LED Lightbulbs

I have been reading the forums about others changing over to fluorescent light fixtures. It got to me thinking about my lightbulbs in the trailer. Here are my questions, if anyone has experience with LED lights.

I have seen LED lights in auto stores that are direct drop in replacements for 1156's filament bulbs. The LED kind usually come in white or colors with around 12 to 15 LED bulbs each on them. If I bought these more expensive LED lights:

1. Would I save on power consumption?

2. Would they be brighter than the standard 1141 bulbs currently in my trailer?

3. Has anyone else tried this before? (which is kind of a rhetorical question, if you answered 1 and 2)

I appreciate any help, or if this topic has been discussed before, being pointed in the right direction.

Here is a pic I found of one.

You might want to read this thread: http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...6&page=1&pp=10

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by wmtire

I have been reading the forums about others changing over to fluorescent light fixtures. It got to me thinking about my lightbulbs in the trailer. Here are my questions, if anyone has experience with LED lights.

I have seen LED lights in auto stores that are direct drop in replacements for 1156's filament bulbs. The LED kind usually come in white or colors with around 12 to 15 LED bulbs each on them. If I bought these more expensive LED lights:

I've done both fluorescents and LEDs. I think my post from back in 2005 will provide much of what you're looking for. But to answer your specific questions:

1. Would I save on power consumption?

Yes, if you can stand the dimness. LEDs will definitely save on power use when used as low level ambient lighting instead of an 1141.

2. Would they be brighter than the standard 1141 bulbs currently in my trailer?

Not at all. The 16 watt dual tube fluorescents are brighter than 1141s by far but the 36 LED arrays I have are much, much dimmer than 1141s.

3. Has anyone else tried this before? (which is kind of a rhetorical question, if you answered 1 and 2)

See above.

Follow up notes:

1. If you have a TM with the old style (6300 series) inverter, it's very important to not use the typical "drop in" replacement LED array when on shore power. Reason: the 6300 series inverters don't fully filter out the AC and there's about a 20V AC ripple on top of their DC output. Drop in LEDs don't usually have voltage control and fairly quickly die when presented with 20 volts. My TM has the a 6300 series inverter so I'm very careful to either not turn on the fixtures with LEDs when on shore power...or I simply put the 1141s back in those fixtures on that trip.

2. Longevity could be a problem. Although I try very hard to never use my LED arrays when on shore power, it has accidentally happened a few times for short (less than 10 second) periods. And to protect against vibration, I wrap the arrays in bubble wrap before inserting them in the fixture. Nonetheless, one of my 36 LED arrays now has around 6 non-functioning LEDS; though so far all the LEDs in the other array are still working.

I appreciate any help, or if this topic has been discussed before, being pointed in the right direction.

Here is a pic I found of one.

All things considered, I don't regret buying the two 36 LED arrays...they've been quasi nice to have while boondocking without hookups. But I have no intentions at all to buy any more LEDs for the interior.

Thanks Freedom and RockyMtnRay for the info and the links. I was totally in the dark about LED's and ya showed me the light. (literally)

At rv.net there was a post where someone had added a small LED light to the fluorescent light case in the bathroom and a switch for it. He did it to use as a night light. It was dim enough to no bother anyone but bright enough to be able to use the bathroom in the middle of the night without turning on the main light.

Seemed like a good idea to me.

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by wmtire

Thanks Freedom and RockyMtnRay for the info and the links. I was totally in the dark about LED's and ya showed me the light. (literally)

Welcome.

FWIW, I just took another look at SuperBrightLEDs.COM and noticed they're now selling 1 watt individual LEDs. Given that each of these puts out around 10 ~20 times the light of a standard "bright" LED...and each is about 1/3 inch on a side, it's theoretically possible to assemble an array of around 4 to 6 of these and insert that into one of the overhead fixtures. Current draw would be around .3~.5 amp (about an eighth of a single 1141 bulb) and brightness would probably be about equal to the single 1141 bulb. Of course, you'll need to be a pretty skilled electronics hobbyist to get the voltages and currents right (they work on about a 4 volt power supply) and deal with the needed heat dissipation...and then package it all up in a vibration resistant mount that will fit inside the existing fixtures. Kinda pricey too...each of these LEDs is priced at around $11 for the white version. You'd probably wind up spending around $50 to $80 for parts per fixture