LED lights question

[Bojangles]

I'm wanting to use led lighting on our new N/B, but I don't know the actual light given off and therefore what size I need for the lighting. I have done the search on the forum and learn that leds are best, saving power etc. I'm thinking of general ambient lighting and specific reading lights. Can someone please guide me as to quantity and sizes I'll need? Also the best place to buy them please.

 

Galley length 8ft, Saloon length 12ft, walk thru showeroom length 6ft, bedroom length 10ft.

[tomandsophie]

www.ultraleds.co.uk

We have got MR16 bulbs - around 5 in each room (widebeam boat) and they are brilliant. Clusters of 28 warm white LEDs in each bulb. Excellent lighting - less than 1w each and a lovely warm bright light. Recommended.

[jeb]

I have fitted 12 led lights in a 17ft saloon. 6 down each side spaced approx 3ft apart. They are wired on 2 circuits so that you can have all the lights on or 6 staggered . I think they are brilliant but then I would because I have nothing to compare them to, the boat being a new build.

 

The light are from QVS and can be flush mounted and only need 25mm clearance.

 

http://www.qvsdirect.com/Low-Voltage-Cabin...s-pr-17452.html

 

The bulbs are from Ultra leds.

 

http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/acdc-warm-white...30v-p-1456.html

 

Alternatively you can buy an identical light ready made for £20 each meaning the supplier has just charged you £7.00 just to change the bulb.

 

It has also been advised to fit a transient suppressor to each circuit to save the bulbs from any voltage surge. Please don't ask me any questions about these suppresors as I will be out of my depth but there are more than competant people on this forum who will be only to pleased to advise.

 

Nearly forgot , going to fit 5 of the same in the galley ( 8ft )

 

Hope this helps.

[jeb]

I have fitted 12 led lights in a 17ft saloon. 6 down each side spaced approx 3ft apart. They are wired on 2 circuits so that you can have all the lights on or 6 staggered . I think they are brilliant but then I would because I have nothing to compare them to, the boat being a new build.

 

The light are from QVS and can be flush mounted and only need 25mm clearance.

 

http://www.qvsdirect.com/Low-Voltage-Cabin...s-pr-17452.html

 

The bulbs are from Ultra leds.

 

http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/acdc-warm-white...30v-p-1456.html

 

Alternatively you can buy an identical light ready made for £20 each meaning the supplier has just charged you £7.00 just to change the bulb.

 

It has also been advised to fit a transient suppressor to each circuit to save the bulbs from any voltage surge. Please don't ask me any questions about these suppresors as I will be out of my depth but there are more than competant people on this forum who will be only to pleased to advise.

 

Nearly forgot , going to fit 5 of the same in the galley ( 8ft )

 

Hope this helps.

[Bojangles]

Thanks guys for those replies. It's giving me the info I need ; your help is appreciated.

 

Cheers

[Chris Pink]

Slightly broadening the discussion;

 

i would advise as many lights of different types as you can with the intention of lighting small areas. Switch them on when needed. don't be afraid of lighting one area in a number of different ways to reflect the different uses at different times.

 

Reading areas work well with LEDs, kitchen, workshop work well with flourescent lights, you can get low-energy 12V bulbs now that fit GES holders, essentially flourescent tubes in a Mr Whippy cone.

 

Still a place for the humble candle/oil/gas lamp, especially in conjunction with LEDs as they have a very warm light that complements LEDs. Halogen for mood lighting - i don't find them very good for specific taska and they are very thirsty. LED light is a bit cold for general ambience.

 

Gets quite a bit of thought this time of year.

[Bojangles]

Slightly broadening the discussion;

 

i would advise as many lights of different types as you can with the intention of lighting small areas. Switch them on when needed. don't be afraid of lighting one area in a number of different ways to reflect the different uses at different times.

 

Reading areas work well with LEDs, kitchen, workshop work well with flourescent lights, you can get low-energy 12V bulbs now that fit GES holders, essentially flourescent tubes in a Mr Whippy cone.

 

Still a place for the humble candle/oil/gas lamp, especially in conjunction with LEDs as they have a very warm light that complements LEDs. Halogen for mood lighting - i don't find them very good for specific taska and they are very thirsty. LED light is a bit cold for general ambience.

 

Gets quite a bit of thought this time of year.

 

Thanks Chris for those thoughts which I'm taking onboard. I think I'll be having a very happy xmas working out my lighting plan. Great

[Tony Brooks]

Slightly broadening the discussion;

 

snip

 

Halogen for mood lighting - i don't find them very good for specific taska and they are very thirsty. LED light is a bit cold for general ambience.

 

Gets quite a bit of thought this time of year.

 

Can't agree with that bit. You can now get Halogen capsuls fitted into an ordinary bulb and cap. I find a 10 watt halogen fitted in place of a 21 watt gls bulb gives a bighter and more usable light at half the power. Unfortuantley the 5 watt halogen conversions are hard to find and a little too low output for anything much more than an over berth light

 

Tony Brooks

[chris w]

Can't agree with that bit. You can now get Halogen capsuls fitted into an ordinary bulb and cap. I find a 10 watt halogen fitted in place of a 21 watt gls bulb gives a bighter and more usable light at half the power. Unfortuantley the 5 watt halogen conversions are hard to find and a little too low output for anything much more than an over berth light

 

Tony Brooks

 

I agree Tony. I find halogens give brightness and warmth. I have all mine on 12v dimmers so that I can get that mood just right and save battery power at the same time.

 

Chris

[John Orentas]

Can I just try to clarify this 'Tungsten' terminology.

 

Tungsten lamps are the type you would normally have as side and headlights in a car, tungsten is the metal of which the filament is made.

 

Tungsten Halogen is the type you would find in the new type down-lighters, fancy high powered torches, film projectors and such.. They use the 'Halide Cycle' which is a complex largely theoretical convection.

 

You will still see 'Incandescent' lamps around, they apply to the old fashioned domestic lamps, bus bulbs, festoon lamps, they will have very large glass envelopes and use varying non exotic metals for the filament.

 

LED's are the latest thing, until recent years they were only used as indicator lamps and were not available with any useful light output but of course things are a bit different now.. The new types came along after my time so I have little experience of them.

 

Not associated with boats there are also vast ranges of 'Metal Halide' and other types of 'discharge lamps' these don't have filaments at all.. Like fluorescent they use exotic gasses which give off light energy under the influence of an electrical charge.

Edited December 21, 2007 by John Orentas

[chris w]

Can I just try to clarify this 'Tungsten' terminology.

 

Tungsten lamps are the type you would normally have as side and headlights in a car, tungsten is the metal of which the filament is made.

 

Tungsten Halogen is the type you would find in the new type down-lighters, fancy high powered torches, film projectors and such.. They use the 'Halide Cycle' which is a complex largely theoretical convection.

 

You will still see 'Incandescent' lamps around, they apply to the old fashioned domestic lamps, bus bulbs, festoon lamps, they will have very large glass envelopes and use varying non exotic metals for the filament.

 

Not associated with boats there are also vast ranges of 'Metal Halide' and other types of 'discharge lamps' these don't have filaments at all.. Like fluorescent they use exotic gasses which give off light energy under the influence of an electrical charge.

 

..............................yeah we can all get this off google but your point is..........................? (and by the way, cars use halogen lamps or even xenon lamps in mine)

Edited December 21, 2007 by chris w

[Bones]

i dare not write about electrics on the forum being the dozy person that I am, but I have decided to go for it anyway!

 

I am interested in the halogen lights Tony and Chris W are talking about. Are they good enough for reading by? I get most livid when I have to squint at my work in the evenings. I currently have some LEDs which almost give a damascus experience, but they eat my battery power up, and are not ideal when I want to have 'mood lighting' so much so I spend a lot of time sitting in the dark.

 

I don't have an inverter, I want one reading light in each room and the rest to be dim lighting. It seems that the dimmer switches you talk about might be ideal.

 

 

What Wattage do your halogen lights use when on the dimmer switch?

 

I hope this makes sense.. I am feeling dizzy this morning

[chris w]

i dare not write about electrics on the forum being the dozy person that I am, but I have decided to go for it anyway!

 

I am interested in the halogen lights Tony and Chris W are talking about. Are they good enough for reading by? I get most livid when I have to squint at my work in the evenings. I currently have some LEDs which almost give a damascus experience, but they eat my battery power up, and are not ideal when I want to have 'mood lighting' so much so I spend a lot of time sitting in the dark.

 

I don't have an inverter, I want one reading light in each room and the rest to be dim lighting. It seems that the dimmer switches you talk about might be ideal.

What Wattage do your halogen lights use when on the dimmer switch?

 

I hope this makes sense.. I am feeling dizzy this morning

 

The 12v halogen lights can be had from B&Q (10W or 20W) in a gold or silver metal flush-mounting ceiling fitting for a fiver each. The dimmers are my own design - you cannot use mains dimmers - they won't work on 12v DC.

 

IMHO, halogens give a great light - bright and warm. However, all lighting will use a lot more battery power than LEDs. You say your LEDs are "eating your battery power up". That can't be so as, even the very bright LED lamps, only consume about a watt each as compared to a single halogen at 10W.

 

Even though they only consume a watt each, LED lamps give out the light equivalent of a 10W or 20W non-LED lamp depending on model. Halogens (and tungsten filament) lamps are about 90% heat and 10% light. LEDs are about 90% light and 10% heat.

 

The downside of LEDs at the moment is cost - at around 3 times the price of an equivalent halogen.

 

Chris

Edited December 21, 2007 by chris w

[Chris Pink]

i dare not write about electrics on the forum being the dozy person that I am, but I have decided to go for it anyway!

 

I am interested in the halogen lights Tony and Chris W are talking about. Are they good enough for reading by? I get most livid when I have to squint at my work in the evenings. I currently have some LEDs which almost give a damascus experience, but they eat my battery power up, and are not ideal when I want to have 'mood lighting' so much so I spend a lot of time sitting in the dark.

 

I don't have an inverter, I want one reading light in each room and the rest to be dim lighting. It seems that the dimmer switches you talk about might be ideal.

What Wattage do your halogen lights use when on the dimmer switch?

 

I hope this makes sense.. I am feeling dizzy this morning

 

At the risk of being strange again - LEDs are the lowest power solution, any other will use more power.

Halogens are good for reading and the dimmer means they'll use as little power as you want (minus efficiency overheads). I find LED light good for reading - something about that blueish light.

 

The problem i find with most halogen lamps is that they are spots (for shop fitting) so very localised. Probably just my preference though. I haven't tried the replacement for bayonet tungstens, you obviously don't find the same problem with these, Tony.

[Bones]

At the risk of being strange again - LEDs are the lowest power solution, any other will use more power.

Halogens are good for reading and the dimmer means they'll use as little power as you want (minus efficiency overheads). I find LED light good for reading - something about that blueish light.

 

The problem i find with most halogen lamps is that they are spots (for shop fitting) so very localised. Probably just my preference though. I haven't tried the replacement for bayonet tungstens, you obviously don't find the same problem with these, Tony.

as is my reading!!

 

I am profoundly stupid. My lights are NOT leds but flourescents!!! DOH. Are they low power too?

 

OH dear. Femminism really hasn't done me any favours, in the good old days I would just have to worry my little head about hoovers, and that is easy - one choses by colour.

[Chris Pink]

as is my reading!!

 

I am profoundly stupid. My lights are NOT leds but flourescents!!! DOH. Are they low power too?

 

OH dear. Femminism really hasn't done me any favours, in the good old days I would just have to worry my little head about hoovers, and that is easy - one choses by colour.

 

Do you know where i can get a pink hoover?

 

 

20" flourescents 13W

next size down (10"?) 8W, caravan lights tend to have 2 or 3

tidgy ones 5W

 

Halogens come in 10W (expensive) 20W (not so) and 50W (cheap as chips but avoid!!!) the shop fitting ones go in in cheapo Ikea fittings and eyeball fittings

Most LEDs that are dedicated luminaires are expensive. replacement lamps vary from fairly cheap (shop fittings) to fairly expensive (bayonet replacements).

 

 

luminaire = fitting lamp = bulb

Edited December 21, 2007 by Chris Pink

[Bones]

Do you know where i can get a pink hoover?

20" flourescents 13W

next size down (10"?) 8W, caravan lights tend to have 2 or 3

tidgy ones 5W

 

Halogens come in 10W (expensive) 20W (not so) and 50W (cheap as chips but avoid!!!) the shop fitting ones go in in cheapo Ikea fittings and eyeball fittings

Most LEDs that are dedicated luminaires are expensive. replacement lamps vary from fairly cheap (shop fittings) to fairly expensive (bayonet replacements).

luminaire = fitting lamp = bulb

there are several available, there is this nice second hand one, a bit too baby pink for me, but it might be in your taste. And from the states.

 

If you like the more personal touch Henry has a companion called Hetty, and she too is pink. hetty

 

This is of course the prime time of hoovers and really quite excellent

 

Some households prefer the non-fashion statement and would prefer a dyson and you can get this which is charitable

 

There is also this from the same unfashionable company, the colour of which depends on your categorical perception. Unfortunately it is currently unavailable.

 

I hope they are of some help. As for power consumption, if you want a really really low power consumption option I suggest you try this This has the added advantage that it keeps the women of your life out of the garage for longer.

[Chris Pink]

I hope they are of some help.

 

Glam Gadgets, yeah yeah yeah.

 

I am now saving my pennies for a pink toolbox.

 

I think the pink soft touch dustpan would just get eaten by the creatures that lurk in my kitchen.

Edited December 21, 2007 by Chris Pink

[barroca grande]

Can I just try to clarify this 'Tungsten' terminology.

 

 

I was brought up on a Baralt Tin and Wolfram Mine.

 

Wolfram is another name for tungsten.

 

Am I helping?

[Tony Brooks]

At the risk of being strange again - LEDs are the lowest power solution, any other will use more power.

Halogens are good for reading and the dimmer means they'll use as little power as you want (minus efficiency overheads). I find LED light good for reading - something about that blueish light.

 

The problem i find with most halogen lamps is that they are spots (for shop fitting) so very localised. Probably just my preference though. I haven't tried the replacement for bayonet tungstens, you obviously don't find the same problem with these, Tony.

 

 

The ones I am on about use a little halogen capless capsule like a G4 fitted into one of the "normal" car type bulbs. I think I have them inside 12v 21 watt type SCC & SBC caps plus 24watt type Bus bulbs. The only direction to the "beam" is caused by the fitting they are in so for a typical opal shaded cabin wall lamp there is no beam whilst an over berth lamp with a white inner to the shade produces a directional, but defuse beam, just like the original tungsten bulb would, but with a less yellow light.

 

I have not noticed any excess heating to the lamp itself.

 

They cost more, but only use half the power so I do not understand why more people do not fit them as their old bulbs blow. I got mine from Whilton Chandlers and Midland Chandlers so they should be easily available.