LED lighting retrofit for interior lights

[RLS]

Hummer, good to know about the 5030 leds. I will be using them in my future led replacements I have already made up my own tail light leds and back up ones, but seeing those 5030's sure gets me wanting to even replace what I already did I used 4 - 3" led rigid strips in ea. assembly for the tail lights and kept the brake light bulb working, but only when the brakes are applied if that makes any sense. Thanks for the information.

[Hummer]

RLS, did some more research on line and found out some very interesting info on calculating how much you need to do this and that with LEDs that will equal and or surpass 1156 bulbs. Per my research this is what I found:

1156 Clear bulbs (standard on our 76 Sovereign) give off 403 lumens

One 5630 LED Chip gives off 50 Lumens, thusly a 8 chip LED panel of 5630s will duplicate (almost) one 1156 bulb.

Thusly I am going to do this two ways. First is I am going to get a 24 5630 panel and use that on the running light which should give 1200 lumens.

For the backup light I am going to mount one 48 5630 LED on lexan in alignment with the white section of glass and back ups will be 2400 lumens each where the 1156 would be about just over 800 Lumens for two.

On the brake light I am going to use another 48 5630 LED glued on lexan for the same level and may be able to add a couple 3 ship modules with 5630s.

For every 30 of the 5630s you are only pulling 1.5 watts. and .217 Amps.

Hope this helps.

[RLS]

Here is what I have, they really light the back up and these are only the 50 ones!

[Hummer]

RLS, absolutely beautiful workmanship Sir!

I have a good neighbor who had a very nice finger brake and he helped me make a gage to check the replacement axles for my 76 before I brought them home.

I took something else down a couple weeks ago for bending and he had sold it and I was devastated as I did not even know he was contemplating letting it go or I would have made a move on it.

I have a lathe and a mill and vertical band saw, acetylene and stick unit and a No 3 Dake arbor press so I am reasonably dangerous but as you know they are not the answer to many things a guy can come up with that need specialty tools for modifications.

From the pics we have different rear light housings and lenses and as a start I cut out some lexan pieces based on replacement lenses I have but have not gone out to the rig and pulled one off for a closer looksee at the cup inside.

However I believe your idea is the first class way to go here and I have some galvanized tin scraps from a HVAC shop I can experiment with.

From the pics the base plate in your light is the original and you fabbed the "bridge" to mount the LED panel to and attached it to the reflector plate in the light?

Could you post some pics on what you did with the other lights? Many thanks and again good job!.

[Msmoto]

I noted the idea of using Lexan (polycarbonate) materials on an Airstream. This is very sensitive to UV radiation and when mounted in a location which receives sunshine one must paint the Lexan to protect it. If not it deteriorates within a few years and breaks easily.

This is true in my experience when used for break proof windows, as in a high security area, and in various brackets created with the Lexan…which broke after about 2 1/2 years.

[Hummer]

MSMOTO, Yes, my source of Lexan told me that several years ago that continious sunlight was a killer. He sold me a 4X7 ft sheet that I use in my shooting building and it is only exposed to the sun for maybe two hours in the morning and it has been in the window for I am thinking about eight years now and has not turned yellow (knock on wood).

I also have plastic in back window (most likely Plexiglass) of my camper cover and it was used when I got it and it stays parked under the same shed and only exposed a few hours in the morning unless I am out on the road with it. I got it in 2011 on a trip to Ohio and fortunately it has not turned yet but it has sure been flexed and impacted but holds up well.



Direct sunlight is a killer of many things as was brought out in a course I took at Rock Island Arsenal on Corrosion Control and Prevention of Material Deterrioration and I know on the gov't storage areas for vehicles known as "hard stands" all the glass is covered and tires removed to get them out of the sun.

I would surmise that most of us have seen the sun deterrioration of the roof vent covers and the resultant embrittlement/cracking. My rear vent was removed as we never opened it I covered the opening with a piece of aluminum wrap that facia boards are covered with these days that never need painting and sealed it with 20 year silicone sealant before screwing the new piece on.

I was just thinking yesterday the lenses on the AS had dulled (like the plastic headlights do) and was just thinking I should get out the 1200 grit and wet sand them and polish them and see if they come back as well like my headlight lenses have on our 2002 Durango.

I also remember reading something somewhere that explained how tail light lenses are fabricated to reflect & re-direct light waves from a single concentrated light source but I dont remember the details. CRS strikes again ! ! !

I found a very nice piece of Lexan about 12"X 72" years ago discarded from putting up protective covers for stained glass windows. It is quite thick and it still has the factory protective covering on it and thought I would give some of it a try as it used as lens material in certain applications. It hasn't seen daylight since I guess 96 and still mint.

We had a Minnie Winnie about ten years back and the porch light lens broke and I cut a new cover out of Lexan and replaced it and it had not changed in a couple years but then again it stayed parked in a garage when not on the road.

I am thinking how it would be a simple trick to fab some covers out of vinyl covered fiberglass that tarps are made from and hold them in place with the Velcro patches from Home Depot etc and just remove the covers when hitting the road when the tire covers are removed. My tires only see direct sunshine when our girl is on the highway and even though it is under a shed they are still covered when not rolling.

Lexan is amazing stuff. We had a structure fire about 15 years back on a commercial building and we forced the door and we had taken precautions to protect ourselves from shattering glass and when we forced the door enough to spring it open to our surprise it did not shatter and it was apparently Lexan or another material.

[jimrich60]

Originally Posted by Dan@LED4RV

If your talking about the eyeball style light, there is an LED replacement.

Found pic of "Eye Ball lights removed
Lighting Fixtures - original fixtures from above gaucho removed Photo Gallery

[Hummer]

Jim, thanks much, now I see. In the dark I couldn't see the recessed screws and just went out and checked again and yep they are there. Now it looks like I have two broken switches. Gee I am lucky haha

I may get lucky and can change them out to toggle switches and I will probably get the small LED panel lights RLS used.

Having a old Airstream is shall we say an interesting challange to find what will work better than it did in 1976 because there are definite upgrades one can do to make things better and more durable.

MSMOTO, I have been researching Lexan in light lenses and I found several vehicle exterior lights reportedly made from Lexan.

While in town I stopped by Home Depot and checked the plastics stock and they have Lexan and acrylic and bought:

OPTIX 18 in. x 24 in. x 0.093 in. Clear Acrylic Sheet Glass Replacement-MC-05 at The Home Depot

Lexan was available at about twice the price. Per the literature acrylic is 20 times stronger than glass and Lexan is 200 times stronger than glass. The above is enough for me to make all my tail light lenses and replace the opaque covers on the overhead sink and bed lights for about $10.00.

For kicks I pulled out my piece of Lexan which appears to be about 1/4" thick and traced out a new lens and cut two of them out with my scroll saw last night. By the prices now my piece of Lexan is apparentlly worth 175.00 or more.

I did a ebay search and RED acrylic sheets are available in abundance but RED Lexan was not.

[Msmoto]

Lexan in its original form deteriorates in sunlight. A new product, Lexan SLX resists sunlight deterioration for up to 10 years as I understand it. I do not know of the availability of Lexan SLX, however.

[Jessi64]

I would like to change out the whole fixture that comes in the 16ft Sport. They are just dual sided plastic pancake lights and Im looking to add that upgraded touch when I revamp some of the interior with the recessed lights and some spots. Any suggestions?

[Msmoto]

If you contact Dan at LEDs 4, Recreational Vehicles he can assist you. This is a reliable source and he can offer some advice.

Contact Link:

http://led4rv.com/index.php?main_pag...sjnthi0hdpo027

[Gene]

On post 300, it was 2 1/2 years and my LED's from Superbright were still fine; now after almost 6 years, they are still good.

When this thread started, the OP lived in Colorado, but no more. I think he moved to Texas and I moved further west in Colorado.

Gene

[adonh]

Has anyone tried this LED upgrade to the stock light fixture in the 70's model Airstreams

LED strip light kit for 18x18 70 s Model SKU685 [K18x18] - $89.95 : LEDs 4, Recreational Vehicles

[mnmhays]

I just ordered these for under the bulkheads:

Amazon.com: Gold Stars F3528002 LED Dome Light Fixture Double 921 Wedge 2 X 150 LUM 12v Natural White (3): Automotive

And some of these to replace the bulbs in the light fixtures:

http://www.amazon.com/HOT-SYSTEM-tra...JV4K7SBQKAZBY4

[Can of beans]

Originally Posted by adonh

Has anyone tried this LED upgrade to the stock light fixture in the 70's model Airstreams

LED strip light kit for 18x18 70 s Model SKU685 [K18x18] - $89.95 : LEDs 4, Recreational Vehicles

I haven't tried that kit, but I did something similar to my '72. I took leftover warm white led strip lighting from our undercabinet light and stuck them on in a box around the edge of the light. I wired the strips to one position on the 3 way, and all the original bulb lights to the other position, that way I can have LED or bulb light or both. I thought it was dim at first, but when you switch to either or, the brightness is about the same. I bought a roll of warm white led strips from Amazon, and a bunch of clip on connectors, and I'm going to wire them in while I have all my fixtures down. I think I might do two rows of led around and ditch the bulbs altogether. I also bought some generic 21 led panels to try instead.
they were 1.99 each, so it couldn't hurt.

[ReggieDaniel]

I replaced 30 incandescent bulbs in my '72 International with LED lights. Went to "Lightinbox.com" and did a search for trailer lighting and found every kind of LED imaginable. I got 30 lights (with shipping included) for $31.96. Took two weeks to get across the pond but was well worth the wait. Every one of them worked. Have since replaced all of the exterior lights as well.

[Farmer Dan]

adonh, in my '02 Classic I put the 2 LED replacement strips in all of my 12" Thin Lites. I could not get a season of use from the fluorescent bulbs or ballast in the bathroom or under-cabinet kitchen fixtures. The updates were about $40 / light. The light is so nice and bright now. And they are not dim when it's cold as the fluorescents were. I used bright white LED strips except over the couch and bed where I used warm white. I got my LEDs from LED4RV. Good service and product.

Dan

[bhayden]

Originally Posted by ReggieDaniel

I replaced 30 incandescent bulbs in my '72 International with LED lights. Went to "Lightinbox.com"

Glad to see this thread is still alive since I'm about ready to start in on reviving my Argosy. The Lightinbox.com domain is a French website that looks to be a content creator. I'm guessing it was supposed to point to Lightingbox.com from Canada.

Pictures pictures pictures !

[Hans627]

I have replaced a few of the puck halogen bulbs with LED's. So far so good and now I'm ready to replace the ceiling puck lights. There are 8 of them in the kitchen and hallway and four in the bedroom.

For those who have already made the conversion I have a question. Would using the 12 diode LED replacement be too bright in the kitchen? I am planning on using the 9 diode LED for the bedroom? I don't think it's a major decision but thought I could benefit from someone saying 9 diode LED's were not bright enough or the 12's are too bright.

BTW I'm using the warm color LED's and I got them from LED4RV.com.

Thanks!

[Hummer]

I think the biggest thing you will see is reduction of heat given off by the conventional bulbs.

I am thinking of putting in a string of 5050 bulbs around trough above the curtains to give off indirect lighting from the ceiling.

Now I am looking for a good light to replace the entry light over the door.