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Old 04-20-2012, 06:36 AM   #21
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I don't recommend rope light for the engine room. They give a weak yellowish light. Perfect to create an ambiance in the salon (as I have done and I love it) but less than ideal in an engine room where you need a lot of bright light to do some work and see small things.

I have 4 incandescent lights placed on each side of the engine, one on the front and one in the back. If need be I also have a headlamp.

LED would be the way to go for me if I had to do it again and found some affordable fixtures.
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Old 04-20-2012, 08:29 PM   #22
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For 120v I used several, I think 4 tube florescent light fixtures, from the corner hardware store, all routed to one switch near the main hatch. Cheap, easy and lots of light.
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Old 04-21-2012, 09:18 AM   #23
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Just a warning - Many of the lights mentioned are unsafe for use in a gasoline powered boat's engine room. Diesel is fine, gasoline must be ignition protected..

Same for switches.
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Old 04-21-2012, 10:21 AM   #24
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LED opinion

In the last 6 months I have upgraded most of Fryedaze lighting to LED. I prefer the clean white light they give off. I agree with the previous comment that LED brightness has greatly improved. I removed the four 10 watt dome style lites in my engine room and replaced them with five 24" LED bars from superbrightLed. Power consumption is about the same due to the size of the new LED bars, but the engine room is very bright. I have also retrofitted flourecent fixtures with LEDs. The end result is a fraction of the load and more light. I am a fan of LEDs. If they dont hold up to their longevity claims I wont be a fan of LEDs. Here are a few pictures of what was done. Fryedaze - Lighting upgrade

IMHO

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Old 04-21-2012, 03:24 PM   #25
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Dave, The 24 inch light bars look like a good solution for my engine room as well. Now that I have seen your cabin lights I think I will try to improve mine as well.

What was the item number of the bar lights you ordered for the engine room and for the cabin. I have been to their web site but need a little help in selecting. Did you use the existing 12 volt dc power source that was at your old lights? Thanks
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Old 04-21-2012, 04:38 PM   #26
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The 24" bars are enclosed , LF-WW48SMD-DI: High Power LED Light Fixture with Switch. They can be wired right into your 12 vdc system. I used the old lite supply leads. You cannot remove the switch. It is some how part of the power conditioning.

The rigid LED strips I put into the flourecent housing were these RLBN-NW30X3SMDNatural WhiteRLBN-NW30X3SMDNatural White5600K20.1 lm342 lm/ft603 lm52019.95RLBN-x30SMD. They can be cut in three inch sections to fit the housings. These wire right into the 12 vdc without any power supplies. Dont forget to by the connectors you need for these.

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Old 04-21-2012, 08:26 PM   #27
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I am planning to install a couple of 120vac flouresent lights to compliment the existing 12vdc dome lights. The added light will be for routine maintenance, etc. This is usually done dockside or with the generator running. The 12vdc lighting will be for quick checks and things. At least I can't run the batteries down if I leave on the flouesents -because they are ac only.

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Old 04-21-2012, 09:26 PM   #28
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Dave, I appreciate the detailed information about the lights you used. I have copied that info and printed it out.

John-good idea on the 120Volt lites. I have been running a clamp on light with extension cord for the dock work. Not a good solution--get tangled up in the cord and have to move the light to different locations to do work. Might as well do as you did and put in some fixed lights.

Thanks again for the information.
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Old 04-21-2012, 11:05 PM   #29
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I am planning to install a couple of 120vac flouresent lights to compliment the existing 12vdc dome lights. The added light will be for routine maintenance, etc. This is usually done dockside or with the generator running. The 12vdc lighting will be for quick checks and things. At least I can't run the batteries down if I leave on the flouesents -because they are ac only.

JohnP
my boat has a 4' 2-tube fluorescent 120v ac fixture that is enclosed for a wet environment, the fixture is completly enclosed in a rugged plastic enclosure... a key element is to have the bulbs enclosed so you don't accidently whack the bulbs and have a engine room full of the magic dust and glass from a shattered bulb. If space is a issue there are sealed fixtures designed for closets that take little space and are perfect for a engine room... I had both on Volunteer and they worked really well. Both are available at H. Depot...

Lithonia Lighting - The best value in lighting

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Old 04-22-2012, 06:58 PM   #30
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We have used LEDs extensively where I work and I plan to use them on my 34 Californian at some point in the engine room. The LF-WW48SMD-DI at Superbrights looks to be a pretty good fit especially for the price. It draws .65 amps which makes it about an 8 watt fixture. The goal I have for my engine room is four fixtures at about 10 watts each in an LED product. I currently have four 60 watt 12 volt A60 household style lamps in the engine room that draw about 5 amps each. My goal would be to maintain the lighting level in the space. The only thing I didn't like in the LF-WW48SMD-DI is that the lamp color jumped from 2900k to I believe 6500k. The 2900 is a bit yellow while the 6500 is a bit white/blue. Optimum color for me would be between 3500k and 4500k. Don't get anything less than 1/2 amp draw at 12 volts if your looking to light an area. Just as a note florescent lamps put out nearly the same amount of light per watt but you cant beat the LED for size and durability. As mentioned previously heat is the killer of LEDs but I am guessing with the run hours of the lighting in the engine room that this will not be a problem.
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Old 04-22-2012, 07:13 PM   #31
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These are the ones I have used in my engine room, galley, and up in the V-berth. They come in different colors..and are rather bright.

WFLB96 series Waterproof Flexible Light Bar

WFLB96 series Waterproof Flexible Light Bar

They produce a lot of light...and I like a lot of light...I don't want "mood lighting" in the engine room, galley, or V-berth....I like it bright and white!
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Old 04-23-2012, 07:14 AM   #32
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As mentioned previously heat is the killer of LEDs .
The real killer of LEDs is too much current and too much current is caused by too much voltage, even for a split second.

The cheap way to control current through an LED is with a series resistor, but there are problems with that approach. For one thing, it is inefficient because power is dissipated in the resistor.

The real problem is, that on a boat, wired to the boat's 12 volt (nominal) electrical system, there can be variations in the actual voltage from under 12 volts to possibly 14 volts or more and short duration spikes of much more than that. If a dropping resistor is calculated for 14 volts, the light output will be less at 12 volts. If it is calculated for 12 volts, the LEDs will have a much shorter life.

A better way is with a voltage regulating circuit, but the best way is with a constant current "driver" circuit. This assures the optimum current flowing through the LEDs regardless of variations in the incoming voltage.

When you see in the specifications that a particular product is suitable 9 -30 volts or similar, you are buying a product with a constant current driver. These are the ones you want.

One more "tidbit" - These driver circuits will sometimes produce RF interferance that may or may not be a problem. I installed two LED replacement lamps in my berth area and was watching TV. I turned one of the lamps on and the TV signal froze. Turned the lamp off and the signal came back. Only on channel seven.

I had to install RF filters in the lamps to get my channel 7 TV back. It didn't bother the other channels.
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Old 04-23-2012, 02:51 PM   #33
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Great thread! I've learned more about the downside of LED's here than ever before. For a layman like me with little practical knowledge of electrical, LED's where supposed to be as good an innovation as sliced bread.

Seems a bit more complex once you look beyond the power usage ratings on the packaging. Thanks for the free education.
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Old 04-23-2012, 02:59 PM   #34
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Great thread! I've learned more about the downside of LED's here than ever before. For a layman like me with little practical knowledge of electrical, LED's where supposed to be as good an innovation as sliced bread.

Seems a bit more complex once you look beyond the power usage ratings on the packaging. Thanks for the free education.
They are as good as sliced bread and you will be seeing more and more of them as the US Government continues to tell its citizens what they may and may not purchase with their hard earned money.

What's important is, LEDs are LEDs. When we buy a lighting fixture containing LEDs for our boats, it's important to buy one that is designed correctly for boat lighting and not "cheap out" on something manufactured to a low price.
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Old 04-24-2012, 07:25 PM   #35
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FP; The issue I have when doing my underway ER checks thru the companionway door is that the light throws a shadow as you pass under it; now you can't see squat. My solution was to place some of the large 9v handheld lights in the recess by the seastrainer(s). Other option that works well is to come in from the lazarette end; better light, more air, less hot parts to tangle with. Aft light reveals a bit more w/o shadow. Fwd light then shows well at front of engine. 34LRC ER is not well set up for fixed lighting while underway.
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Old 04-24-2012, 09:43 PM   #36
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2 seasons ago I installed 2 G-4 "warm" LED conversion units in the dome light above our dinette, which had a "1 on, off, both on" configuration. The two together were fine for dinner and reading afterwards, and I liked the .2A draw instead of 3.5A.
I just received some conversion units from Dr. LED but have yet to put them in the fixtures, I'll comment on them after I do.
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Old 04-26-2012, 09:12 AM   #37
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When you see in the specifications that a particular product is suitable 9 -30 volts or similar, you are buying a product with a constant current driver. These are the ones you want.
And I'm guessing that's why most (all?) of the lights I see on superbrightleds.com have the disclaimer "NOT SUITABLE FOR AUTOMOBILE APPLICATIONS".
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Old 04-26-2012, 12:57 PM   #38
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And I'm guessing that's why most (all?) of the lights I see on superbrightleds.com have the disclaimer "NOT SUITABLE FOR AUTOMOBILE APPLICATIONS".
1142 PCB series LED Lamps Specifications

1142 BA15D PCBs

1142 base with 36 LEDs, 100 degree beam. 1142 base with 9 High Power SMD LEDs, 120 degree beam, 8~30VDC (8~14VAC)

The driver is in the base.
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Old 04-26-2012, 01:15 PM   #39
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...LED Lamps...The driver is in the base.
Yes, but - in this thread - folks seem to be using the "light bars" (which do have the disclaimer) rather than the auto / marine / RV "lamps".
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Old 04-28-2012, 07:07 PM   #40
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Yes, but - in this thread - folks seem to be using the "light bars" (which do have the disclaimer) rather than the auto / marine / RV "lamps".
Some maybe...but I use the LED light strings that are fully encapsulated and not at all a risk for fire, and have a range of DCV to work with. I have had my LED's on and set my charger to equalize....and have yet to have an LED failure, period. Don't overcomplicate the issue....OK?
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