Best Regulator For IKEA 12v LED Lights

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Andrew_Trayfoot

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I purchased a set of LED lights, variable colour white to red, from Ikea the other day (after the boat show wife insisted we went!).
They are 240vAC to 12vDC so I plan to replace the 240v part with a 12v regulator and use them as cabin lights.

Can anyone recommend a good voltage regulator on eBay as there seem to be loads of them and I have no idea which is the best one.

Thanks.

Andrew
 
I've used these for a couple of years wired direct to 12v supply without any regulator. Obviously cutting out the 240v bit. Not had a problem other than an occasional self switching on after using the starter. Fixed this with an extra isolating switch.
 
Running 12v DC LEDs is not normally a problem on a 12v boat supply. However if the 12v supply is boosted by a smart charger or alternator controller then voltage can rise to nearer 15v. This may be a cause for concern. Yes you can use a supply which takes 10 to 20 volts or more in and supplies 12v steady. More complex and expensive.
You can also add a resistor in series with the 12v lamp to reduce the current when on 15v but this will result in less brightness on 12v or less. Likewise you could fit silicon diodes in series with the LED supply to drop the voltage .7volt aprox for each diode. Again a bit dim on 11volts. Both thse latter solutions would be very cheap to try out in practtice to see if theless light will be a concern. Quite likely not. As for varying between red and white lights that may bea bit tricky. If you go for a ressitor it needs to be chosen for the min no of LEDs at one time so may drop too much if you turn all LEDs ona t once. Perhaps a resitor for red and another for white. good luck olewill
 
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