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Old 02-26-2011, 05:06 AM   #1
Ozz
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LED Lights...I just don't understand!

Price reading lights, under-counter lights: Higher than a Cat's back as my Pappy used to say. Very expensive some over a Hundred bucks.
Why can you buy a LED tail-light, or license plate light for under $10.00??? I know they are different in their lighting results, but why the cost difference??
I will try and modify these cheap buys into Kitchen lights, or reading lights.
Has anyone done anything like this? Why wouldn't it work?
It seems a dimmer may be needed for a better light maybe. Depends on the light I guess.
Just fishing for ideas.
 
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Old 02-26-2011, 05:28 AM   #2
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I would guess it is production numbers and competition. LED type tail/stop/clearance lights are becoming common now. But LED inside lighting is still a low volume item.
I have an LED headlight (the type you wear on your head, not your truck) that I use when hunting. When they first came out, they were quite expensive. Now the sporting goods stores have a lot of different ones and the price has dropped dramatically.
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Old 02-26-2011, 06:45 AM   #3
7.3Ford
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Ozz,

Yes they are very expensive, at least the ones worth their salt. I tried some cheaper ones, and they are a waste of money, some of the light cells flicker on and off. I keep coming back to Super Bright LED's. Replacing a few at a time.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...ED-xHP10-D.htm

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...1142-x18-T.htm

Outside Lights 1156:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...n.html%23BA15s
or
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...n.html%23BA15s
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Old 02-26-2011, 07:16 AM   #4
azleflyer
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LED'S and SOLAR are the way to go. But the Guys at the the power plants don't agree. I don't know why? I wouldn't want to take away their income or anything like that. In Texas we like to pay more for our electricity.
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Old 02-26-2011, 07:24 AM   #5
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I want to have under-counter lighting, and some other fixtures that are solely LED, I don't see why I can't make them out of the cheaper 12 volt lights out there, license plate lights, clearance lights, something like that.
I picture my standard lighting fixtures, and then LED fixtures.
Thanks John, I have that site as a favorite now.
Bill, I also have the LED headlamp, use it for working on furnaces. The homeowner is always stringing a drop light or something, I have to tell them I have my own lighting, usually all it does is blind me so I can't see what I'm doing...
Texas is unique, I have a good friend that goes around to business and sells electricity at completive rates. Strange.
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Old 02-26-2011, 07:33 AM   #6
doofus2
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Jim,

Get 500 of them and build for a scare light.
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Old 02-26-2011, 09:37 AM   #7
Ozz
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by doofus2

Jim,

Get 500 of them and build for a scare light.
Holy Cow!
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Old 02-26-2011, 03:49 PM   #8
bigmurf
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Here is a man with too much free time and money on his hands.
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Old 02-27-2011, 02:29 AM   #9
Champ_49
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If there's a way and its a mod...........guess who will figure it out? Any guess's? LOL
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Old 02-27-2011, 08:01 AM   #10
scattershot
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I understand that LEDs are more energy efficient, but for my money they are WAY too expensive, and cast an inferior light. FWIW, I had a friend install one of those new super duper whammajama bright LEDs in his motor home, and it melted the fixture. I'm not really sure what the attraction is.
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Old 02-27-2011, 08:47 AM   #11
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Scattershot, when we dry-camp off the grid, every watt counts. what we take out of the battery bank, we have to replace.
The LED's draw so little wattage and put out so much light. I don't understand how a LED could have melted a fixture, might have been a Xenon, Halogen or another type.
But, I wasn't there so I don't know.
LED's are expensive, that is why I ma trying to work out another way. I took a clearance light apart, but the LED itself is Amber.. the stop lights are as well.
I will use the Red stop light LED for basement lights and the Amber for the water connection bay. Total of $14.00 for both areas.
I have sent off for a cluster of 19 or so, they are $20.00. I will make the fixture for them.

Too bad the LEDs are Amber


Pretty bright, good enough

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Old 02-27-2011, 03:40 PM   #12
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LEDs themselves are dirt dirt cheap. There are some that sell for only pennies. The 'gotcha' is that a LED hooked up without any other circuitry will consume a huge amount of power, usually until they burn out.

Rule of thumb with LEDs.........

Give one too much power and it becomes a NED. Noise emiting diode.
After becoming a NED it will become a Darkness Emitting Diode, or DED.

the cheapest solution is a resister, but this will reduce the light output.

The solution that works best is to turn it off part of the time. All LEDs will have a different duty cycle, the percentage of time they can be 'on' at full power. It's the circuit that do this on-off stuff that adds the most cost to packaged lights.

10 years in a semiconductor company and all Ingot out of it is ONE lousy LED joke!
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Old 02-27-2011, 03:55 PM   #13
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Ozz, it was a multiple LED unit, 6 or 8 LEDS on a backing board. It had a heat shield, but it wasn't effective. He bought it at Quartzsite, but I can't recall much about it. Sorry.
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Old 02-27-2011, 04:01 PM   #14
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Ozz,
Look at these, I didn't want to recommend them until I'd had them awhile, but it's been 2 months and no blown leds. Great color, more light than the originals.
http://cgi.ebay.com/10pcs-BA9S-T10-F...item27b90ac78e
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Old 02-27-2011, 04:15 PM   #15
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Forgot to mention they have them for sale individually on the first page of their store, but only for three days at $5 each.
Really easy to install with the adapters and sticky back.
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Old 02-28-2011, 12:20 AM   #16
NCFischers
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Ozz,
I installed 12 volt LED rope lights around the lip of the kitchen counter. They work great and usually, they are the only lights we need at night. They come in cool white and warm white. I even took some and installed them under the enclosed bathroom sink. They are just enough light for those midnight potty runs.
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Old 02-28-2011, 01:26 AM   #17
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Great info by all! MuddyPaws, thanks, that clears up many questions I had. I wondered why many units had circuit boards with components I could not identify.
Scattershot; That makes sense, I have one of those, actually two of those coming, i will experiment with them.
Tom, that big one is what I ordered, thanks. I did not see that ad, I will look into that.
Jim, I have one of those on order, it is from one of those California car custom lighting stores, I think that will be the answer for under counter lighting, good to hear they worked for you.
Thank all of you guys.
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Old 02-28-2011, 02:05 AM   #18
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I ordered mine from sailorsams.com. They were great to work with.
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Old 02-28-2011, 02:58 AM   #19
Ozz
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by NCFischers

I ordered mine from sailorsams.com. They were great to work with.
Jim, I will check out the unit I ordered and let you know how it works. I saw your rope light and didn't know if it would put out too much light omni-directional for the undser-cabinet space I am looking at. This will be around eye-level and will be directly in-line with me eating Fritos and Sardines on the couch, while Sue is whipping up the road-kill...
I need a direct down-light for that location.
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Old 02-28-2011, 08:09 AM   #20
NCFischers
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Ozz,
They would interfere with your repast. You could wear sunglasses.
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