Lighting

General Discussion about almost anything Teardrop or camping related

Lighting

Postby Modstock » Mon Feb 05, 2018 12:12 am

It's been a long time since I've logged in here, so bear with me.

My teardrop has never had 12v power and I want to install some lights inside. What are you guys using these days ???

Here's a few requirements I need.
1.) Im using a motorcycle deep cycle battery OR computer battery.
2.) Need something with a switch built in for easier wiring (OR remote).
3.) LED would be nice.
4.) 2 separate area's (galley and inside.

Have looked into the wen top LED light strips but wondered if the one remote would do separate sections without all turning on at once.

Im thinking at least 2 lights inside (one for her and one for me) and one for the galley (storage area).
Maybe a porch light above the door.

Open to any suggestions.

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Re: Lighting

Postby bobhenry » Mon Feb 05, 2018 7:25 am

YOU MIGHT LOOK AT AUTOMOTIVE COURTESY LIGHTS ! Oops cap lock alert ! :frightened:

I found some great lights they had a left and a right spot and in the center was a wide angle area light. They were compact and easy to install and switches were on the body !

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Re: Lighting

Postby John61CT » Mon Feb 05, 2018 11:03 am

The bottle lamps pictured there are different from thos described by your text right?
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Re: Lighting

Postby Woodbutcher » Mon Feb 05, 2018 11:16 am

I used this one. It has a switch on the light. Two levels of brightness plus a faint blue light you can use as a night light. Plus, it's only 1/2" thick.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-8-5-LED-Pa ... 1438.l2649

This one is good also, just not as good looking.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RV-LED-12v-Dou ... 1438.l2649
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Re: Lighting

Postby tony.latham » Mon Feb 05, 2018 11:53 am

I use these angled lights in both the cabin and the galley.

Image

https://www.amazon.com/Camper-Trailer-Security-Switch-Angled/dp/B00LC451WU

I throw the incandescent bulbs away and replace with LEDs.

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Re: Lighting

Postby Esteban » Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:03 pm

marinebeam.com/interior-led-lighting has a very good selection of LED light fixtures to choose from. Several fixtures have built-in dimmer switches. Some interior lights can be switched from white light to red (or green or blue) light to help protect your night vision.

I bought two Marinebeam reading lights with touch dimming for the sleeping cabin


superbrightleds.com sells a big variety of LED light fixtures and bulbs that can work well too.

Both stores offer lights that can be customized.
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Re: Lighting

Postby Bill n Robi » Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:45 pm

Can't talk about different lamps but one thing to remember, anything that turns on by a remote is always drawing power for the detector to sense the remote. Since you are running on limited power supply with your 12v system, it is something to remember. Go with something with a switch.
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Re: Lighting

Postby GPW » Tue Feb 06, 2018 6:26 am

We use Flashlights/ Lanterns that run on rechargeable NIMH batteries ( Eneloop) … That or 120V plug in LED lighting with a long extension cord … It’s CAMPING eh , not Better Homes and Gardens :R … Cheap Solar yard lights are great without the stems … you can put several of them in a tray and charge them all at once …Giving you light all night … ;)
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Re: Lighting

Postby Sparksalot » Wed Feb 07, 2018 1:08 pm

I built my tear 10 years ago when options were limited to very old school RV lights. I recently relamped them with LED replacements, and love the reduced power consumption. I also added galley lighting, using LED landscape step lights designed for 12V. Following KISS principles, I mounted a 2.3 Ah batter and the lights directly onto he hatch. Switching is simply plugging the light onto the battery.
Holy cow, Rose is a teenager now! Done? Surely you jest. A teardrop is never "done".

The Compass Rose build thread: viewtopic.php?t=23213

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Re: Lighting

Postby Modstock » Sat Feb 17, 2018 11:02 am

Sparksalot wrote:I built my tear 10 years ago when options were limited to very old school RV lights. I recently relamped them with LED replacements, and love the reduced power consumption. I also added galley lighting, using LED landscape step lights designed for 12V. Following KISS principles, I mounted a 2.3 Ah batter and the lights directly onto he hatch. Switching is simply plugging the light onto the battery.
I noticed (2.3ah battery) ?
I need to be re-schooled on these types of compact battery. Lost my info I had from years ago.

Being a minimalist electrical system, this is the size battery im looking for.
My tongue box isn't big enough for a traditional rv battery and dont need that extra weight.

Do traditional chargers work on these small batteries ?




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Re: Lighting

Postby working on it » Sat Feb 17, 2018 2:53 pm

Modstock wrote:It's been a long time since I've logged in here, so bear with me.

My teardrop has never had 12v power and I want to install some lights inside. What are you guys using these days ???

Here's a few requirements I need.
1.) Im using a motorcycle deep cycle battery OR computer battery.
2.) Need something with a switch built in for easier wiring (OR remote).
3.) LED would be nice.
4.) 2 separate area's (galley and inside.

Have looked into the wen top LED light strips but wondered if the one remote would do separate sections without all turning on at once.

Im thinking at least 2 lights inside (one for her and one for me) and one for the galley (storage area).
Maybe a porch light above the door.

Open to any suggestions.

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  • I use both 110vac and 12vdc LEDs in my TTT. The 110vac inside-cabin lights are powered by a shore power hook-up, or by my onboard generator (pulls/slides/swivels out from the galley), or by a 400 watt inverter, in the cabin, if I only have the Optima battery, when needed. The 110vac LEDs are both puck and strip types, with the white strips used for reading and the color-changing RGB pucks used for general lighting (or when set to red, to use at night, to preserve my night vision better). There's a 12vdc LED fixture overhead in the cabin, with a switch hanging from a shelf overhead, between the doors. It's reachable from either side, and always powered-on.
  • I also use automotive LED strip lights under my doors (to illuminate my step-out area) in case my 110vac LED rope lights, strung on the ground around the trailer, fail...I like to see what is under my feet, especially at night). I bought all my 12vdc lights at Autozone, and the 110vac LEDs at IKEA.
  • IKEA-Ledberg strip lights (my application on inset).JPG
    IKEA-Ledberg strip lights (my application on inset).JPG (135.73 KiB) Viewed 1968 times
  • overhead LEDs, always powered-up.png
    overhead LEDs, always powered-up.png (723.72 KiB) Viewed 1968 times
  • 12vdc LED galley lighting.png
    12vdc LED galley lighting.png (728.1 KiB) Viewed 1968 times
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Re: Lighting

Postby Sparksalot » Sat Feb 17, 2018 4:13 pm

Modstock wrote:
Do traditional chargers work on these small batteries ?

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This is a little float charger I use on the 2.3Ah battery.
153148

I use this one as a "fast" charger for the 2.3Ah battery, and as a very slow charger for the 100Ah UPS battery buried deep in the galley.
153147
Holy cow, Rose is a teenager now! Done? Surely you jest. A teardrop is never "done".

The Compass Rose build thread: viewtopic.php?t=23213

Inspiration: http://tnttt.com/Design_Library/Trailer%20for%20Two.htm

It's got a cop motor, a 5.3 LS plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. ~ Elwood Blues
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Re: Lighting

Postby Modstock » Sat Feb 17, 2018 4:32 pm

Awesome.
Can you explain to me on what I need to look for in these "ah" batteries ?



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Re: Lighting

Postby Sparksalot » Sat Feb 17, 2018 5:46 pm

For sizing it’s pretty straightforward. If a light is 12 volts and is rated at 12 watts, it will draw 1 amp of current. To run that for 10 hours, you would need a 10Ah battery. Of course this assumes ideal conditions.

Btw 12 watts from a modern LED light is a lot. Equivalent to an old 75 watt incandescent light.

The little 2.3Ah battery will run my hatch lights for several days contiously.

Other things. Looked for sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries. That way you don’t have to worry about venting them. Position and orientation for mounting is easier too. Batteries Plus usually has a pretty decent selection of them.
Holy cow, Rose is a teenager now! Done? Surely you jest. A teardrop is never "done".

The Compass Rose build thread: viewtopic.php?t=23213

Inspiration: http://tnttt.com/Design_Library/Trailer%20for%20Two.htm

It's got a cop motor, a 5.3 LS plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. ~ Elwood Blues
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Re: Lighting

Postby John61CT » Sat Feb 17, 2018 10:20 pm

Sparksalot wrote:For sizing it’s pretty straightforward. If a light is 12 volts and is rated at 12 watts, it will draw 1 amp of current. To run that for 10 hours, you would need a 10Ah battery.

Since any batt regularly run below 50% will have a greatly reduced lifespan, better to buy one with double the capacity of your AH usage between charging cycles.

Don't know what its chemistry is, but 2.3AH is very very small.

The battery on my power drill is well over double that.
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