Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:10:30 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: LED Refit
In-Reply-To: <052801cab446$32868eb0$6401a8c0@PROSPERITY>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Scott,
Mind telling us the source??
Thanks.
John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com
Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote:
> re
> 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.
>
> LED tail light bulbs already available.
> They use a cluster of about 10 or a dozen red LED's.
> they 'stick out' a bit more than a regular globe on a standard tail
> light
> bulb, but the fit in a Vanagon just fine.
> I have some, and just love 'em.
> A nice bright cherry red too. A distinct improvement .
>
> Scott
> www.turbovans.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kim Brennan" <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Monday, February 22, 2010 8:34 PM
> Subject: Re: LED Refit
>
>
>> 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.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>
>
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