Is there a cheap LED replacement for cabin fluorescent tubes?

[Burnham Bob]

I have a fluorescent fitting with two tubes in the main cabin of the boat. No problem to date with battery drain but is there a cheap way to replace with LEDs? Ebay offers lots of cheap LEDs for various uses - including replacing2,3 and 4 ft tubes, online swindleries charge an arm and a leg. Caravan shops are hardly any better.

Any recommendations? £16 seems to be about the cheapest for straight swap of the tube.

 

[Burnham Bob]

I can get a strip of LEDs off ebay - anyone done it this way?

 

[Rigger Mortice]

Several people have done that and reported good results. There have been several threads as well. A quick search will give you an answer.

 

[nigelmercier]

Those LED strips can get very hot at above 12V, personally I think individual lamps with built-in regulation are a better bet.

 

[OldBawley]

Had two Aqua signal fluorescent armatures above the galley, warm white fluo tubes unobtainable here in Greece.
Bought two meter of led strip ( Warm white ) and fitted them into the armatures. Fitted new old style switches. All the old electronics are still in place, cut the strip in three pieces, mounted with some copper wire onto a plastic bearer and reddy. Some soldering and presto, 45 very strong led´s under the original armature lens. Gain in light enormous, paid 10 €/ meter for the strip.

 

[temptress]

We got a 12v led strip light from IKEA for about euro 20 to replace our old lights.

 

[KAL]

Boatlamps do a straight replacement, but it s about £25 I think. I bought one as an experiment and am v pleased with it. Lovely warm light. Still uses 5w though...

 

[JumbleDuck]

Boatlamps do a straight replacement, but it s about £25 I think. I bought one as an experiment and am v pleased with it. Lovely warm light. Still uses 5w though...

I was looking at these yesterday. Am I right in guessing that you have to remove all the electronic gubbins from the lamp holder, so the LED thingy gets a straight 12V?

 

[charles_reed]

Can't understand why you want to change - the power/light-emission ratio will be virtually the same for anything but high temperature LEDs.

 

[Gone sailing]

I have used these on mine.
http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/ip67-50-cm-30-x-5050-leds-cw-12v-dc-600-lumen.html

 

[KAL]

I was looking at these yesterday. Am I right in guessing that you have to remove all the electronic gubbins from the lamp holder, so the LED thingy gets a straight 12V?

Apparently it helps, but I've used it for a whole season now with no probs. I gather removing the 'ballast' from the light fitting will reduce the current needed, so I will get around to it sometime. Very happy with the quality and colour of light.

 

[KAM]

I have just fitted these and thought they were good value. http://hmsmarinesupplies.com/epages...ectPath=/Shops/950002851/Products/"HMS472W/R"

 

[JumbleDuck]

Apparently it helps, but I've used it for a whole season now with no probs. I gather removing the 'ballast' from the light fitting will reduce the current needed, so I will get around to it sometime. Very happy with the quality and colour of light.

Ta.

 

[nigelmercier]

Just re-read the OP. What sort of tubes cost £16? Should be a couple of quid.
If they are working OK, I would leave well alone, you won't save a significant amount of power.

 

[concentrik]

Lidl, where else? I can recommend the LED silver slimline units they had on sale a couple of weeks ago - £10 each - as I have been using a number of them aboard for three years. They look good (In my opinion), the light is not too cool (for me) and they have an integrated touch-on touch-off power sensor. They have survived many months use so far (we routinely leave a couple on overnight when in a marina) and have shown no fear when encountering the DC from our mad alternator, which due to a faulty regulator was keen to share its 17v of goodness sporadically last year.