LED light strips...

[Billyo]

So thinking I'd sort something nice and simple I've gone and bought my self a strip of led lights to replace the flourescent tube lights in the boat.

I hooked up the led strip, straight out of the box with the original cabling, to the light cuircuit to check it was working and all was fine. So I cut the strip to length, attached the supplied clip on cable and checked it on the light cuircuit to no avail, and it's now driving me bonkers.

I cant need a dc converter as the original lights work, so I assume I'm doing something monumentally stupid, any thoughts?

 

[VicS]

So thinking I'd sort something nice and simple I've gone and bought my self a strip of led lights to replace the flourescent tube lights in the boat.

I hooked up the led strip, straight out of the box with the original cabling, to the light cuircuit to check it was working and all was fine. So I cut the strip to length, attached the supplied clip on cable and checked it on the light cuircuit to no avail, and it's now driving me bonkers.

I cant need a dc converter as the original lights work, so I assume I'm doing something monumentally stupid, any thoughts?

I did the same except that I soldered connections onto the strips

Np problems apart from fiddly soldering job
Perhaps your clip on cable is not making proper contact ...... I guess you can't have got the polarity wrong. You've cut the strip in at the right places ?

Actually though rather disappointed with the whole project
I bought the strip recommended by a well known forum member come marine electrician.

When I compared the quoted light output with the light output from the fluorescent tube I realized I had to replace it with several length of LEDs to get the same light output
That meant even more soldering! ( I could not find end cips/cables to fit the LED strip I had bought)

End result is light fittings with only slightly more light output than the fluorescent and only a small reduction in current.

I should have done my own research........... I could have bought LED strip with more LEDs per length and with end clips/ cables

 

[Billyo]

I wondered about the polarity but the piece is wired up exactly like the original fitting, and I tried reversing them on the lighting cuircuit as well but no luck. And I cut the strip where its marked as well.

I'll have a go at soldering the wires on (always a first time for everything!)

 

[ip485]

One point about strips (when you get it working) they vary enormously in quality. They all appear to work beautifully but on some the LEDs start failing after not very long. It is worth going for good quality.

 

[Boathook]

I converted my fluorescent lights to led by buying the strips from boatlamps. Quite easy to do and the light output seems the same. Advantage of doing this I didn't have to worry about how to cover up old light fitting marks.

 

[ryanroberts]

One point about strips (when you get it working) they vary enormously in quality. They all appear to work beautifully but on some the LEDs start failing after not very long. It is worth going for good quality.

Tolerances on LED lights can be huge yes, especially with colours. Then they slowly degrade at different rates. High end 'RGB' lighting like Hue actually uses a colour sensor to deal with this.

 

[oldgit]

make sure you buy the better quality strip with the "waterproof" sealing over the LEDs

 

[West Coast]

What LED strips did you buy? I bought 2 types, one "waterproof" and one not. The waterproof ones are encased in some kind of translucent silicon or rubber compound. I used the supplied connectors, but even if you cut them in the specified locations there is no way the connector contacts can make contact with the copper contacts on the LED strip embedded in the sealing compound! Gave up in the end, used the ordinary ones (glued to a small timber strip) and varnished them to seal.

Installed a series of these in the engine bay:

 

[PaulRainbow]

What LED strips did you buy? I bought 2 types, one "waterproof" and one not. The waterproof ones are encased in some kind of translucent silicon or rubber compound. I used the supplied connectors, but even if you cut them in the specified locations there is no way the connector contacts can make contact with the copper contacts on the LED strip embedded in the sealing compound! Gave up in the end, used the ordinary ones (glued to a small timber strip) and varnished them to seal.

Installed a series of these in the engine bay:

All you need to do is carefully cut through the silicon seal with a sharp knife and peel the part off that is covering the contacts.

I never use the connectors though, i always solder wires on.

 

[LadyInBed]

Like West Coast, I also think the problem is a barrier over the contacts.
Try scraping the contacts and tinning them with solder.

 

[West Coast]

All you need to do is carefully cut through the silicon seal with a sharp knife and peel the part off that is covering the contacts.

I never use the connectors though, i always solder wires on.

Tried that the copper stuck to the rubber and tore away from the base substrate!

 

[PaulRainbow]

Tried that the copper stuck to the rubber and tore away from the base substrate!

You need to do it carefully.

 

[Billyo]

I've been removing the waterproofing over the contacts.

I was playing again with them last night- with new sections of the strip (at this rate I might need to buy a new roll anyway!), first one glowed very faintly and the second worked perfectly but intermittently- if fact the LEDs are so bright it hurt my eyes- so assume that the contacts aren't good enough. Will try soldering.

 

[LittleSister]

Installed a series of these in the engine bay:

Wow! Do you use your engine to eat your dinner off, too?

 

[gregcope]

@LittleSister What are the white covers your LEDs are in?

 

[elton]

So thinking I'd sort something nice and simple I've gone and bought my self a strip of led lights to replace the flourescent tube lights in the boat.

I hooked up the led strip, straight out of the box with the original cabling, to the light cuircuit to check it was working and all was fine. So I cut the strip to length, attached the supplied clip on cable and checked it on the light cuircuit to no avail, and it's now driving me bonkers.

I cant need a dc converter as the original lights work, so I assume I'm doing something monumentally stupid, any thoughts?

Having cut the strip to length, check that you haven't cut out or off any current limiting resistor or driver. An LED without current limiting will destroy itself almost instantaneously.

 

[PetiteFleur]

I've used the self adhesive led strips bought on ebay, cool white, fitted on a strip of plywood, but the adhesive is crap so fixed with small cable ties about every 3", used in the engine compartment and in the rear to illuminate the heater installation. For the saloon over the sink I've used led strips from Atenlighting which are excellent(also in the motor home and under kitchen cabinets)

 

[LittleSister]

@LittleSister What are the white covers your LEDs are in?

They're not mine, they're West Coast's.

 

[West Coast]

@LittleSister What are the white covers your LEDs are in?

I bought some 15mm x 15mm pine angle moulding from B&Q, and glued the LED strip into these. Reason for using angle was to help shield glare from the LEDs by orientating the angle. The white things you are referring to a are larger cable clips, these go round the pine angle moulding and are used to secure it to the engine bay. These let me swivel the wood angles to best effect. I used epoxy to glue the wire powering the LEDs to the wood angle, and varnished the lot to help seal it.

 

[West Coast]

You need to do it carefully.

Have you actually done this ? I tried 4 times (carefully!) with no luck! Any chance of a photo of when you have done this - would be helpful!