The white 3528 strips work well, good light output and low power. I have them glued and tie wrapped to a strip of high density foam board ( about 1/2" wide and 1/4" thick ) that is then screwed in place. The plastic cover on the strip proved a bit difficult to glue.
Most of the strips have a power rating per meter, the ones I have are < 4.8 Watts / meter. They are also rated for 12V, but your boat may have 13.2 to 14.2 volts depending on you charging system. The LED are fairly sensitive to voltage and could be over driven. Add a constant current driver, a LED dimmer (also available on eBay) or a resistor in series. If you expect the highest voltage you will have on the boat will be 14.5v, then the resistor will need to drop 2.5v at rated current. The strips I used where a bit under 2/3 of a meter, used about 3.2W at 12v so required 0.250 amps of current. To drop 2.5v at 0.250 amps you need a 10 ohm resistor ( Resistance in ohms = Volts / Amps ). The resistor will need to be rated for 0.625 watts so I used a 1 watt resistor ( about $0.20 from Sayal ). ( Power in Watts = Amps squared * Resistance ) Adding the resistor will dim the LEDs slightly at 12V. For longer strips where the power to the resistor > 1 watt or were you want the best lighting power a constant current source is much better. Simple ones are only four components and cost less than $10 in parts. The dimmers from China are only $8! http://madscientisthut.com/wordpress/tag/led-current-control/ Mike C&C 30 Windburn > Hi All. > > I just volunteered my boat for a test case using these LED strip lights that > are available on ebay cheap out of china. I haven't seen them used on boats > before. They are marketed as being waterproof. There are a few variations on > the LED types with the two most common being "SMD 5050" and "SMD 3528". The > 5050 have triple LEDs so they can be made into any colour, they are also > brighter because of the triple LED and consume more. The 3528, which I > ordered, are smaller, single cell LEDs and consume less (why I chose them). > Both varieties come in 5 meter lengths for about $20. The 3528 strip that I > ordered has 600 LEDs on it! They can be cut to size. I purchased these to > provide accent lighting in the cabin. They should be bright enough to be used > as a primary light source for hanging out but not for reading (not the way > I'm installing them, anyway). > > For the accent lighting I'll be installing them behind the teak trim on both > sides of the boat just under the cabinets on either side. They should be > hidden from view in there and I will likely aim them UP into that void rather > than down, I'm a big fan of diffused lighting. I ordered the "natural white > 4500k" LEDs. What I'm hoping to accomplish is a nice subdued ambient light in > the cabin. I might even try a dimmer. > > If anyone is interested in this I can update once received and installed. > Check them out: > http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310638125425&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:CA:3160 > > For $20 I figure it's worth the gamble. They are 12V DC so should be a snap > to install. > I've got other ideas too. I'll see how this first strip works out and I'm > curious to see what the real world power consumption is. > > Steve > C&C 32 > Toronto _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
