"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:sVT2e.96462$SF.74440@lakeread08...
I have heard that 12V halogen bulbs do not last long running at absorption
charge voltages. A couple of smart regulators (Ample Power being one)
have
a halogen lighting feature that limits alternator output voltages. I
picked
up a couple of 40 amp DC/DC converters on eBay and was planning to use one
to power the electronics. Would it be worth while to use the other for
the
lighting circuits? Especially the nav lights which are harder to change
out.

I think so. The rule of thumb is that the lifetime of an incandescant bulb
is halved when the applied voltage is raised with 10% above nominal voltage.
The same works the other way around: traffic lights are run on 10% lower
voltage, doubling their lifetime (not the new LED types, of course). Many
new "electronic transformers" for 12V halogen lights output only 11.8V to
keep them running longer. So yes, I think it pays off to use a regulator.

Meindert