LED bulb reviews?

[kinto]

i glanced around the forum and saw some led threads but didn't see one specific to my application. if i missed something a link would be much appreciated.

basically, i bought 4 of these low voltage/ low profile/ plug-n-play/ rugged-looking deck fixtures that my girl spotted...


by plug-n-play i mean they had some kind of pre-wired usb sized connectors that were designed for a specific lighting system... but i really like the look & size of them so i just ripped out all the wiring & got chandelier sized sockets...


anyway, the first test resulted in a shattered bulb when installing the outer shell of the fixture so i tried the only small led bulb i could find locally...


not bright enough. so i bent the hell outta the socket & managed to fit a 2nd one in at which point i realized the excessive plier work maybe created enough room for the original bulb... which it did...

basically, that's the amount of light i'd like for them to produce... except after being on for about 20 minutes i did the touch test & they were pretty hot.

i was looking around tonite & found --> THIS <-- but they're like 30 bucks each! if they're super duper awesome & gonna work for many many years that's fine, but my super-long-winded question is has anybody ever used this size/ type of led bulb before & if so what were the results? i read a lotta reviews of various makers on various sites but am wondering about *real world* experience from the good folks here.

TIA for advice/ insight


kent

[Shadow Catcher]

I m using G4 LED arrays and a couple of PCB lamps. All you need is an array that is flat as that puts the light where you want it.
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/ ... _bulbs.htm

This is what I did with MM#1

The array is attached with 3M VHB tape and used very cheap Chinese LED's from ebay.

[SubaruDave]

You may be able to find a nice LED fixture here, or even LED bulbs to use in the fixture you have already.

I've bought numerous products from them over the past 7 or 8 years, even re-wired a boat trailer and utility trailer using their lights and havent had any problems.

[kinto]

thanks for the info!

i actually found the exact same bulbs on superbrightleds.com for $13 rather than $30... and it turns out they're located about 15 minutes from here so i can just pick them up & save on shipping too! woohoo!

thanks again!

kent

[S. Heisley]

Hey, Guys and Gals!

Now (Christmas) might be the time for some LED experimentation. After all, Christmas is the best time to get strands of LED Christmas lights!
I'd love to see someone play with those as that could lead to some great ideas!

...Just a thought....

[Steve_Cox]

Hey, Guys and Gals!

Now (Christmas) might be the time for some LED experimentation. After all, Christmas is the best time to get strands of LED Christmas lights!
I'd love to see someone play with those as that could lead to some great ideas!

...Just a thought....

Something about those LED Christmas lights, I took one from a string of lights and wired it to a plug, it went pop! and made a little smoke. Now I'm into 12 volt 1156 base LEDs from Hong Kong. I like the 4 for a dollar price on Ebay.

[kinto]

to follow up, i found these at wallyworld for $8 a piece...


but fyi... even though the screw-in base part is the same size as traditional incandescent chandelier bulbs these led versions are slightly fatter & despite it being a matter of millimeters in my fixtures they're too big to fit! ACK!

[Breezy13]

Anyway to get that big plastic off.....the LED's themselves are pretty small and don't need to be enclosed. Just a thought, but probably a pain to remove.

Breezy

[bdosborn]

I've made a bunch of LED lights, its pretty easy to do:











My LED Linky

Probably the easiest way to do it is to convert an RV light to LED like SC did. Here's an LED replacement kit that's pretty popular at the big RV forum:

eBay LED Linky

Bruce

[SubaruDave]

I've been thinking about other 12v lighting options other than LEDs, Take a look at cold cathodes, they're low temp, take up little space, they're brighter than LEDs and they are also dimable and come in a variety of different colors. I've used them in PC cases as well as cars and trucks to accent various things/areas.

[bdosborn]

I've been thinking about other 12v lighting options other than LEDs, Take a look at cold cathodes, they're low temp, take up little space, they're brighter than LEDs and they are also dimable and come in a variety of different colors. I've used them in PC cases as well as cars and trucks to accent various things/areas.

I played around with some CC and ended up going with LED. I didn't like the color (too blue and poor color rendition) and the ballast was fragile. I also didn't like how long it took to warm up and come to full brightness. I've got 4 lamps and 2 ballasts I can send you for postage if you want to play with them.

Bruce

[SubaruDave]

I've been thinking about other 12v lighting options other than LEDs, Take a look at cold cathodes, they're low temp, take up little space, they're brighter than LEDs and they are also dimable and come in a variety of different colors. I've used them in PC cases as well as cars and trucks to accent various things/areas.

I played around with some CC and ended up going with LED. I didn't like the color (too blue and poor color rendition) and the ballast was fragile. I also didn't like how long it took to warm up and come to full brightness. I've got 4 lamps and 2 ballasts I can send you for postage if you want to play with them.

Bruce

What kind and size do you have? I have used cool and warm whites, as well as red, blue, purple, and yellow.

[bdosborn]

I tried these, eBay specials:



I think they are 12" long, and a very cool white. I'm pretty picky about the lights I use; I don't like lights that don't have a full spectrum of color and these are mostly blue.

Bruce

[Engineer Guy]

I saw a bit on a Weekend Morning Show about the new Philips 115 VAC LED Bulb linked below that looked very impressive. They even showed comparable Spectra of good ole Incandescents; CFs; and this new LED Bulb. When one of three 'Panels' was removed from this new Bulb, there were 6 very bright LEDs [x3 Panels] blazing away. They were the usual, piercing bluish-white. The genius was in the Panel. It filtered the light wavelength to make it more the 'warm' Color Temperature that folks find pleasing. Brilliant!

Disclaimer: I'm PRETTY sure the Link below is the Bulb on the TV Show.

Philips was already positioning this new Bulb to NOT be a consumable, but more like an Appliance. Their metaphor was to install one when a Kid was born, and have it still be working [under typical use/duty cycle conditions] when that Kid graduated High School.

I visited/worked with Philips Netherlands several times, and really respect what they do. I'm posting this, in part, because I would expect this new 'wrung out' Technology to soon be available in low voltage, ultra-long life versions for the HUGE Worldwide Automotive Industry. Why? I saw first-hand the push to apply Thin Film Coatings to Vehicle Glass. Reflecting Heat out of the 'Cockpit', as it's known, lowers A/C needs. This allowed less-'efficient' R-134 Refrigerant to replace Freon. Compressor size could be reduced, and this helped Manufacturers meet Fleet Mileage Goals by nicking away at total Vehicle weight. Reducing every little bit of 'Amps' on a Vehicle also helps streamline Vehicles to meet weight/performance Goals. It sounds a little far-fetched at first, but these are real dynamics behind the scenes in Manufacturing environments. I would expect these new LED Bulbs to first be in high-end Vehicles; then trickle down to Mass Market Applications.

Meanwhile, I really respect all the work Bruce and others have done on this LED topic, and sincerely thank them for sharing their efforts. Tinkerers can forge ahead and make their own efficient Lamps.

Philips LED Bulb

[S. Heisley]

to follow up, i found these at wallyworld for $8 a piece...


but fyi... even though the screw-in base part is the same size as traditional incandescent chandelier bulbs these led versions are slightly fatter & despite it being a matter of millimeters in my fixtures they're too big to fit! ACK!

Just an FYI on these bulbs....I bought two for my outside house lights so I could leave them on most the night without using a lot of energy. Of the two LEDs, one was the bright blue-white and one was the newer yellow-white style. What I found was that the yellow-white still attracted many insects and spiders but the blue-white didn't.