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."

I'm proud of you! I hope you used a voltage regulator for the LEDs? If you
didn't, you will seriously kill the expected life span.
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."

On Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:55:48 +0100, "Steve Lusardi"
wrote:

I'm proud of you! I hope you used a voltage regulator for the LEDs? If you
didn't, you will seriously kill the expected life span.
Steve

Nope, the LED's he is talking about are designed to operate in a 12
VDC system, i.e., with system voltages as high as, probably, 15 VDC. I
initially built voltage regulators into the light fixtures I built
using the same 30 LED tubes. Bad! Dim lights. Then I had a closer look
at the "tubes". The LED's are wired in series parallel with resisters
for each series section to limit current Flow. You just plug them in..

Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)

Bruce In Bangkok wrote in
:

On Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:55:48 +0100, "Steve Lusardi"
wrote:

I'm proud of you! I hope you used a voltage regulator for the LEDs? If
you didn't, you will seriously kill the expected life span.
Steve

Nope, the LED's he is talking about are designed to operate in a 12
VDC system, i.e., with system voltages as high as, probably, 15 VDC. I
initially built voltage regulators into the light fixtures I built
using the same 30 LED tubes. Bad! Dim lights. Then I had a closer look
at the "tubes". The LED's are wired in series parallel with resisters
for each series section to limit current Flow. You just plug them in..

Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)


Have you guys ever noticed how they "dim" LEDs for tail lights that
brighten to full power when you apply the brake lights?

The dim mode they feed a 50% duty cycle pulse at a kilohertz or so, not
important just too fast for human eyes to respond. Move your eyes fast
back and forth as you follow them and you can see they are pulsed on and
off very rapidly. Then, when the brake switch closes, the same LEDs
brighten up with pure DC applied for maximum brightness. It would be a
simple matter to build an LED dimmer for them out of a 555 timer IC as a
variable pulse width pulse generator driving a power transistor to
handle the load of the string......
http://www.rmcybernetics.com/project..._pulse_control
ler.htm
The heatsink is WAY overkill as the transistor is either off or
saturated. It will hardly get warm, even at 10A.

Larry wrote:

Bruce In Bangkok wrote in
:


On Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:55:48 +0100, "Steve Lusardi"
wrote:


I'm proud of you! I hope you used a voltage regulator for the LEDs? If
you didn't, you will seriously kill the expected life span.
Steve


Nope, the LED's he is talking about are designed to operate in a 12
VDC system, i.e., with system voltages as high as, probably, 15 VDC. I
initially built voltage regulators into the light fixtures I built
using the same 30 LED tubes. Bad! Dim lights. Then I had a closer look
at the "tubes". The LED's are wired in series parallel with resisters
for each series section to limit current Flow. You just plug them in..

Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)



Have you guys ever noticed how they "dim" LEDs for tail lights that
brighten to full power when you apply the brake lights?

The dim mode they feed a 50% duty cycle pulse at a kilohertz or so, not
important just too fast for human eyes to respond. Move your eyes fast
back and forth as you follow them and you can see they are pulsed on and
off very rapidly. Then, when the brake switch closes, the same LEDs
brighten up with pure DC applied for maximum brightness. It would be a
simple matter to build an LED dimmer for them out of a 555 timer IC as a
variable pulse width pulse generator driving a power transistor to
handle the load of the string......
http://www.rmcybernetics.com/project..._pulse_control
ler.htm
The heatsink is WAY overkill as the transistor is either off or
saturated. It will hardly get warm, even at 10A.




404 Larry!

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Bruce In Bangkok wrote in
:

On Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:55:48 +0100, "Steve Lusardi"
wrote:

I'm proud of you! I hope you used a voltage regulator for the LEDs? If
you didn't, you will seriously kill the expected life span.
Steve

Nope, the LED's he is talking about are designed to operate in a 12
VDC system, i.e., with system voltages as high as, probably, 15 VDC. I
initially built voltage regulators into the light fixtures I built
using the same 30 LED tubes. Bad! Dim lights. Then I had a closer look
at the "tubes". The LED's are wired in series parallel with resisters
for each series section to limit current Flow. You just plug them in..

Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)


Have you guys ever noticed how they "dim" LEDs for tail lights that
brighten to full power when you apply the brake lights?

The dim mode they feed a 50% duty cycle pulse at a kilohertz or so, not
important just too fast for human eyes to respond. Move your eyes fast
back and forth as you follow them and you can see they are pulsed on and
off very rapidly. Then, when the brake switch closes, the same LEDs
brighten up with pure DC applied for maximum brightness. It would be a
simple matter to build an LED dimmer for them out of a 555 timer IC as a
variable pulse width pulse generator driving a power transistor to
handle the load of the string......
http://www.rmcybernetics.com/project..._pulse_control
ler.htm
The heatsink is WAY overkill as the transistor is either off or
saturated. It will hardly get warm, even at 10A.



But the most important question is this: Do LEDs suffer from
"sulphation(sic)?" Bwahahahahahah!

Wilbur Hubbard

On Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:21:21 -0500, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote:
...
But the most important question is this: Do LEDs suffer from
"sulphation(sic)?" Bwahahahahahah!

Wilbur Hubbard

When digging a hole, a wise man stops as soon as possible.

BrianW

On Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:21:21 -0500, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote:

But the most important question is this: Do LEDs suffer from
"sulphation(sic)?" Bwahahahahahah!

Wilbur Hubbard

Well Capt. Hubbard, I will be in the Keys soon, and will be on the
lookout for small outboard powered sailboats that don't seem to have
all of their screws turned down tightly.

On Dec 26, 8:15*pm, Bruce In Bangkok
wrote:
On Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:55:48 +0100, "Steve Lusardi"

wrote:
I'm proud of you! I hope you used a voltage regulator for the LEDs? If you
didn't, you will seriously kill the expected life span.
Steve

Nope, the LED's he is talking about are designed to operate in a 12
VDC system, i.e., with system voltages as high as, probably, 15 VDC. I
initially built voltage regulators into the light fixtures I built
using the same 30 LED tubes. Bad! Dim lights. Then I had a closer look
at the "tubes". The LED's are wired in series parallel with resisters
for each series section to limit current Flow. You just plug them in..

Yep, they are dang near idiot proof. They'll take the full range of
battery voltage. The G4 variety with the warm white LEDs are AC-DC;
just connect the two leads and pay no heed to polarity.

Clearly this is the best money I've spent in a long time...and partly
the reason I came back to this group to tell.

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."