Well, the time has come in our refit to address lighting. Red and
white has my attention at the moment.

I've had the opportunity to try 12-LED bars, and conclude that they're
inadequate for reading in bed, but something like the 39-unit
replacements for Edison bases might do just fine. How to get them over
our heads, however, is a real challenge.

However, what's really got me thinking is the rope light concept. You
can buy 150 feet of the stuff for under 2bux a foot in red and amber
(good for ambient lighting), and more for other colors.

Methinks that running that stuff around the bimini frame might make for
a nice ambient light topsides for when at anchor, supplementing the
small incandescent (normally a stern light) lighting the table, and
around the sole in red for great passagemaking night vision results.
Hoisting the middle of a full roll to outline the stays would make for
an interesting anchor light :{))

One LED per about an inch, depending on who makes/supplies it,
typically supplied with 5 specific connectors and umpteen mounting
fixtures, and you can cut it each foot. Can't figure out why one can't
cut it anywhere, skin back the tubing, and make your own connection, if
you had to (maybe each foot has some sort of resistor/chip/control?),
but even so, except for very limited situations, it seems this would
make a great low-level lighting solution.

Running it around the inside of the control panel (to see the switches'
labels) in red (about 6' in my case), over the kitchen counter, in the
heads, and other places, would make for great ability to go below on a
watch.

Looked at fluorescents, too, but the marine ones are atrociously high
cost, and low output. Got a 4' from American Van for less than a small
two-bulb unit (made by the same 'trimline' company); my workbench will
be bathed brilliantly :{)) My old red/white galley Guest fluorescent
gave up the ghost recently; they're atrociously expensive, and don't
make much light, so the red/white rope is interesting!

Anyone played with, or, better, installed, 12V LED rope lighting?

L8R

Skip and Lydia, finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.
Posting from web so can't give usual sig :{/) for links to pix...

Skip, those are interesting comments about fluorescents. My experience has
been that florescent lights beat LED hands down in both light output per
dollar and light output per watt.

"Skip Gundlach" wrote in message
oups.com...
Well, the time has come in our refit to address lighting. Red and
white has my attention at the moment.

I've had the opportunity to try 12-LED bars, and conclude that they're
inadequate for reading in bed, but something like the 39-unit
replacements for Edison bases might do just fine. How to get them over
our heads, however, is a real challenge.

However, what's really got me thinking is the rope light concept. You
can buy 150 feet of the stuff for under 2bux a foot in red and amber
(good for ambient lighting), and more for other colors.

Methinks that running that stuff around the bimini frame might make for
a nice ambient light topsides for when at anchor, supplementing the
small incandescent (normally a stern light) lighting the table, and
around the sole in red for great passagemaking night vision results.
Hoisting the middle of a full roll to outline the stays would make for
an interesting anchor light :{))

One LED per about an inch, depending on who makes/supplies it,
typically supplied with 5 specific connectors and umpteen mounting
fixtures, and you can cut it each foot. Can't figure out why one can't
cut it anywhere, skin back the tubing, and make your own connection, if
you had to (maybe each foot has some sort of resistor/chip/control?),
but even so, except for very limited situations, it seems this would
make a great low-level lighting solution.

Running it around the inside of the control panel (to see the switches'
labels) in red (about 6' in my case), over the kitchen counter, in the
heads, and other places, would make for great ability to go below on a
watch.

Looked at fluorescents, too, but the marine ones are atrociously high
cost, and low output. Got a 4' from American Van for less than a small
two-bulb unit (made by the same 'trimline' company); my workbench will
be bathed brilliantly :{)) My old red/white galley Guest fluorescent
gave up the ghost recently; they're atrociously expensive, and don't
make much light, so the red/white rope is interesting!

Anyone played with, or, better, installed, 12V LED rope lighting?

L8R

Skip and Lydia, finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.
Posting from web so can't give usual sig :{/) for links to pix...

Forced, again, to do the web bit, since I'm on the boat, surfing on
wifi (more on that topic in another post), and not able to obtain
newsgroups, so apologies if there's all my stuff quoted...

Johnnh said:

"Skip, those are interesting comments about fluorescents. My
experience has
been that florescent lights beat LED hands down in both light output
per
dollar and light output per watt. "

Interesting you should say that. I just finished hanging the 4' - 40
watt mentioned in the original, about the same amp as a single
incadescent lamp, and the workshop/walkthrough is bathed in light -
about 4000 design lumens (3150 with 32 watt bulb). At 70bux, shipped,
it beats West and any other marine supplier for marine lighting to
achieve that luminescence.

I have no doubt, after using the smaller 2-bulb fixture (again, made by
Trim-Lite, presumed not a marine supplier, the manufacturer of the
4-foot) in the engine room, supplemented by another of the same taken
from the walkthrough/workshop when it seemed not to work (voltage to
it, and the port turned out to be controlled by one of the mystery
breakers in the control panel), that fluorescents put out a lot of
light (these each about 1750DL) at a relatively low wattage. However,
the ones which might fit in small places don't make much light (pencil
bulbs, e.g.). The red/white fixture of about 3" width, taken out of
the galley as dead, put out a negligible amount of light, and the red,
diminished by the red sleeve, even less, when it was working. West
wants 115 for the thin-lite version of it; right now I can't put my
hands on the guest (smaller) but it was about 75bux.

So, I'm in a quandary as to inexpensive red lighting, as well as
large-area, low-level lighting. Covering a large area with low-level
red light is very challenging in wiring, let alone figuring out how to
do it economically in electrical budget terms - thus the LED interest.

For task lighting in the galley, I'm inclined to get another Thin-lite
small fixture, again from the van supply place - though their prices
aren't notably less than Worst, so perhaps, with a Port Supply, I might
do better - it would make the 1-2-off dual incandescent I have over the
sink look dull.

However, I don't know of any fixtures which put out a significant
amount of light (maybe the LEDs don't, either! - I'm still looking!) at
well under an amp, and flourescents (at least if bought from marine
sources) are pretty pricey, still. Given a willingness to pay the
price, I can get bright. I can't get large-area red, low level,
though...

So, back to the question: Anyone played with, or, better, installed,
12V rope lighting?

Thanks.

L8R

Skip and Lydia, still trying to get floated before next year (shoulder
op will mess it up, though!)

Ah yes, I spaced the red part out completely. Red LED's are more efficient
and less expensive than white. Sorry, no experience with the rope lighting.

"Skip Gundlach" wrote in message
oups.com...
Forced, again, to do the web bit, since I'm on the boat, surfing on
wifi (more on that topic in another post), and not able to obtain
newsgroups, so apologies if there's all my stuff quoted...

Johnnh said:

"Skip, those are interesting comments about fluorescents. My
experience has
been that florescent lights beat LED hands down in both light output
per
dollar and light output per watt. "

Interesting you should say that. I just finished hanging the 4' - 40
watt mentioned in the original, about the same amp as a single
incadescent lamp, and the workshop/walkthrough is bathed in light -
about 4000 design lumens (3150 with 32 watt bulb). At 70bux, shipped,
it beats West and any other marine supplier for marine lighting to
achieve that luminescence.

I have no doubt, after using the smaller 2-bulb fixture (again, made by
Trim-Lite, presumed not a marine supplier, the manufacturer of the
4-foot) in the engine room, supplemented by another of the same taken
from the walkthrough/workshop when it seemed not to work (voltage to
it, and the port turned out to be controlled by one of the mystery
breakers in the control panel), that fluorescents put out a lot of
light (these each about 1750DL) at a relatively low wattage. However,
the ones which might fit in small places don't make much light (pencil
bulbs, e.g.). The red/white fixture of about 3" width, taken out of
the galley as dead, put out a negligible amount of light, and the red,
diminished by the red sleeve, even less, when it was working. West
wants 115 for the thin-lite version of it; right now I can't put my
hands on the guest (smaller) but it was about 75bux.

So, I'm in a quandary as to inexpensive red lighting, as well as
large-area, low-level lighting. Covering a large area with low-level
red light is very challenging in wiring, let alone figuring out how to
do it economically in electrical budget terms - thus the LED interest.

For task lighting in the galley, I'm inclined to get another Thin-lite
small fixture, again from the van supply place - though their prices
aren't notably less than Worst, so perhaps, with a Port Supply, I might
do better - it would make the 1-2-off dual incandescent I have over the
sink look dull.

However, I don't know of any fixtures which put out a significant
amount of light (maybe the LEDs don't, either! - I'm still looking!) at
well under an amp, and flourescents (at least if bought from marine
sources) are pretty pricey, still. Given a willingness to pay the
price, I can get bright. I can't get large-area red, low level,
though...

So, back to the question: Anyone played with, or, better, installed,
12V rope lighting?

Thanks.

L8R

Skip and Lydia, still trying to get floated before next year (shoulder
op will mess it up, though!)

"Johnhh" wrote in message
...
Skip, those are interesting comments about fluorescents. My experience
has been that florescent lights beat LED hands down in both light output
per dollar and light output per watt.


Flourescents aren't bad, except if you turn them on and off a lot. They use
quite a lot to start up.


--
Bob La Londe
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

You would have to show me some data on that. I would suspect that after
about 3 seconds you will have made up for any excessive startup usage.

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...

"Johnhh" wrote in message
...
Skip, those are interesting comments about fluorescents. My experience
has been that florescent lights beat LED hands down in both light output
per dollar and light output per watt.


Flourescents aren't bad, except if you turn them on and off a lot. They
use quite a lot to start up.


--
Bob La Londe
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

"Johnhh" wrote in news:y9SdnYHlX9wnmCLfRVn-
:

You would have to show me some data on that. I would suspect that after
about 3 seconds you will have made up for any excessive startup usage.



ER, ahh, guys....Flourescent lights running on 12V don't use starters and
filaments, any more. That was the Circline in Grandma's kitchen...

12v flourescent lights use a transistorized Tesla coil to fire
it...instantly!

--
Larry

You know you've had a rough night when you wake up and you're outlined in
chalk.

I thought so, but didn't want to expend any energy validating it so I went
conservative. 'Nothing' would certainly be made up for in three seconds.


"Larry W4CSC" wrote in message
...
"Johnhh" wrote in news:y9SdnYHlX9wnmCLfRVn-
:

You would have to show me some data on that. I would suspect that after
about 3 seconds you will have made up for any excessive startup usage.



ER, ahh, guys....Flourescent lights running on 12V don't use starters and
filaments, any more. That was the Circline in Grandma's kitchen...

12v flourescent lights use a transistorized Tesla coil to fire
it...instantly!

--
Larry

You know you've had a rough night when you wake up and you're outlined in
chalk.

In article .com,
"Skip Gundlach" wrote:

I've had the opportunity to try 12-LED bars, and conclude that they're
inadequate for reading in bed, but something like the 39-unit
replacements for Edison bases might do just fine. How to get them over
our heads, however, is a real challenge.

I may be confused here. We've been trying various solutions for reading.
At the moment, we're doing A-B comparisons between little fluorescent
book lights and 3 LED flashlights, both running with 3 rechargeable AAs.
Overall light is about the same, but the fluorescent only lasts about
5-6 nights. The LED lights are used for the standard purposes other than
reading, but last about 30-40 nights.

Seems an 8 LED array would be more than bright enough for reading in a
bulkhead lamp, and would not need the voltage step-down.....

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

On Tue, 28 Jun 2005 04:51:52 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:



Seems an 8 LED array would be more than bright enough for reading in a
bulkhead lamp, and would not need the voltage step-down.....


They are. I just bought a pair for the reading lamps in the V-berth.
They were 9 LED (or something similar) double-contact bayonet mounts
replacing the usual auto bulbs. $13 each and at 100,000 hours of use
(rated), my great grandkids might burn 'em out.

A side benefit is that existing wiring, if too long/too light for the
lighting application, is suddenly fine and needs not to be replaced
when you switch to LEDs.

R.