Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:34:42 -0500
Reply-To: Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Subject: Re: LED Refit
In-Reply-To: <4B835308.7070402@charter.net>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
The LED lighting industry is still evolving. A couple of years ago when so called white LEDs first came out, they had a distinctly blu-ish color to most folk. This is why it is important to pay attention to the color temperature of lights. Most of those first "white" leds, were in fact a 5000K "temperature", which most folk perceive as somewhat harsh and bluish. Many fluorescent fixtures suffer this way as well.
Your traditional incandescent light has a "lower" temperature, closer to 2650K. This is a yellower light, but and folk think of it as "warmer". Daylight fluorescent fixtures are closer to this (2700-2800K). Halogen bulbs are a bit brighter at around 3000K.
It is now possible to get LED lights in the 2700-2800K "temperature". I've got them in my house. I've got a few on some pinball machines (which tend to use bulbs similar to those used in cars.) They aren't blue at all. And in directed lighting situations, they are effectively as bright as the incandescents I've replaced, using about 1/7th the power. That is an important caveat..."directed" light. Incandescents throw light all over the place. LEDs don't. They are very directional. They should work very well in illuminating backlit areas (dash heating controls for instance), somewhat less successful in dome lighting.
I've got a pair that I intend to experiment with in the taillights of one of my vans, to gauge whether >I< consider them safe to use (from a visibility point of view). Many modern cars use them, but their taillight housings have been designed with them in mind, whereas are Vanagons weren't.
On Feb 22, 2010, at 11:01 PM, John Rodgers wrote:
> The LED is a very white light, whereas the human eye is functions best
> in a yellow light, thus a conflict. This is why to me the bright
> blue/white lights some people are putting on their cars are anathema to
> me. 'Should be outlawed in my opinion. But the white LED inside is OK if
> you like them. but I don't - not for reading. Again - white vs yellow.
> Even flourescents can be problematical.
>
> John Rodgers
> Clayartist and Moldmaker
> 88'GL VW Bus Driver
> Chelsea, AL
> Http://www.moldhaus.com
>
>
>
> Joy Hecht wrote:
>> I'd be interested in the link for the source of your lights too. Though
>> actually I'd like lights in that place that are MUCH brighter. I do read by
>> the incandescent light, but it is hard, it is very dim. Has anyone done a
>> refit that greatly increases the light available? I don't like LED lights -
>> are there fluorescent refits that folks have done? They are much brighter
>> than LEDs.
>>
>>
>>
>> Joy
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 7:22 PM, Paul Gordon <paul_gordon@sympatico.ca>wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Moderator, Could you please post this as it may be of interest to some list
>>> members.
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Paul Gordon
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 2:04 PM
>>> Subject: LED Refit
>>>
>>>
>>> I have just completed a LED refit on the light over the Water tank/
>>> Storage area. The incandescent lamps (3) seem to draw an obscene amount of
>>> power from the auxiliary battery. After shopping around I found a molded
>>> strip of 12 LED's that fits perfectly into this fixture. removed the
>>> existing lamp holders by drilling out the rivets. The new strip has an
>>> adhesive backing that appears to be permanent. Rewiring was really simple.
>>> Light output is about the same as the old incandescents but have a very
>>> slight bluish tinge. No problem reading in this light. Just not as warm a
>>> light as the old. I regret not throwing ammeter on the circuit to see what
>>> it did draw but I would estimate the new lights draw less than 1/20 the
>>> amount of power the incandescents did. FWIW. Thoughts or comments welcome.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
| 
