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
>
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-- 
Joel
301 541 8551
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