LED lights in the cabin

[raymondh]

I have 30+ far east LED's in boat n camper some now 6 years old

The latest are

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251681125593?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=550582515701&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

very bright and are 10 to 30 volt rated pic of circuit

Edited October 26, 2014 by raymondh

[b0atman]

I have leds for my fish tank they produce algae which fish love and give brilliant lighting with minimal power useage.

[Yuggi]

We replaced all our cabin lights with cool white! :-)

 

Back in May we called in at Bedazzled as we cruised past and replaced 15 cabin light bulbs with LEDs. Richard was extremely helpful, showing me how to clip the pins to get them to fit in snugly. They work brilliantly.

 

Richard tried to convince us to have some warm white LEDs but we didn't, instead going our own way with all cool whites. But then we are Australians and used to having light! And we do like the effect of the cool whites have on the cheery and maple lining.

 

Yes, one might pay a bit more at Bedazzled but then one gets helpful service and some confidence in the products.

 

[Ssscrudddy]

I'm going to take a chance on those eBay ones that raymondh mentioned.

I've tried cheap Chinese ones before, all failed real quick. I've tried the Maplins ones which were £4 each, these also failed real quick. I now have 8 Bedazzled ones (£7 each) in my saloon, 4 warm & 4 cold, & they have been fine.

 

I've just ordered 15 of the ones mentioned above to do the rest of my boat.

Edited October 28, 2014 by Ssscrudddy

[raymondh]

When I order LED's from ebay I always order a few extra in case any fail as at a £1 or so delivered it seems worth the outlay

However as I only had one fail (I emailed the selller prior to feedback and they sent me a replacement foc)

So I hace a collection of LED's on the boat and in the camper that may never be needed as the LEDs improve in brightnes I order a newer version and yes with spares???

Mine run between 12v to 14.8v normal voltage when on shore power is 13.5v so as long as you order LEDs suitable for the intended use ie 10 to 30 volt etc in my experience over the last several years has been good

 

The strange looking one at the lower right corner is a Bedazled item 1 of 14 purchased in 2007/8, 13 failed between 12/18 months Bedazled did offer me a small discount on new purchase as they had not lasted as expected - I then started purchasing on ebay at a fraction ofbthe price

 

However this is only my experience others may differ

 

Sample of my "stock"

 

Edited October 28, 2014 by raymondh

[Sabcat]

Cheap as chip ebay jobs have been in the galley for a couple of days now and work a treat. I've just ordered 25 warm white ones to do the whole boat with. Less than £25 delivered.

[TaffyRon]

I decided for power reasons to change my lights for LED's.

 

The one in the engineroom is great, nice and bright but in the cabin I find them horrible, too bright and white. I'm tempted to put my old yellowish lamps back as the cabin feels so much warmer with them.

 

Has anyone got LED lights that aren't 'cold' and didn't cost a bedazzled arm and leg?

I got rid of my halogen ones that were too hot and bright and energy hungry for poundland leds, pound each, ten pound for fleabay equivilent and 12 months later still not had one pack up out of 36 lights in the boat, soft light, use next to no power, chuffed to bits, though poundland looked at me as I combine harvested their shelf of leds into my basket, im avin them

[leeco]

Not the old LED debate again.

 

Don't let people try scare you into buying the same product from bedazzled at 10x the price.

 

I'm a sparky too and can't see a 12v 3.5w faulty LED light getting hot and causing a fire. (I may be wrong)

 

I have had my cheap LED ebay lights for over 2 years and never had any problem with them.

 

As for the other guy saying he paid 10x more per light because he got a helpful service well you are buying a light bulb to replace another same type light bulb. How much help could you need?

[Zig Zag]

I had a look at Bedazzled, I've emailed to tell them that 1997's been on the phone and wants its website back.

Haha it's really bad isn't it. All them lights he sells he's not putting the profits in to the site thats for sure.

[Texasboater]

I put a couple of LED 5 meter strips behind some Crown Molding in a Bedroom...36,000 colors and they flashed and changed with the music played! about $20 per strip...It was like a Nightclub in there.

[pquinn]

Hey! Tex, how is Austin.We used to live there for 3 and a half years.Loved the place.Went back for a few days last year,drove around the hill country and visited all the old haunts. big changes .Paul

[Texasboater]

Hey! Tex, how is Austin.We used to live there for 3 and a half years.Loved the place.Went back for a few days last year,drove around the hill country and visited all the old haunts. big changes .Paul

Growing like crazy Paul....110 people a DAY moving in! IH35 is a parking lot from 2.30-7.30. Downtown is full of Hipsters and a little stick house on the east side is selling at about $500K. Still the only place in Texas that I would want to live though.....A bit liberal for some. (Only own two guns)

[wirren]

I decided for power reasons to change my lights for LED's.

 

The one in the engineroom is great, nice and bright but in the cabin I find them horrible, too bright and white. I'm tempted to put my old yellowish lamps back as the cabin feels so much warmer with them.

 

If your fittings are the flush / flat type the solution is to cover the glass with a yellow film of 'see through' plastic.

Our previous owner had done this because the white light was too harsh.

A lot cheaper than changing lights.

 

Mark.

[Litecone LED]

My first post so hello to all.

 

As a supplier we don't normally contribute to forums but I think there is a need to clarify a few points raised in this thread.

 

1. When buying bulbs for a boat or campervan, always make sure you get a bulb which is rated 10-30v DC. This covers you for 12v and 24v system when the system is charging from the alternator or a ground line. If a bulb is just maked at 12v DC, I would assume it is 12v AD/DC. You use these when you know the transformer output is a guaranteed 12v but you don't know if it's 12v AC or 12v DC.

 

2. We took a decision not to supply bulbs with an internal fuse because any minor electrical surge could potentially kill the bulb and would need a replacement. As a supplier we don't want issues with our bulbs but equally we don't want to supply a product which is unsafe in any way. After speaking to our suppliers, they were all of the opinion that running below 30v DC, there is no need to fuse the bulbs as the surge supression deals with surges in voltage.

 

3. Some LED bulbs are not polarity neutral. You only have to look at some of the really cheap versions on ebay to see they have no components to manage this. They need a rectifier circuit which is usually on the back of the bulb which manages the polarity of the pins so you don't have to worry about it.

 

4. EMI can be a problem as all electronic components put out some traces of EMI even if they claim to be EMI free. We have only ever had 2 issues with EMI and this was with one particular type of bulb and the same brand of DAB radio on both occassions! The same bulbs work with every other brand of DAB radio so some devices are obviously more sensitive than others. If I was to purchase a bulb, this would be low on my list of things to worry about as the guarantee and distance selling regulations provide with enough protection to return the bulbs for a refund.

 

5. If you use LED strips on a boat, they really need a voltage regulator installing to prevent them from early failure. Most strips are constant voltage which means that you need to keep the voltage stable and reduce the current to dim them. On a boat or a camper van you have an issue when charging as the voltage can get over 14v DC which will lead to early failure. There is a newer strip on the market which is constant current. This theoretically means you can vary the voltage without killing the strip but we haven't tested them so please get advice first. Alternatively, purchase a rigid strip with a 10-30v DC range.

 

I hope this helps clarify a few points raised in this and other threads. As always, this information is provided as our experience in the LED market. If in doubt, always consult a qualified electrician.

 

Steve

[Keeping Up]

Welcome to the Forum, Steve, and thanks for an informative first post. There's a lot of good advice there !

[ditchcrawler]

Welcome to the Forum, Steve, and thanks for an informative first post. There's a lot of good advice there !

Agree