Interior LED Lamp Upgrade

Skier0277 · 08-28-2011, 07:23 PM

Has anyone converted their interior lamps to LED? If so how did they turn out & which did you use?

Triguy · 08-28-2011, 07:46 PM

Very common mod on this forum.

As for me, I ordered bulbs from several Ebay sources in Bright White and Warm White. You can search Ebay for SMD 36-LED Interior Room Dome Door Car Lights.

I like the warm white light bulbs and only use the bright light LEDs with rarely-used lights. The 36's are just slightly brighter than the incandescent that came with the camper. The one drawback I can see with these Ebay LEDs is that the connectors are not the best. But the price is right

.

Skier0277 · 08-28-2011, 08:15 PM

Did you go with the retrofit style that fit into the base or the flat style that had a wire off it? I guess on the wire style you would splice it in?

dlhoppe · 08-28-2011, 08:42 PM

See this thread for more info...

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ults-9233.html

Skier0277 · 08-28-2011, 09:00 PM

Thanks for the link. I had tried searching but overlooked this one.

Triguy · 08-29-2011, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skier0277

Did you go with the retrofit style that fit into the base or the flat style that had a wire off it? I guess on the wire style you would splice it in?

This is what I installed...

dlhoppe · 08-29-2011, 01:30 PM

Yep, that's the style I installed as well. Works great once you get them secured correctly. That linked thread touches on the install method.

Good luck!

**Herk7769** · 08-29-2011, 02:31 PM

Glad I could help

A year and a half and all pads still working and secure.

dlhoppe · 08-29-2011, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by herk7769

Glad I could help

A year and a half and all pads still working and secure.

You da man!

SoMoney · 08-31-2011, 08:04 PM

You may not want to go overboard and replace them all Skier0277. Try 1-2 and see if you like the kind of light they put out. I find they emit to much white/blue light and makes the coach feel like Im living out of my garage.

A Caoch looks/feels much warmer with conventional incandescent bulbs IMO.

**Herk7769** · 08-31-2011, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoMoney

A Coach looks/feels much warmer with conventional incandescent bulbs IMO.

I have to agree. The reason for the LED upgrade had more to do with battery bank longevity than lighting per se.

The LEDs draw 1/10 the power of the equivalent incandescent.

NorthernGSDs · 09-01-2011, 02:33 PM

I was thinking of replacing a couple of our lights as well - are the "warm" whites still really quite "bluish"?

Triguy · 09-01-2011, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NorthernGSDs

I was thinking of replacing a couple of our lights as well - are the "warm" whites still really quite "bluish"?

I don't think so. I actually think the warm white LEDs were fairly close to an incan.

They're so cheap on Ebay that you can test it out for yourself before dropping too much cash.

TimeFurnace · 09-01-2011, 03:05 PM

I just bought 8 of the 36-element LEDs on eBay a few days ago. I can't wait until the slow boat from China gets them to my doorstep. I just finished a 10-night trip in trailer and experienced poor solar performance due to unexpected tree cover and dense fog throughout trip. Having to ration electrons is no fun so I am hoping that these work well. If they do, I will get another 15-20 of them and upgrade every fixture.

NorthernGSDs · 09-02-2011, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triguy

I don't think so. I actually think the warm white LEDs were fairly close to an incan.

They're so cheap on Ebay that you can test it out for yourself before dropping too much cash.

Thanks for the reply Scott

I may have to try ordering a couple warm whites to see how I like them. I detest the blue LED hue - makes me feel as though I am stuck inside a computer LOL.

Guess my next step is to first figure out which ones I need for the type of lights I have in the trailer - it looks like there are so many different ones?

Triguy · 09-02-2011, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NorthernGSDs

Guess my next step is to first figure out which ones I need for the type of lights I have in the trailer - it looks like there are so many different ones?

The different bases can get confusing. My lights turned out to only need two types. The LEDs I got happened to come with several connectors.

Here's a past discussion that might help you.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...lbs-12966.html

SoMoney · 09-02-2011, 03:22 PM

It sure would be great for some one to show a Lighting comparison of different bulb times that are coming outta China right now.

**Herk7769** · 09-02-2011, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoMoney

It sure would be great for some one to show a Lighting comparison of different bulb times that are coming outta China right now.

By "bulb" times I assume you mean time from order to shipment arrival?

I ordered several different times from several vendors. Times varied from 10 to 30 days. Paypal was the fastest since they get paid right away. Every other form of payment (including credit card) takes longer since they wait for the money to clear internationally before they ship. It is too easy for them to get ripped off if they ship right away and the card is later declined or the check bounces when it finally arrives back in the states (electronic transactions do not work internationally as the paper actually has to arrive at your bank - typically by "slow boat").

SoMoney · 09-02-2011, 03:59 PM

Sorry Lou, I miss typed (going on 70hrs this week). I meant "Lighting comparison of different Bulb TYPES", not time. When they say warm white Ive had yellow bulbs that were more yellow than warm white shipped to me. It would be nice if they listed these LEDs in temrature (ie kelvin).

PS. I use Paypal for all my China orders and have experienced lightning fast 5day shipping, slow boat 2 week shipping, and unfortunately the occasional counterfeit item (memory).

F and E Damp · 09-02-2011, 08:59 PM

I agree, SoMoney. I'm looking for warm-white LED's. At somewhere around $18 a bulb, I'm not rushing out to replace all 40+ bulbs in my rig all at once. I might try one, since none of the incandescents are dead yet (the rig's only 9 years old!), then replace as necessary when the incandescents fail. An occasional $18, I can live with!

What I couldn't live with is having all the lights being the garish blue/white that my LED flashlights and the buolb in the RV fridge put out. We don't boondock and are usually on shore power, so the drain of the lighting isn't critical.

I'm sure looking forward to when warm-white LEDs in 115V become available and the price drops considerably with an increase in availability. I've had it with these crappy CFLs. Five of the ones I bought (3 regular and two floods) have crapped out in less than 18 months. What's with this "last forever" rubbish? Maybe they don't like repeated fairly short on-off cycles, which incandescents had no trouble with. if you have to leave the CFLs on for long periods to avoid premature failure, the savings in consumption quickly disappear. Definitely NOT an entusiast for CFLs, but not a Luddite either!

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