None of the responders have addressed the concern I raised, life span. Larry
is correct, in order to dim the light output of LEDs, you limit the duty
cycle, not the current. Yes Bruce, resisters limit the LED current, but to
what level? The greater the current, the brighter the output, but the cost
of this is durability. The brighter the burn, the shorter the life. What is
the correct device current? Normally it is whatever the LED draws .2V more
than on voltage, which differs depending on the LED color. Anything more
than that affects device life. It is that voltage you should regulate to for
maximum life. It is not to the manufacturer's advantage to tell you that.
They are perfectly happy to sell you replacements. This rule is also valid
for Halogen lamps. Voltage regulators are prudent, but not required, just
understand the trade off in longevity.
Steve

wrote in message
...
Electricity has always been a scarce commodity for us. Lights really
are the only essential component, but I have grown accustomed to
refrigeration and the computer ( a 12VDC mini-itx unit built in with a
19" LCD monitor, also 12VDC)...and then of course there are the lights
and the various pumps.

To make the long story short I've been converting the lights over to
LEDs so I can still have cold drinks and bang on the keyboard without
worrying if I'll have enough juice to see and be seen. The Anchor/Tri-
color was the first. It was great; 12 amp hours down to about 1...it
was expensive up front but made me less of a electricity nazi.

I experimented with cheaper alternatives for the interior lighting,
but because of component cost I was having difficulty finding workable
solutions that agreed with my miserly ways...that is until I was
poking around eBay. I stumbled on:

30 Red Surface Mount LED 19 in Strip Super Bright Light

It was 12VDC. It was 24 bucks to my door. I'll give it a shot.

Four days later I make 3 little stainless clips and mount the strip
over the Nav Station, *in the packing tube it came in*; I tossed in a
sleek rocker SPST rocker switch and it is bright; it is red; it is
perfect.

Cool. What else can I do?

30 Warm White Surface Mount SMD SMT LED 19 in Strip 12V

Same thing different color. I pick the warm white over plain white
because I like the color temp...but it's the same deal. They can be
ganged sequentially so I get 4 of these buggers. Two by two, port and
starboard in the salon/galley. They are bright, warm, and use a
fraction of the electricity the fluorescent light used...why stop
now? I go crazy.

Lot of 10 x Under Cabinet G4 Light Warm White LED 12V for about 10
bucks a piece, plus a wad of cheap prewired MR16/MR11 sockets to plug
them into....

I'm sticking these things everywhere the sun don't shine...and liking
it.

In the aft cabin the fluoro fixture was crapping out. I gutted it and
screwed in 3 sockets and popped in 3 of those LEDs. On the other side
I dropped in 2- 4 Red LED Surface Mount 12 Volt Modules and re-used
the SPDT switch that was already there. The white side might be too
bright and I might take out one of the LEDs

I also tried one of the larger 120 lumen G4 LEDs. It is so bright I
went to Lowe's and picked up a 16 dollar gooseneck light fixture; took
out the halogen bulb; cut off the AC plug and wired it up for the
workbench.

The upshot is the solar panels now keep up and I don't have to fire up
the engine or start the generator just to charge batteries.

....and most importantly my wife says to me, "Thanks for the LEDs; I
can see much better."