Are people adding in-line switches to the LED strips or just switching them at the breaker?
Joel 35/3 The Office Annapolis On Fri, Apr 5, 2013 at 8:45 AM, Michael Brown <m...@tkg.ca> wrote: > 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 > -- Joel 301 541 8551
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