Norcold DE-704C AC/DC Refridgerator

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We'd replace the incandescent bulbs on our boat with LEDs if we could. But the bases of the bulbs in our '73 boat have not been replicated by the LED folks. We've tried, our marine electrical shop has searched all over the place, but LED's are unobtainium for our vintage of lights.

You don't have to put the LEDs in the existing sockets, you can wire them in. These were about $2.50 each in warm white. In retrospect I could have wired in sockets for an additional $.15 each.

Really, I should have bought better quality LEDs with drivers but that's "next time".
 

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LEDs are available now in "warm" color temperatures but again, apparently not in the base type that our boat uses.

A look in a catalog might find bases that could be swopped in to your existing lamp housings.Soldering is a simple skill.

It is, you're correct. But as I said the power consumption of our lights and less-than-efficient refrigerator is not anything we're at all concerned about. So it's not worth my time to start cobbling together a way to incorporate LEDs. If there was an off-the-shelf replacement we'd do it but since so far there isn't we'll continue to use what the boat came with.

If we spent long periods of time at anchor without running the boat I can certainly see the value in reducing the boat's power requirement as much as possible.. But we don't see this as being an issue for us even when we start to take longer cruises in the future.
 
thats a great idea Ron. I'm going to look into that. Do you have a good source for the leds?
 
thats a great idea Ron. I'm going to look into that. Do you have a good source for the leds?

They are all over ebay. It's called a "G4" lamp although if you're going to solder them in any base would do.

Not obvious in the photograph, they are stuck to the fitting with double sided tape. I left clamps on them overnight to make sure I got a good "stick".
 
No, our GB uses a large two-pin bayonet mount for most of the interior lamp bulbs. These are available as incandescents but so far (at least as of a year or so ago) no one has used this particular bayonet base for an LED light. And we hate the blue-white of a lot of LEDs so we wouldn't want them even if they were available.

LEDs are available now in "warm" color temperatures but again, apparently not in the base type that our boat uses.

You can find the double-pin bayonet bases here (Revolution Double Contact Bayonet RV LED Bulbs) although I chose to simply remove the base and crimp wires directly to the G4-type pins on the LED disks (G4 Bi-Pin 12 LED 5050 White RV LED Bulb) and then use double-faced tape to attache the light into the housing. They also have 12" and 18" Fluorescent tube replacement LED lights. I have a liot of 12" Fluorescent tube fixtures on our boat and find these to be a great (and easy) way to upgrade to functional lighting.

Marty................
 
They are all over ebay. It's called a "G4" lamp although if you're going to solder them in any base would do.

Not obvious in the photograph, they are stuck to the fitting with double sided tape. I left clamps on them overnight to make sure I got a good "stick".

so there is no spec for the led's? I would just solder them in I think. Isnt solder better..what do you think?
 
But as I said the power consumption of our lights and less-than-efficient refrigerator is not anything we're at all concerned about...............

But we don't see this as being an issue for us even when we start to take longer cruises in the future.

Message received loud & clear. No recommendation here.
 
so there is no spec for the led's? I would just solder them in I think. Isnt solder better..what do you think?

You want warm white and you want the highest brightness you can get. Usuall that means more LEDs.

I realized after I bought my lights that I could have bought sockets with pigtails (wire) attached for a few cents each, but soldering works as well. This is not at all like soldering boat wiring.
 
You want warm white and you want the highest brightness you can get. Usuall that means more LEDs.

I realized after I bought my lights that I could have bought sockets with pigtails (wire) attached for a few cents each, but soldering works as well. This is not at all like soldering boat wiring.

but you have to be careful soldering them or they will be damaged. Have you cooked any<smile>?
 
but you have to be careful soldering them or they will be damaged. Have you cooked any<smile>?
I was an electronic technician for more than twenty years. I have soldered more delicate stuff than those lights. No. I didn't cook any.
 
I was an electronic technician for more than twenty years. I have soldered more delicate stuff than those lights. No. I didn't cook any.

I did enough of that in my younger years as well. Still have one of those recharable pocket irons, was it weller that made them? I also have a butane one that i like better cause it had a finer control of the heat than the electric one.
 
No, our GB uses a large two-pin bayonet mount for most of the interior lamp bulbs. These are available as incandescents but so far (at least as of a year or so ago) no one has used this particular bayonet base for an LED light. And we hate the blue-white of a lot of LEDs so we wouldn't want them even if they were available.

LEDs are available now in "warm" color temperatures but again, apparently not in the base type that our boat uses.

Marn, LEDs with bayonet base on boats are usually 1142 bases. Boats don't have metal to ground the fixture, so the 12 volt is 2 wire. Thus 2 contacts on the base. Warm white us usually in about the 2700 Kelvin range. Try this link.

12 VDC BA15 Bayonet Base Bulbs | Boat/RV/Other LED Replacement Bulbs | Boat, RV, and Other Lighting | Super Bright LEDs
 
Thanks for the link. But our fixtures use a lamp with a large, single contact, bayonet base with one very large lug and one small one at two different heights from the bottom of the base. Our marine electric store can get the original incandescent lamp for us but it is a special order item. He said this base has not ben used for ages so none of the LED replacement bulb people have had any reason to make a replacement for this bulb because there are so few out there anymore.

If the power consumption was anything we cared about we would change the six fixtures on the boat that use these lamps rather than cobble up some sort of adapter with a soldering gun. But power consumption is not an issue, so as long as we can get the original-style bulbs we'll just keep using what we've got.
 
Thanks for the link. But our fixtures use a lamp with a large, single contact, bayonet base with one very large lug and one small one at two different heights from the bottom of the base. Our marine electric store can get the original incandescent lamp for us but it is a special order item. He said this base has not ben used for ages so none of the LED replacement bulb people have had any reason to make a replacement for this bulb because there are so few out there anymore.

If the power consumption was anything we cared about we would change the six fixtures on the boat that use these lamps rather than cobble up some sort of adapter with a soldering gun. But power consumption is not an issue, so as long as we can get the original-style bulbs we'll just keep using what we've got.

Marin, maybe you could save the old bulbs and then break them saving the socket for soldering in the leds. Then you will have plug in replacements
 
And why would I want to dick around doing that when we can still get the original incandescent bulbs? Given the rate at which the originals burn out I'll be able to use the handful of spares we have on the boat now to light the inside of my coffin when I want to read a few decades from now.
 
And why would I want to dick around doing that when we can still get the original incandescent bulbs? Given the rate at which the originals burn out I'll be able to use the handful of spares we have on the boat now to light the inside of my coffin when I want to read a few decades from now.

I just thought you may wish to move up to the new technology. The light is brighter and more energy eficient.
Or are you one of those guys that still uses an old rotary telephone?:)

Anyway, just trying to be helpful
 
I use technology like this iPad and my international smartphone and the latest state of the art editing and effects systems where it makes sense to use it. I don't use technology for technology's sake.

LEDs would give us a little better light on the boat but not so much better than the time and hassle of cobbling some soldered-up adapter is worth to me.

Ready-made, drop-in replacement lamp, great. Something I have to piss around figuring out and soldering together, no.
 
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I use technology like this iPad and my international smartphone and the latest state of the art editing and effects systems where it makes sense to use it. I don't use technology for technology's sake.

LEDs would give us a little better light on the boat but not so much better than the time and hassle of cobbling some soldered-up adapter is worth to me.

Ready-made, drop-in replacement lamp, great. Something I have to piss around figuring out and soldering together, no.

I understand what you mean. There are lots of things that could do with upgrading in my 1944/71 farm house in Oregon but why, things still work and there are always flashy new doo dads to spend money on.

Best wishes
 
And why would I want to dick around doing that when we can still get the original incandescent bulbs? Given the rate at which the originals burn out I'll be able to use the handful of spares we have on the boat now to light the inside of my coffin when I want to read a few decades from now.

I think we get it. You want to stay in the dark ages as long as possible. Just be carefull out there, you might sail off the edge of the earth! ;)
 
I think we get it. You want to stay in the dark ages as long as possible. Just be carefull out there, you might sail off the edge of the earth! ;)

No, I understand there's a fence around it to prevent things like that.
 
If you have a spot for it ANY old fridge makes a great paint locker.

Just put a padlock on it to keep kids out.
 
Why replace a fridge that STILL keeps the beer cold? and I still like my flip phone too...
 
Why replace a fridge that STILL keeps the beer cold? and I still like my flip phone too...

The best phone i ever had was a motorola flip phone. Cold beer is what its all about....geez....you would think they would already know that??:confused:
 
Why replace a fridge that STILL keeps the beer cold? and I still like my flip phone too...
A good place for a flip phone would be in the fridge,and it`s not likely to warm the beer.
 
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