on the adhesive tape and used Goop to stick it to the fixture. Still there after a couple of years.

[DSchmidt_2000]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
There is NO SUCH THING as a DC fluorescent light.

'Properly designed' is the problem. A lot of commercial electronic AC ballasts, the first thing they do is turn the AC to DC and then chop/PWM it up at a higher frequency through a high freq transformer. Tubes last a long time.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Use GOOP and the drooping show will be over.

There is NO SUCH THING as a DC fluorescent light. Part of the garbage that fails or turns fluorescent tube ends BLACK after a few months is an inverter so cheap the output waveform looks like Mars scape. The efficiency improvement borders on being embarrassing.

The big decision is "what color temperature"? From what I've seen the light color varies from damned near high pressure sodium orange, to blue with white in between.

I like 5000K (sunlight) for mechanical repair bench lighting, and 3,000K yellow to help camouflage just how crummy my furniture is* (this is called "warm" lighting). White light for reading, but "warm" light to reduce the chance of heart failure when I unwrap beef from the "carneceria (butcher shop".

*When it gets faded and stained enough I will switch to high pressure sodium. This will give my living room that homey "Wal-Mart parking lot" warmth that women love.

[tenbear]

I have had success by gently roughing up the contact area with fine sandpaper before sticking the panel to the fixture.

[RJsfishin]

My only problem is the mounting surface is never level, and the 2 sided tape lets go.
The best fix, put a blob of adheasive sillycone in the middle of the led panel, and hold it up w/ a pc of masking tape for a few minutes.

[tenbear]

Here is a link to a fluorescent to LED conversion.

And this is a link to a different approach to the fluorescent to LED conversion.

[Ivylog]

deltamaster wrote:
I have the dual fluorescent tube fixture in the cargo compartment of the Toy Hauler. It is about 12 inches long. Will five of these panels produce the same amount of light as the two original tubes?

Doubt 5 will fit in a 12" unit. The hardest part when I replaced mine was drilling the rivets out to remover all the parts. I used 4 in a 18" and they are just as bright. I would use the little connector that comes with them so if one stops working all you have to do is pry the old one out and stick the new one in. These panels have two sided tape already installed so you just peal and stick.

[oldbeek]

I used the 5ea 48smd panels in my florescent fixtures. Very bright. The wiring on LED,s is polarity sensitive. Bought 2 ba15 120 smd LED bulbs for $6.50 yesterday. They are direct replacement for the 1156 filament bulb. Very bright. Replaced every bulb last year. No heat, will not melt lamp covers if left on all night. Even replaced my stop and tail lights. All direct from china E-Bay

[Hybridhunter]

C Schomer wrote:
I spent ~$350 for LEDs in all the most-used fixtures and some of them were even ebay cheapos. It's been a couple yrs since I read up on them but I didn't think LED was much advantage over fluorescent. Best to check it out. Craig

Do you have 100 light fixtures?

[C_Schomer]

I spent ~$350 for LEDs in all the most-used fixtures and some of them were even ebay cheapos. It's been a couple yrs since I read up on them but I didn't think LED was much advantage over fluorescent. Best to check it out. Craig

[timjcarter9]

Hybridhunter wrote:
My opinion is the "48 SMD panels" are WAY overkill. We have one for an outdoor light, and it's a bit ridiculous. To each their own.

Yup to each their own. We like lots of light at night. We all find it just right. Some may think it is too bright. One could always mix the 36 and 48 smd in different areas depending on lighting requirements.

We are no longer careful with the lights as they only draw about 1/5 the of an incandescent bulb.

I did put the "white" ones in the bathroom. Don't like them; too blue. Will replace with soft white.

[deltamaster]

I have the dual fluorescent tube fixture in the cargo compartment of the Toy Hauler. It is about 12 inches long. Will five of these panels produce the same amount of light as the two original tubes?

The fixture failed somehow and replacement bulbs do not work in it... something in the electronics failed.

[Hybridhunter]

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/10x-T10-194-921-168-Bulb-Lamp-24-1210SMD-LED-Warm-White-/170674549926

I did our trailer with these, $2 a piece! They are slightly less bright than the OEM incandescent bulbs, but the same color. Not "alien autopsy" lighting.

My opinion is the "48 SMD panels" are WAY overkill. We have one for an outdoor light, and it's a bit ridiculous. To each their own.

[timjcarter9]

I replaced all mine with the 48 smd soft white panels. Plus the outside leed strip with remote control, and an led cob light for the big outside light. Total cost under $100.00. From EBay.