I got to thinking (I know, I know, bad idea…) about the new LED bulbs and the upfront cost.
I saw some previous posts here on the forum about using them with some results and decided to take a poke at making some myself.
I got the initial idea from here:
Pete's Blog: 3$ LED Map Light Replacement
That was a pretty inexpensive way to solve a problem. One thing led to another and I ended up at the LED Center
LED series parallel array wizard and after some more research decided to have a go at it.
The following parts were used:
White 14000 Mcd LEDs from Deal Extreme.com
$5.67 - 14000mcd 50Packs White 5Mm Led - Flashlight Parts and Tools
Circuit boards came from Radio Shack
Dual Mini Board with 213 Holes - RadioShack.com
The first five 180 ohm resistors came from an assortment pack from Radio Shack that I bought to cover some other projects.
500-Piece 1/4-Watt Carbon-Film Resistor Assortment - RadioShack.com
I knew I would need a few more of the 180 ohm resistors so Digikey helped out with a decent deal on a pack of 50.
Digi-Key - CF14JT180RCT-ND (Manufacturer - CF14JT180R)
I played around with numbers of LEDs and figured that an array of 21 might work. I went to the LED wizard and printed out a guide and started assembling.
There are a number of photos I uploaded to the forum photos section that might help someone.
RV LED light - My Photo Gallery
We took a trip this past weekend to Pigeon Forge, TN and the lights did well. I want to make some more but I'll probably try another color temperature.
I'm open to suggestions and help.
Chris in Virginia
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2006 Sunseeker 3100SS/LTD
2008 Smart Passion Cabriolet TOAD
1986 Honda Helix (Original owner)