LED 12 volt lighting: Long term results

[Paul Stamser]

Well, my 24 and 36-LEDs arrived yesterday from Hong Kong. It was dark by the time I got back from the mile long walk from the mailbox and right away I ripped open a 36 and installed it over my kitchen counter, stove, & sink area.

Here are my comments/findings:

1) The units are smaller than I pictured them, but so what.

2) The wires on them are incredibly puny but I can cope with that.

3) The bayonet fitting is some kind of mini-plug that doesn't fit my 1156 type sockets. So I just cut the wires and taped them into the circuit.

4) The amount of light from the 36-LED is FANTASTIC! One 36-LED completely illuminates my entire counter-stove-sink area wonderfully! I am not used to regular 110 volt lighting and hate it because it's generally so bright when I visit normal peoples' houses that it hurts my eyes. But I would compare this 36-LED to about a 60-70 watt bulb, or so it seems to me.

5) From my amp-meter reading it appears that the 36-LED burns about 1/4 amp or just a tad more. I can easily live with that!

6) From the amount of light this 36-LED throws, I plan to mount a 24-LED over my kitchen table. That should be plently of light and why waste power with a 36-LED when you don't need to?

7) The BIG QUESTION now is how long this relatively "cheap" ($9) LED will last in daily useage. My previous LEDs started crapping out within a year or so and did not live up to the hype. While old time incandescent auto bulbs simply NEVER burned out in my 12 volt stand-alone solar electric & battery system (well, almost never).

8) One problem/question: Since the wire leads on these Hong Kong LEDs are so puny there is no good possibility of soldering them into the circuit like I typically like to do. I guess I can tape them on but here's a question:

QUESTION: Is there any kind of electrically conductive glue-cement-adhesive on the market you can use instead of solder to make a permanent electrical connection? This would seem to be a no-brainer since no melting heat or dripping solder would be involved. But does it exist? If it does I've never heard of it. But how cool would that be? Just wrap the wires together and coat them with the conductive adhesive and then tape it. Presto! A perfect permanent connection! Useful, but does it exist???

I plan to update this thread by-and-by with long-term results of these Hong Kong LEDs as their reliability and longevity is unknown. Please post your own thoughts and experiences with ("cheap") 12 volt LED lighting as this is new and exciting but still pioneer technology. But if you can find good ones that don't break the bank, they are the way to go.

Thanks for clueing me in about these LEDs from Hong Kong. I don't know if I'd of found them without the help of people on this forum.

[Fire Instructor]

Great report! Keep us posted!

So who (which vendor) was you actual supplier, Paul?

[Paul Stamser]

Fire,

Mine came from a eBay seller named farmerseller.

Thanks for the interest. I am very excited about these things but am dubious about how long they will last. Hopefully I will be proven wrong.

The thing about my system is that I'll be using these LED lights every day year round.

I'm interested in other people's experience as well. We need to find a source of good LED lights at a decent price.

[peskin]

And what do you mean by "normal people" ?

[Paul Stamser]

Originally Posted by peskin

And what do you mean by "normal people" ?

Oops!

By "normal" people I mean those who live in normal houses with normal 110 volt AC lighting and normal appliances and use UNLIMITED amounts electricity with no notion of what it means to conserve power and don't care how much they use anyway because it doesn't matter. They buy a cloth shopping bag and that makes them "green."

When you're living on 12 volt photovoltaic power with a battery bank in the fall and winter months when the days are short and it's cloudy much of the time that's not "normal" by regular standards.

That's what I mean...

[peskin]

Thank you for the clarification. I just want to make sure that no one accuses me of being completely 'normal". I presently do reside most of the time in " sticks and bricks" but have always strived to not be labeled with that "normal" distinction.

[The_Stuff]

lol normality is a fictional ideal.


glad to hear they work okay. just wonder what to do about a base for replacements.

[WeBJammin']

Please keep us all updated on the led lighting as far as longevity is concerned. I am thinking of purchasing some myself. I believe 1/4 amp draw that you mentioned is less that 1/4 the draw of an 1141 bulb that is used in incandesants. Some of my concerns are that it is difficult to find out how much light is put out by these leds and the color of the light without purchasing them. I cant remember ever seeing the lumens rating advertised or the color temp. You asked about a glue/adhesive that can be used in electrical applications, do a search on conductive epoxy and perhaps you will find something you can use.

[Paul Stamser]

Originally Posted by peskin

Thank you for the clarification. I just want to make sure that no one accuses me of being completely 'normal". I presently do reside most of the time in " sticks and bricks" but have always strived to not be labeled with that "normal" distinction.

No, I'll never accuse ya' of bean' normal if you don't accuse me of it either....

Seems to me people in this forum are trying to get away from the normal world, but in a good way.

[Paul Stamser]

Originally Posted by The_Stuff

lol normality is a fictional ideal.


glad to hear they work okay. just wonder what to do about a base for replacements.

I plan to order a few spare ones the minute I know these are not complete crap. Just when I'll know that isn't clear.

My last LEDs lasted at least a year before crapping out. I won't wait that long because these babies throw lots of light and consume very little power. First impression is a good one. But will they last?

[Paul Stamser]

Originally Posted by WeBJammin'

Please keep us all updated on the led lighting as far as longevity is concerned. I am thinking of purchasing some myself. I believe 1/4 amp draw that you mentioned is less that 1/4 the draw of an 1141 bulb that is used in incandesants. Some of my concerns are that it is difficult to find out how much light is put out by these leds and the color of the light without purchasing them. I cant remember ever seeing the lumens rating advertised or the color temp.

My impression is subjective but to me the 36-LED throws a LOT of light and the color is perfectly fine. So much light that I'm putting a 24-LED over my kitchen table. Gotta do that yet...

You asked about a glue/adhesive that can be used in electrical applications, do a search on conductive epoxy and perhaps you will find something you can use.

I found something called "Wire Glue." Although the reviews for it aren't too good I ordered some anyway. They say it's too watery and not really glue like the name implies. Also takes too long to dry. But it is conductive. For my purpose of bonding a puny wire wrapped around a larger wire it might work okay. Worth a try.

Cheapest I found was on eBay for $6.95 delivered. I'll post my findings about it too...

[SaskCampers]

I was going to suggest the stuff they use to repair rear window defrosters in cars. I am guessing that what you bought is probably close to it. But for the life of me I cannot remember the name of the stuff.

[Herk7769]

I found that the gray "Extreme Duty" Velcro works GREAT for holding the 36 LED pads to the fixtures. Even the ones that get hot (Farmerseller's) stay up. Seems the course velcro dissipates the heat very well and neither glue join gets too hot.

I am field testing Flood light replacements now and will report on which ones I like the best. Need to live with them for a while and do some late night reading.

[Paul Stamser]

Bad news.

Another guy online who tried similar LEDs had bad luck with them. Said that within a few months they began to fail. Got very hot, etc.

Herk, did your farmerseller LEDs actually fail and you ditched them? If they did fail, how long did they last? And when they failed what happened? Blinking, etc?

Could you give us a URL for the flood lights you are testing so we can look at them?

My new 36-LED is hanging by a wire-tie so air can circulate all around it. I don't leave it on too long either. Just while making supper. I wonder how long they will last?

Bean warned about the ones that got hot. If these from farmseller get that hot, they will probably fail in short order.

Too bad, because they throw a lot of light. Real nice!

There are some on eBay that look identical to but are about 1/2 the price of those from farmerseller. Probably the same thing tho. Not sure yet if I'll order more...

[Herk7769]

Paul,

I bought 4 36 LED pads from Farmerseller a year ago. Other than the sticky pad sagging off the fixture, I have never had a minutes problem with them. The Extreme Velco (gray) seems to have solved that problem.

They are very bright and pull 1/10th the amps the bulbs do.

I was on eBay trying to buy those same units, but he did not have them listed for sale. I guess I will be buying from a different vendor. I will let you know who and how they work out.

Check these out. I may buy a few from this guy:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Unive...item3361ed6306

Yikes I just checked shipping. 6.99 EACH with NO reduction for quantity.
Sent him a message.

I looked at the cheaper ones, and they are very different looking LEDs. Lots of 24 light units.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...40063&viewitem=

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...SA:MOTORS:1123

I bought a single batch of each type to test for reading bulb replacements.

[Paul Stamser]

Originally Posted by herk7769

Paul,

I bought 4 36 LED pads from Farmerseller a year ago. Other than the sticky pad sagging off the fixture, I have never had a minutes problem with them. The Extreme Velco (gray) seems to have solved that problem.

They are very bright and pull 1/10th the amps the bulbs do.

I was on eBay trying to buy those same units, but he did not have them listed for sale. I guess I will be buying from a different vendor. I will let you know who and how they work out.

Check these out. I may buy a few from this guy:
Universal T10 36 SMD LED Car Interior dome Light White - eBay (item 220686279430 end time Nov-20-10 23:15:44 PST)

Yikes I just checked shipping. 6.99 EACH with NO reduction for quantity.
Sent him a message.

I looked at the cheaper ones, and they are very different looking LEDs. Lots of 24 light units.

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)

I bought a single batch of each type to test for reading bulb replacements.

Herk,

I must have misunderstood you, but glad to hear the 36-LEDs are still working. Do you have many hours on them?

Here is a link to farmersellers actual website (from card sent with my LEDs). He lists them here and a little bit cheaper too. I don't see them on eBay anymore either. Hope they are still available.

I hooked up a 24-LED over my kitchen table. The light is adequate but the 36-LED is superior. If I order more and I probably will, I'll get a couple spotlight types for 1156 sockets if I can find them.

High Power 36 SMD 1210 LED Car Interior Dome Bulb light White [168] - US$8.50 : Soonhua Digital - Wholesale Electronic Accessories , LED Light Bulb, Car Rear View Camera Monitor, Solar Power Product

[Herk7769]

I ordered some more 36 LED pads from him.
They have been used frequently for a year now and have had no problems so far (KoW). I will be using these and the old ones pretty much full time for 3 months this winter and will post me results in the Spring.

The only issue I ever had with them is the dinky wires coming out of the tiny connector when plugging them into the correct pigtail. If the connection is not good to start with they tend to come undone due to thermal stress (heating/cooling) at the connection. Reseating the wire connections has solved every "no light" condition I have run across.

[Paul Stamser]

Yes, I noticed the puny wire too. But they throw a lot of light for very little power use.

I'll be using mine every day from now on. But only when I'm making supper, doing dishes, etc. I turn them off when I'm not using them and that might help cool them off.

Got the "Liquid Wire" stuff today. I'll post when I use it.

[Paul Stamser]

Repositioned the 24 LED to a little better position over the kitchen table. It throws PLENTY of light!

If these things hold up then I am hooked on them. No problem so far. The sticky backing started to fall off so I just removed it. Probably cool better with out....

[Herk7769]

I use a square of "Extreme" Velcro. (The gray stuff)
The heavy loop and pile provides cooling so the glue does not get hot.