Buck regulator for LEDs?

[go-planing]

Last year I fabricated some LED lighting for the aft cabin using sections from LED tape (5630). I like making my own arrays instead of LED bulbs as I can tailor them for specific intensity and coverage. All worked well for a few months and then short sections in the arrays started to burn out. I'm sure the problem is voltage variation as they are not voltage stabilized. Since all of the fixtures are in the aft cabin and on one DC breaker, I'm thinking about placing a 12v buck regulator right after the breaker. There are lots of cheap ones around, but I wonder about "noise" introduction into other boat circuits. Anyone done this? Is noise actually a problem? Recommended buck device/source? Thanks

 

[O C Diver]

Can't help you with strip lighting, but the individual G4 bulb replacements are avaiable that way. All the ones I swapped in my boat are rated 10 to 30 volts.

Ted

 

[go-planing]

Can't help you with strip lighting, but the individual G4 bulb replacements are avaiable that way. All the ones I swapped in my boat are rated 10 to 30 volts.

Ted

Thanks. That's my backup, but I'd like to make the home brewed system work if I can.

 

[FF]

Many of the new home LED can be dimmed , a nice touch in some cabins.

 

[go-planing]

Many of the new home LED can be dimmed , a nice touch in some cabins.

I have dimmers on some 12v under-counter arrays I made for the kitchen in our house. Absolutely no failures....but I'm driving them with 120AC to 12V power packs, so the LEDs see a constant 12 volts. Used exactly the same LEDs on the boat and experiencing the burn out problem. Not really a surprise as the charger keeps the house bank at just over 13 volts. Buck regulator looks like the solution....but which one...