LED 12 volt lighting: Long term results

[Paul Stamser]

Nice!

Mine are hanging by a couple of wire ties. The ones you get in the produce aisle in the grocery store. Not very elegant but simple and cheap. Also total air cooling all around.

I gotta start preparing an order for a couple more. I sure like 'em. Far superior in amount of light than the bulb LEDs I was using and that went kaput. But still a question how durable these jobs are.

So far, so good!

[Herk7769]

OK, I tried both bulbs I bought:

10xpcs SMD LED T10 194 Wedge Car White Light Lamp Bulbs - eBay (item 170424040063 end time Nov-19-10 20:05:10 PST)=

5x 194 W5W 501 168 T10 6-LED WHITE Wedge Base LED Bulbs - eBay (item 200540887813 end time Nov-10-10 15:30:22 PST)

The

5x 194 W5W 501 168 T10 6-LED WHITE Wedge Base LED Bulbs - eBay (item 200540887813 end time Nov-10-10 15:30:22 PST)

Were superior in every way. They just plug into the bayonet slot and are a cluster of 6 bright leds. The run cold and about 100 millivolts each.

DW and I have no trouble reading in the dark with them. The smaller bulbs would be OK for a floor or night light, but just are not bright enough to read by. If they don't work when you plug them in; turn them over. They are polarity dependant like all LEDs.

[Fire Instructor]

Lou - Any problems with the wedge seeming "loose"? I bought some "cheapo's" from Hong Kong (See previous post), but I had to jam the tip of a plastic toothpick in to keep the wedge from falling out.

[Herk7769]

Not on either type. The small single LED ones were actually a tad tight.

[Paul Stamser]

Herk,

I see on that eBay site you linked some interesting looking 8-, 24-, and 36-LEDs in dual pin car-type bayonet socket bases. But I'm not sure if those are the same size socket my fixtures are.

The website says 1156 bases and gives other numbers. My old incandescent bulbs that fit read: 63, 67, 97, T97, and CL861. One number seems to cross-reference and that is "67", so I'm thinking they will fit. But I know they also make a mini plug that looks like that too. Would hate to order the wrong size. Will check some more.

Edit: Yes, looks like they are all "single contact bayonet" size and style -- not "miniature bayonet" type.

I might order the 24-LEDs for over the table/stove, stairway, hallway areas. Would like to compare the bulb type to the flat panel type for light distribution and longevity.

[dezolen]

Conserve what you want but it will come back to haunt you.
In our fair city due to our conservation efforts of cutting approx 30% of water usage now the city has the nerve to complain that revenues are down so much that they have to raise the rates to make up for the shortfalls.
One may feel better for saving energy but you will not save any money.
I am sure same principles will apply to electric and fuel conservation efforts.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by dezolen

Conserve what you want but it will come back to haunt you.

I see you tend to camp with full hookups. Those of us who dry camp will spend whatever it takes to save a few hundred milli-watts a day.

No price too high; no burden to heavy; etc.

[Herk7769]

Both of those "spot light" LED replacements (below) have the correct "push in" type bases and the 36LED pads have a white plastic "push in" plug that fits my push in type 12 Volt lights.

The only exceptions to that light base in my rig are the vanity lights over the bathroom sink (3 type 1156 base vanity bulbs) and the fixture over the dinette (2 type 1156 base bulbs - stop lights). The will get replaced on my next go around. While the bath cabinet lights don't get used much, the ones over the dinette get used all the time.

[Paul Stamser]

Originally Posted by dezolen

Conserve what you want but it will come back to haunt you.
In our fair city due to our conservation efforts of cutting approx 30% of water usage now the city has the nerve to complain that revenues are down so much that they have to raise the rates to make up for the shortfalls.
One may feel better for saving energy but you will not save any money.
I am sure same principles will apply to electric and fuel conservation efforts.

I beg to differ. I generate all of my own electricity so every electron that I do NOT use is to my advantage. I will need fewer solar panels, less battery bank capacity, and not run the backup gas generator as often. Plus my batteries should last longer too.

[Paul Stamser]

Originally Posted by herk7769

Both of those "spot light" LED replacements (below) have the correct "push in" type bases and the 36LED pads have a white plastic "push in" plug that fits my push in type 12 Volt lights.

The only exceptions to that light base in my rig are the vanity lights over the bathroom sink (3 type 1156 base vanity bulbs) and the fixture over the dinette (2 type 1156 base bulbs - stop lights). The will get replaced on my next go around. While the bath cabinet lights don't get used much, the ones over the dinette get used all the time.

By "push in" do you mean wedge type? Those I don't use.

Well, whoever gets the 1156 type first will have to report back. I've got lots of those fixtures all over the place. I was going to phase them out with the flat panel type LEDs, but it makes sense to test some other 1156 LED types as well. I'm looking at these. Any opinions?

4x 1156 BA15S WHITE 24 LED TURN INDICATOR LIGHT BULBS S - eBay (item 190352828703 end time Dec-20-10 13:22:27 PST)

[Herk7769]

If you are looking for a spot light replacement you should be happy with them. My wedge type of those put out plenty of reading light when aimed at the book.

For an area light like my bath cabinet vanity lights or the fixture over the dinette, they would be a poor choice IMO.

[Paul Stamser]

Okay, I just ordered four 24LED single-contact auto base type bulbs from a seller in Hong Kong. $17.99 for a four pack. Not a bad price if they don't prematurely burn out.

Don't see how they can beat the 24 and 36LED 12 volt panel types for amount of light, but it's worth comparing them. Esp. since I have several of the single-contact fixtures already in use around my 12 volt solar powered cabin in the Northwoods. I'll post when I get them.

This is the item ordered:

4x 1156 BA15S WHITE 24 LED TURN INDICATOR LIGHT BULBS S - eBay (item 190352828703 end time Dec-20-10 13:22:27 PST)

[Herk7769]

My spots have wedge bases not the 1156 type like yours.

[Paul Stamser]

Originally Posted by herk7769

My spots have wedge bases not the 1156 type like yours.

Yes, I noticed you use the wedge type bulbs. I never progressed that far but use the older style.

When I got into solar electric power back in 1988 I tried different things but the single contact accessory type auto bulb turned out to the best and most reliable. Plus they were very cheap. From J.C. Whitney I could get cheap accessory/marker lights (fixture, bracket, lens, wire, & bulb for less than a buck!) But power consumption was not real low. However the bulbs would last for years. Wedge base is new fangled invention!

So what different 12 volt LEDs are you using? Both wedge base bulbs and the flat panel types?

The flat panel jobs are REALLY nice. I'm very impressed with those babies and so far they have not flickered or anything. I did remove the sticky foam piece from them to allow more air circulation and cooling. Still a mystery how long they will last, but so far so good.

[Herk7769]

Still going strong one year later.

I now have 16 - 36 LED pad type replacements installed - 4 more in the basement to go

and 4 5x 194 W5W 501 168 T10 6-LED WHITE Wedge Base LED Bulbs - eBay (item 200540887813 end time Nov-10-10 15:30:22 PST) Spot lights that work good enough for reading at night.

Still looking for a candelabra type (1156 socket) led for my 3 bulbs over the vanity but we don't use them very much as the overhead dual 36 LED pads really crank out the lumens.

The sticky that comes with the pads is not worth much since the heat from the leds makes them come unstuck. Still swear by the gray EXTREME Velcro sold at Home Depot and Lowes. Put the plastic "teeth" against the pad and the fuzzy stuff against the fixture.

The teeth isolate and cool the pad and they stick better.

[whitebb]

Question are these the same leads that plug into a Halogen G4 socket or hook up to a standard 2 prong miniature fixture small bulb, I know this is not the correct part number but its a miniature bulb. or the round twist in type.

[Herk7769]

I believe the sockets are called T-10.

This is the best photo of the plug end I could find.

[tonyz]

Many options for 'plug n play' LED auto / RV bulbs out there now. Heres 1 for the G4 style

G4 24 SMD LED Warm White RV Camper Marine Light Bulb - eBay (item 290406980692 end time Jan-21-11 03:05:13 PST)

I bought a batch of 36 led bulbs (flat plates) for my 64 series outlets for about $6 a popt w/ free shipping from Hong Kong. Don't be afraid, they work great. Ater a solid year, 20+ trips w/ 50+ days (yah I camp a lot) of use, I only have a 2 out of 20 bulbs that had 1-2 leds out of the 36 per bulb burn out.

As in construction, I ordered 20% extra for spares or the likelihood that one comes defective. only 1 came not working, but a couple minutes of soldering and some heat shrink tube fixed that.

I tried the 'bulb style' with 12 leds per bulb, they did not produce ample light, more is better.

[Paul Stamser]

Tony,

That's encouraging news about the 36LED Hong Kong panels. My 24 & 36LED panels continue to perform flawlessly, altho I've only had them for a short while.

Yes, I had some 9LED bulbs obtained when LED's first hit the market. Not only were they dim (needed 3 to illuminate my sink and stove area and 2 over my kitchen table), but they burned out.

Of the panel types I have tried, 24LED is adequate, but the 36LED is better. Still waiting for my 24LED bulbs to arrive from Hong Kong. Then I will see about more panel types for spares.

[Paul Stamser]

Received the 24LED bulbs from Hong Kong with single contact bayonet type 1156 base. They are okay and will serve their purpose, but I still like the panel type LED units better for light output.

Life span is the big unknown on both types...