LED lighting retrofit for interior lights

[Buttercup]

Is it the light over the table? Or in the compartment? If it is over the table it sure is a bright lamp.
Gallery is not working right now so I am anxious to see the other pictures.

Originally Posted by Westfalia

I finally went out and spent some time under the lights. I like them! The light output is not the meager blue of the original LED lamps I originally installed. It is also 2/3 of the light output of the halogens, or at least this is my very unscientific opinion.

There is very little heat output, and what is output is very meager.

I have posted picture of these lights in my personal gallery, but here is one. Click on it to see the rest in my gallery.

[JDL]

Yes,

I have tried the 1156-LX3 Luxeon LED bulb. I have it as one of two LEDS in the standard RV light fixture. It does put out a lot of light.


The other LED is a 1156-PCB-W36 light LED Lamp (The flat one). Both are from superbright. Together they put out a lot of light. Most of the time all I need is the W36.

Originally Posted by MontanaArgy

Has anyone tried these "superbright" or "ultra" LED bulbs? They are 3 watt single LED bulb replacements, said to be brighter than standard filament bulbs. They also have a 130 degree light emittance angle, so they should illuminate a nice broad area. They produce 190 lumens using 65 milliamps. Superbrightled.com has them for the $25 price, LEDLight.com has them for $50. Both the wedge and bayonette base types are available. I'm looking to do similar interior bulb replacement in my old Argosy which has the bayonette base bulbs. They do have the problem that they only work in fixtures which emit the light from the end of the bulb, like spot and flood type fixtures.

I'm guessing they are relatively new and the prices may come down some.

If this link doesn't work search for Luxeon bulbs on the LED bulb sites.

3 Watt Luxeon 3156/3157 Bulb SPECIFICATIONS

[lewster]

Originally Posted by MontanaArgy

Has anyone tried these "superbright" or "ultra" LED bulbs? They are 3 watt single LED bulb replacements, said to be brighter than standard filament bulbs. They also have a 130 degree light emittance angle, so they should illuminate a nice broad area. They produce 190 lumens using 65 milliamps. Superbrightled.com has them for the $25 price, LEDLight.com has them for $50. Both the wedge and bayonette base types are available. I'm looking to do similar interior bulb replacement in my old Argosy which has the bayonette base bulbs. They do have the problem that they only work in fixtures which emit the light from the end of the bulb, like spot and flood type fixtures.

I'm guessing they are relatively new and the prices may come down some.

If this link doesn't work search for Luxeon bulbs on the LED bulb sites.

3 Watt Luxeon 3156/3157 Bulb SPECIFICATIONS

The 3 watt Luxeons are great! Lots of light in a small package. They make a super flashlight too (www.inova.com) They also make them for auto use now. I'll be replacing all of my standard brake and turn signal bulbs with them in the near future!

[Westfalia]

Originally Posted by Buttercup

Is it the light over the table? Or in the compartment? If it is over the table it sure is a bright lamp.
Gallery is not working right now so I am anxious to see the other pictures.

The lower light is a LED light over the table. It is almost as bright as the halogen it is replacing. I need to look at the picture data and see what the exposure was when I took that picture. The brightness is a little exaggerated, but only a little.

[Buttercup]

How about the color. I did an experiment a while back (Overlander '77 | Buttercup). My final result was color was worse than flourescent. I took the pictures keeping the exposure the same for each shot so that the results look exactly as they did when I was taking the pictures.
But if those liik that warm, or so much like halogen, that is real nice.
One problem I had with mine was that the led's actually got dim over time - a few weeks only and they just didn't put out much light after that. They were real cheap and overall a disappointment.
I am very interested in your results here in these same issues as i would relamp our unit if it works out.

[Westfalia]

The color is much closer to the halogens. It's a little hard to describe. The new ones are not blue since they do have a filter (as seen in the pictures), but they are no exactly white either. I need to get my good camera that I can lock down my exposure settings do some comparison pics with some known good objects or color sheets. I tried doing some closeup with the only colored object I had with me: a Trix cereal box. Needless to say, I didn't post those pictures and the results would have been meaningless with out a consistent exposure.

[Westfalia]

Buttercup, I was just re-reading you website and your commentary about your LED experiment. My original LED lights are pretty much this color. I can see how this would bother me in a different setting and trailer, but the cool blue color actually works with the funky colors of the CCD. I after some experimentation, I came to the conclusion that these lights would not do for task lighting. They were just too dim and the color was wrong for just about any task besides hanging out. So I put them in the overhead locker cabinet. Combined with the frosted plexiglass, the light worked and gave me a pleasing indirect light. There is more than enough light to see anything in the front of the trailer without completely destroying your night vision, yet I can lay my little baby girl down on the dinette bed without having any glare as to wake her up.

I'm looking forward to using the new lights this camping season and putting them thru their paces, but I suspect I will always keep the little funky 'blue' lights where they are.

[5cats]

So I'm finally getting around to doing some LED experiments on my SE -- but how do the CCD-style halogen ceiling fixtures open up to get the the G4 lamp?

I'm baffled. They seem springy, but I didn't want to pull too hard. I can only get them to pull away from the surface about 1/2" -- and I can't figure out how to access the bulb.

A little help??

thanks,
-jd.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by 5cats

So I'm finally getting around to doing some LED experiments on my SE -- but how do the CCD-style halogen ceiling fixtures open up to get the the G4 lamp?

I'm baffled. They seem springy, but I didn't want to pull too hard. I can only get them to pull away from the surface about 1/2" -- and I can't figure out how to access the bulb.

A little help??

thanks,
-jd.

There are 3 spring clips that hold the light to the ceiling. They will pull all the way out. The lense twists off and reveals the bulb.

It's very difficult to twist the lense if the fixture is still in the ceiling.

[5cats]

Thanks for the tip, Lewster.

I suspected the whole thing just pulls out, but with each of the three that I tried the springs were binding on the hole enough to make me worry I'd break something.

I'll try a little more persuasion next time I get in there.

Cheers,
-jd.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by 5cats

Thanks for the tip, Lewster.

I suspected the whole thing just pulls out, but with each of the three that I tried the springs were binding on the hole enough to make me worry I'd break something.

I'll try a little more persuasion next time I get in there.

Cheers,
-jd.

NO CHARGE!!

[Otters]

We just had our first halogen burn out in our CCD. I discovered that the bulb can be easily accessed by pulling out the inner metal ring that contains the clear diffusing lens. Use your fingernails and it comes out fairly easily. The bulb is then completely exposed for replacement.

When reinserting the inner ring, you need to line up the two, diametrically opposite keyways that are cutout for the reflector's mounting tabs.

Until someone finds an LED assembly that pretty much replicates the visible spectrum of the halogens, I'll just keep using them.

[BDandTTs]

It's time for us to start our conversion from halogens to LEDs. Thanks to JDL and Westfalia for reporting your experience.

We would like to start by replacing 2 to 5 overhead or under-counter 10W halogens with LEDs and have found the following choices.

From superbrightleds.com the G4-WHP6 White LED bulb http://www.superbrightleds.com/
G4 base bulb with 6 High Power Cool White LEDs
12 Volt AC or DC, Produces 65 lumens at 7000K, 120 degree beam pattern, 0.9 inch diameter
$ 14.95 + $5 total shipping


From Yachtlights.com the LED12V1WG4 'white' light at $19.95 ea + $10 total shipping
LED Bulb Conversion for Halogen G4 - yachtlights.com
Details:G4
12V
1.2 Watts
50,000-100,000 (estimate)
Draws only 0.1 amps
White, Blue, Red
90 Degree Beam Angle

-Super Flux LED Output
-Low Voltage Operated
-Low Power Consumption
-No-Polar Option
-Dimension 1.3" x 1/2"

And from Atlantic Marine Lighting the ILG4-21LED 12Volt warm white bulb at $24.65 ea + unknown shipping charges
Atlantic Marine Lighting Webstore: LED Replacement Bulb - G4 Socket, 5mm
This light looks the same as the Yachtlight. Atlantic has the largest selection of G4 bases that I've found, but several are even more expensive and too much for us to consider at this time.

I believe from earlier posts that some of you have experience with the Yacht lights. Is the quality of their 'white' light warm, or is it bluish? I notice that Atlantic lists both cool white and warm white, but more expensive.

Does anyone have knowledge of the superbrite lights?

Looking forward to hearing comments. Thanks,

[JDL]

BDandTTs,

Glad the posts were of help.

I choose Yacht Lights as they were the only game in town at the time. The ones I got are blueish.

Also, I replaced the halogens in both overhead cabinets, the rear cabinet and the ones over the vanity sink.

At night I turn on the lights in the overhead cabinets. 3 LED's over the sink and the 3 over the front of the trailer. This provides enough light to do most tasks.

JDL

Originally Posted by BDandTTs

It's time for us to start our conversion from halogens to LEDs. Thanks to JDL and Westfalia for reporting your experience.

We would like to start by replacing 2 to 5 overhead or under-counter 10W halogens with LEDs and have found the following choices.

From superbrightleds.com the G4-WHP6 White LED bulb http://www.superbrightleds.com/
G4 base bulb with 6 High Power Cool White LEDs
12 Volt AC or DC, Produces 65 lumens at 7000K, 120 degree beam pattern, 0.9 inch diameter
$ 14.95 + $5 total shipping


From Yachtlights.com the LED12V1WG4 'white' light at $19.95 ea + $10 total shipping
LED Bulb Conversion for Halogen G4 - yachtlights.com
Details:G4
12V
1.2 Watts
50,000-100,000 (estimate)
Draws only 0.1 amps
White, Blue, Red
90 Degree Beam Angle

-Super Flux LED Output
-Low Voltage Operated
-Low Power Consumption
-No-Polar Option
-Dimension 1.3" x 1/2"

And from Atlantic Marine Lighting the ILG4-21LED 12Volt warm white bulb at $24.65 ea + unknown shipping charges
Atlantic Marine Lighting Webstore: LED Replacement Bulb - G4 Socket, 5mm
This light looks the same as the Yachtlight. Atlantic has the largest selection of G4 bases that I've found, but several are even more expensive and too much for us to consider at this time.

I believe from earlier posts that some of you have experience with the Yacht lights. Is the quality of their 'white' light warm, or is it bluish? I notice that Atlantic lists both cool white and warm white, but more expensive.

Does anyone have knowledge of the superbrite lights?

Looking forward to hearing comments. Thanks,

[whitelight]

https://www.professorled.com/catalog...products_id=37

Dr. LED lights have replacements for the G4 as well as the single & double contact base.

We've used these as a replacement for the standard bulbs (bought at a boat show discount last year)

These have a nice soft incandescent light, not blue like other white LED's. Best of all, no heat & low amp draw.

[BDandTTs]

JDL,
First, thanks. And second, more questions. Are the yachtlights definitely toward blue, or are they just cool? I know, everything is relative, especially words to describe our perceptions. Does the light color bother you or others? Does it mix well with the standard halogens that you have left? Would you now be willing to pay almost $5 more for 'warm' lights? Have you tried 5W halogens in any of your fixtures? Thanks again

Whitelight,
I found the Dr.LED lights also, but do not believe that they will work in the overhead CCD fixture. On this page, Doctor LED, Dr. LED, is a designer and manufacturer of LED-based lighting solutions for landscape, marine, boat, RVs, cars, solar panel, interior, and outdoor applications., our CCD 10V halogen bulb is pictured on the right with a big X through it. However, the magnum ring might work in the CCD bullet lamps which are located at the front (bed) and rear (desk) of our 22'. We're not planning to replace these halogens at this time, but might in the future. Thanks for the heads up, the link might also be useful to others.

[whitelight]

Hi Dianne - I checked with Dr LED (we met him at the Vancouver boat show - yes, there is a Dr LED!) as to why there is a red X over the 10W halogen bulb on their website.

Anyway, in his words "No more halogen was what we meant !"

So, if you have room for this G4 LED Magnum ring to replace the 10W halogen , then go for it!

[lewster]

Hi Gang,

I just got a few G-4 direct replacement bulbs with 21 LEDs from SailorSams.com: 12 Volt LED Lights, 12 Volt Lights, Rope Lights, Small Microwaves, Marine Refrigerators, Coffee Makers, Electric Cooktops, Dock Cushions, Marine Hardware, Shrink Wrap for Boats, Boating Products and RV Accessories for overhead use, along with the same bulb in red for the overhead storage cabinets on the CCD. Expensive.....yes, but at a 10X reduction in amp draw and a light color equal to the halogens, they look great! I also found that the halogens were too bright anyway, so the warm white LEDs provide just the right amount of light for me.

Check them out if you're at the Fest in ABQ....................

[whitelight]

LED Replacement Bulbs - IMTRA Marine Products

For reference, Imtra is the distributor of the lights sold by several marine distributors, such as Sailor Sams. Here is the link to their LED products. This page also has a handy reference guide to determine replacements as well.

Apparently, Rekord Marine is coming out with a new line of soft white LED's. Also, Dr. LED is unveiling more LED lights at the Seattle Boat show in Jan 2008. One new style is going to be a G4 halogen replacement, 100 lumens, 2" in diameter, 1/3" thick.

We have two Dr. LED Saturn flush mount rings that will be installed in the galley of our 34 front kitchen. Will post pics when installed.

[BDandTTs]

Thanks for the inside information from Dr. LED, Whitelight. I did misunderstand his graphic. His lights might work especially well in vintage units. And thanks a lot for the link to IMTRA.

Based on Lew's recommendation for the 21 LED warm light, IMTRA's at $22 each sounds like our best choice as long as shipping charges are not outrageous. Hope to order on Monday.