LED lighting...anyone using?

[brians1969]

Sent: 4/6/2007 7:16 AM

I just read in this months Motorhome magazine about led lighting and wanted to open a thread to see if anyone is using and how they like it?
brian

[Oz]

Sent: 4/6/2007 10:05 PM

Changing to LED lighting on my rig is something I want to do, eventually.  Ready-made set-ups are expensive, to say the least.  However, you can modify your housings to accomodate the tail light bulbs since LEDs are directional rather than radiant.

I have been using them on my car.  LED running/stop light bulbs and an additional running stop light bar consisting of 9 bulbs, combined with a brake light flasher.  Having driven my wife's car behind mine at night, I can tell you they are much brighter and they are way more visible in fog.  They supposedly last much longer, as well as draw much less current and produce very little heat.  H

However, since my car got rear-ended in a big way last week, I can't say all that nice, bright, flashing LED lighting does a damn bit of good for the inattentive driver, so be glad your good, old style, steel rear bumper will probrobly give better than it will get.

[LJ-TJ]

Sent: 4/6/2007 10:17 PM

Yah! But they look so good

[MSN Member]

From: jbmhotmail
Sent: 4/6/2007 11:11 PM

I purchased 10 each 45 LED 12 vdc bulbs on ebay from a seller with a 100% rating, ratings lie. I installed the bulbs in my RV, I then noticed some LEDs on different bulbs were either not lite or blinking, a blinking LED is very irritating. I never started the engine and was not hooked to shore power. I then contacted the seller and was told that I had damaged the bulbs with excessive voltage. I then returned the bulbs and received a partial refund. Lessons learned: if you purchase an LED bulb be sure and have a written guarantee and be sure to ask what the sellers return policy is and what is their policy for LEDs on a bulb that either blink or that do not light up. Also is there a handling or shipping charge for returned bulbs and what is the length of the guarantee.

[Oz]

Sent: 4/7/2007 6:43 AM

Hey, I just remembered too... LED 2057 is the taillight bulb number.  Some are cheap because they only have one or two bulbs, the multi-bulbs, like you see on semis are considerably more expensive.

Our marker lights are self grounding.  With LED lights, you'd need to either get a wiring harness ($$$) or run a common ground wire too.

There are tons of sources for LED fixtures you can find just using a web search.  However, you can make your own as well.   It's not hard, but you do have to select the correct individual bulbs to match your power supply and connect a resistor (PC board type).  That's the kind techno-thing that makes me lose it right there.

Dick Mahan (rlm98253) has done this, and just prior to the unmentionable event, he was telling me how he was going to install LED lights in his RV drawers, complete with a disconnect switch that turned them on & off when you opened and closed them!

[Oz]

Sent: 4/7/2007 10:52 AM

I have changed out the lights to LED's on my Bluesliner and I really like the looks. I used http://superbriteled.com/ and was used very good by these folks. I installed the bus type yellow front and red back leds The tail lights are the same as I just used there square of leds with an 1157 base and siliconed the square to the back of the light. I ordered the regular rectangle type ( for the side clearance lights looking to get into a truckstop to pickup the chrome trim that installs around these lights. I screwed up when I ordered the front signal lights ordering a 67 base instead of the 1157 so I installed them under the dash, yes there yellow but at least I'm using them. I'll have to put in another order as I want to change out the interior coach bulbs as well and reorder the front signal/park light leds, there should be less drain on the coach and truck batteries.

Greg Siddall

[ibdilbert01]

In my ever ending search for neat gadgets, I ran across this site with LED RV Style lights.

12v LED Lighting

We have installed and tested these 12v LED Dome lights. They are perfect for the off-grid home as well as the RV/Vehicle market. They come as single and double surface mount fixtures, and as replacement LED modules without fixture. We ship with warm white LED's which are almost identical in color and brightness to the OEM 921 Incandescent bulbs (18 watt and hot to the touch). They do not change brightness with voltage changes, nor do they flicker with load changes, and run very cool to the touch.(12v, 2.34w, 195ma, 98 lumen)

http://www.green-trust.org/products/

The Dual dome light in the picture looks exactly like lights I have in my RV, but mine are not LED, and if you click the drop down box, it says you can buy the LED fixtures only for 25 bucks.  Albeit a bit pricey, but might be helpful on an extended boon dock stay.

Perhaps a cheaper option is to replace the bulbs only.
http://www.superbrightleds.com

[LJ-TJ]

I just purchased a set of these lights to mount on my mirrors for those idiots that like to set just on your rear quarter and can't see that you want to chance lanes. They work real good. Kieth Murry has just installed the amber directional lights and the red rear brake lights and loves them.

[LJ-TJ]

Ooooooops http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-LED-A-R-SQUARE-POST-MOUNT-FREIGHTLINER-FENDER-LIGHT-/270628621279?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f02b90bdf  W%

[LJ-TJ]

My Grandmother took an old wire coat hanger apart and wrapped it around a paint can to make it round. She put a cup hook out in the mud room and hung the coat hanger on it. Every time she came home from town she would take the receipt and stick them on the hangar. She us to make one for every year. She could have gone back to 1919 if she had to and show you a receipt from something she had bought. She was a pretty smart old girl she was. She never got sung with the "sorry you need the receipt".

[ibdilbert01]

I am waiting to see how things work out for the people who have them.

LEDs for these rigs are a whole lot simpler than whats going on inside a LED bulb made for the house.   Our rigs are DC and for the most part already regulated around 12 to 14 volts.   Nothing more than some resistors to limit the current and your pretty much guaranteed for 20,000 to 50,000 hours, after that they start to dim more noticeably over time.

A led bulb for the house on the other hand you have to deal with 120v AC (Actually, ~120v AC, its far from consistent throughout the day).  So you need to reduce and regulate the voltage, turn AC into DC, then regulate the current.  Not all that complicated, but there is some wiggle room for error especially when trying to compete with the market,  making all this happen cheaply.  It sounds like the above company failed to control the current and over drove the LEDs.   I bet the LEDs themselves were not at fault at all.  Either that or the circuit driving the LEDs failed all together and the LEDs themselves were still good.

And this part to me seems fishy....  "they promised to last 5 years over the typical bulb"   That line alone makes me think they designed the circuit to fail, or purposely are over driving the LEDs to fail early.

The average incandescent light bulb is good for about 900 hours, unless you leave it on all the time, then they will last much longer.   The average CF Light bulb is good for 10,000 hours, and most companies market them as 5 to 7 year bulbs.   Seems to me a LED bulb should be marketed as 12 to 25+ year light bulbs, if designed right.

We use to have a famous company about an hour or so away from where I live, it was called the "Forever light bulb company".   Trade over large areas was not as common at the time and they found out it was pretty hard to survive when the local market was flooded with light bulbs that lasted a very long time.   The building is still there, but its a surplus store now.

[jkilbert]

i'm planning to change all of running and brake lights to led's eventually. i'v used some from an ebay vendor, tmi led techknowlogy and have had good luck with them. when glenn and i were ems chiefs i had purchaced several of their dual-mode lights for use as warning lights on my blazer. these are a 12 led marker light with running and brake mode.  glenn can attest that they were very bright.  they are available as red or amber and come with clear and colored lenses.  one thing that i did learn from this vendor is that white led's don't work well behind red lenses, you need to use a red led. they explain that a filter is used to produce the white light and that the red lense will block out other wavelengths making the light dim or not visible at all.  they also produce a 24 led "bulb" that is a replacemeny for 1157 and 2157 lights, also in red/amber. i converted my front turn signals to a 4" grommet mount light so all thet i need to do is hit the tuckstop or napa store to buy the appropriate led for it.

[ibdilbert01]

TMI is who I bought my clearance lights from. I also bought the dual mode for the top back clearance lights.  When the brakes are applied, the top 5 rear clearance lights brighten up.

[joanfenn]

We have changed all the interior lights in our trailer to LEDs and love them.  In the process of doing the beast.  Have to go back to the truck store where I bought the last ones from.  There were twice as many diodes at almost half the price then what the RV stores sell them for around here.

[ibdilbert01]

By chance do you know the brand name and model of the LEDs you purchased?

[joanfenn]

Hi:  There isn't too much info on the package.  Says Best Super bright Bulb LED.  Purchased from LESCO Distributors in Edmonton Alberta.  Their part number is T10/1156 LED 36 Diode.  Price is 13.64 each.

Hope that helps  Joan