LED strip light

[pcatterall]

Looking to replace our existing main saloon light with LEDs.
The original had 3x8watt tubes and I would like to replicate the light output.
Force 4 sell a strip type light with 50 LEDs but don't specify the output or power requirements or if the LEDs are soft white or what.
Another Force 4 strip light says it is soft white doesn't specify the number of LEDs but quotes power requirement as 0.75 watts ( so not a big 'lumens' output I guess)
There doesnt seem to any attempt at standardisation and my brain is getting confused ( again)
Can anyone recomend a light with the appearence of the old flourescent light but with warm white LEDs and giving me light equivelant to the original 24watts?
Many thanks

 

[sarabande]

I thought the new regs meant that all lights had to be specced in lumens. Certainly the case in a nearby Tescostco.


Labcraft have a good site with lumens info.

http://www.labcraft.co.uk/products/market_selector_leisure.php

 

[Murv]

These are the ones I've been using: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251363105...eName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I don't know how they'd compare to 8 watt tubes, but I would imagine that a whole strip would be substantially brighter.
You can, of course, cut them down into sections and I would imagine you'd have to do that to replicate your existing lighting.
The ones I linked to have proved impossible to solder once cut, so I bought some generic 8mm LED strip connectors which have worked successfully to link short sections of the LED's.
As for the light output, I'm absolutely delighted with them. It's a nice warm light, they look really good!

Hope this is of some help,

 

[koiroger]

led lights

Looking to replace our existing main saloon light with LEDs.
The original had 3x8watt tubes and I would like to replicate the light output.
Force 4 sell a strip type light with 50 LEDs but don't specify the output or power requirements or if the LEDs are soft white or what.
Another Force 4 strip light says it is soft white doesn't specify the number of LEDs but quotes power requirement as 0.75 watts ( so not a big 'lumens' output I guess)
There doesnt seem to any attempt at standardisation and my brain is getting confused ( again)
Can anyone recomend a light with the appearence of the old flourescent light but with warm white LEDs and giving me light equivelant to the original 24watts?
Many thanks

try beam led site go to 12v tube strip lights rog

 

[LittleShip]

Philiz of the North Wales Mob has led strip lights fitted in his cabin, very nice lighting. Give him a nudge and he will tell you where he got them from. From what I remember they were about £8 for a 5m strip ??

It may take him a day or so to respond as he'll be in PD damaging his liver again with the rest of the Mob.

And they wonder why I escaped

Tom.

 

[nigelmercier]

Modern LEDs and fluorescent tubes are pretty much equivalent in efficiency, so you need about the same wattage; perhaps slightly less. No real power saving, but faster start up.

 

[BarryH]

I have recently used www.hmsmarinesupplies.com for a led striplight in the forecabin. I got the 12'' one as it would fit into the moulded recess in the side. The service was excellent, as it has been in the past. The produts of good quality. I'm happy with what I've recently had and in the past.

 

[Sarnia]

These are the ones I've been using: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251363105...eName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I don't know how they'd compare to 8 watt tubes, but I would imagine that a whole strip would be substantially brighter.
You can, of course, cut them down into sections and I would imagine you'd have to do that to replicate your existing lighting.
The ones I linked to have proved impossible to solder once cut, so I bought some generic 8mm LED strip connectors which have worked successfully to link short sections of the LED's.
As for the light output, I'm absolutely delighted with them. It's a nice warm light, they look really good!

Hope this is of some help,

+1 also would suggest here:http://www.bedazzled.uk.com/index.html found them great to deal with.

 

[Hoolie]

Modern LEDs and fluorescent tubes are pretty much equivalent in efficiency, so you need about the same wattage; perhaps slightly less. No real power saving, but faster start up.

Well, that's at odds with my experience. I changed the fluorescents on-board to multi-LED clusters and the current reduced to just less than 50%. The lights are brighter too - so much so my next step is to fit a remote control dimmer for the set of cabin lights.

 

[Cardo]

We have various LED strips throughout the boat. eBay jobbies, circa £8-9 for a 5m strip.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5M-300-LE..._Lights_Fairy_Lights&var=&hash=item51b1954ff7
Looks like they're even cheaper, these days!
I have various bits I've cut to size and stuck discretely behind panels, and they look great. Use relatively little power, too.

As a previous poster mentioned, the cut bits can be a _pain_ to solder new cables onto, but it is possible if you pre-solder the wires and the contacts first. Makes life much easier.

We're also using a piece of this stuff as cockpit lighting. We tested it last season by cable tying it to the bimini frame, but it worked so well that we're stitching it onto the underside of the bimini for next season.

 

[pcatterall]

Modern LEDs and fluorescent tubes are pretty much equivalent in efficiency, so you need about the same wattage; perhaps slightly less. No real power saving, but faster start up.

Really?
The tubes total 24 watts when they are all on ( 2amps out of my precious batteries) I had the idea that the LEDs used much less power. I recall that some LEDs are less efficient than others so when they just state 50 LEDs I don't know what the 'lumens' out put is nor the power consumption.
Thanks all for the help to date..... I will persevere!!

 

[nigelmercier]

... I changed the fluorescents on-board to multi-LED clusters and the current reduced to just less than 50%. The lights are brighter too ...

That's probably because LEDs throw the light out in a beam, so they can appear brighter. But in terms of lumens per watt, they are very similar to fluorescents.

 

[wee_niall]

ikea do a good range of cheapish 12v led lights - can buy them separate from the transformer which is a bonus.

 

[pcatterall]

Ikea was a good idea, it has reminded me of me of where I bought a box of 4 small circular LEDs ( as wee-niall said) without the transformer i have fitted them over the galley, only problem was they were not switched.
Nigel also seems to be right about the lumens output from the LEDs, I found a site which compared the efficiency of many light source types, I have not got my head round it yet but flourescents and LEDs did seem similar!!

 

[Graham_Wright]

These are the ones I've been using: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251363105...eName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I don't know how they'd compare to 8 watt tubes, but I would imagine that a whole strip would be substantially brighter.
You can, of course, cut them down into sections and I would imagine you'd have to do that to replicate your existing lighting.
The ones I linked to have proved impossible to solder once cut, so I bought some generic 8mm LED strip connectors which have worked successfully to link short sections of the LED's.
As for the light output, I'm absolutely delighted with them. It's a nice warm light, they look really good!

Hope this is of some help,

I have used four strip LEDs, three white and one red. The shortest white (~250 mm) is down to 30% still working, the longest (~ 800 mm) 60% still working, the next longest (~700 mm) still working and two groups of three flickering.

The red are still all operational but rarely switched on.

They are cheap and easy to change but the alleged longevity of LEDs leaves me wondering.

 

[lw395]

That's probably because LEDs throw the light out in a beam, so they can appear brighter. But in terms of lumens per watt, they are very similar to fluorescents.

That's about right on paper, but in practice I think a lot of 12V fluorescent units are inefficient, they use more 12V and don't drive the tube as effectively as an 8W tube on a mains fitting.
The gain from all the light going in a useful direction could easily be a factor of 2.

 

[Murv]

I have used four strip LEDs, three white and one red. The shortest white (~250 mm) is down to 30% still working, the longest (~ 800 mm) 60% still working, the next longest (~700 mm) still working and two groups of three flickering.

The red are still all operational but rarely switched on.

They are cheap and easy to change but the alleged longevity of LEDs leaves me wondering.

How long have you been running yours?

 

[BarryH]

That's about right on paper, but in practice I think a lot of 12V fluorescent units are inefficient, they use more 12V and don't drive the tube as effectively as an 8W tube on a mains fitting.
The gain from all the light going in a useful direction could easily be a factor of 2.

The fitting I got from HMS supplies is tiltable, well you can rotate it on its end fittings. The light is fitted to the cabin side, I rotate it so the the light is bounced of the light cieling giving a nice even distribution. If I want to lay in the bunk and read I just rotate it down to give a more direct light. Even to warm white LED's are brighter than the old fluro fitting which gave a yellowish light.
According to the blurb in with the light it has a consumption of 160ma. Along with the 2 LED domes fitted in the main cabin, my batteries last a lot longer than with the old inccandesant lamps and the fluro strip

 

[Graham_Wright]

How long have you been running yours?

Hard to say but I also have downlighters with side pin LEDs which have been lit probably 2 to 3 times longer and no individual LED in any of them has failed.

It is particularly irritating when they start flashing.

 

[rjp]

I bought a 5 meter strip of leds to play about with last summer. One of the things I did was to convert an existing 11 inch twin tube fluorescent fitting by cutting strips of led just slightly shorter than the tube, soldering wire tails on, then just sticking the strips to the old tubes. Connected up to the existing switch (bypassing the electronic gubbins), refitted the tubes in the fitting and refitted the old diffuser.

The resultant output was slightly less than the fluorescent tubes but not much. I reckon if I double up on the strips I'll have a really bright light with no hassle changing the fitting, wiring etc. Much cheaper than the led replacement tubes which are available.