Clueless about lights.

[TooManyDogs]

I took my first "real" trip with the van this weekend, almost totally loaded (didn't bring frig since I have currently have food in it and I was going to the DC area and wasn't going to deploy my portable solar case). All went well but I have a couple of issues: interior lights and storage in bins.

I camped in VA at Geroge Washington and Jefferson NP the first night. Got there near dark and realized I should've done something about the interior lights. I didn't modify the fixtures or add LEDs, mostly because I usually use headlamps or flashlights, or I've parked somewhere with streetlights. It was totally dark and LEDs would've been helpful. How do I add them to the van? I've not seen any builds and don't know how they're even wired in. It can't be hard, right? Or can I simply change the bulbs in the preexisting light fixtures? Isn't there something about right bulb sizes that I need to know? I don't know what I don't know. Help! (I'm assuming the LED power draw will be so low that I can run these on the starter battery, right? If not, please tell me!) I ended up going to sleep at 6:30pm and waking up at 6am. Good sleep!

These are my pre-existing fixtures.

If I have to wire new lights, how do I attach them to the walls? And how do they plug in? Are you directly wiring them into a fuse block, like the Blue Sea 5025 that I see is popular? Right now I only have a 12 v cigarette plug running off the house battery that I'm using to charge my phone.

Thanks for your help!

 

[blars]

That looks like BA15S or BA15W base bulbs, you need to pull one out and if it has a single contact on the base its BA15S. I prefer the Led panels with wires to the BA15S plug, the light goes in a cone rather than in all directions of the round ones that waste lots of the light. I wouldn't worry about using one for a few minutes, but don't recommend leaving them on for hours.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Almost any bulb you pull out of a fixture should have an ID number on it, and once you have an ID number you can go to a site like Superbright LED and find an LED replacement for it.  Often there will be multiple choices of different "color temperatures" .  The 6000k will be kinda bluish.  The 4000k are warmer and somewhat more natural, most people think.
Amazon also sells replacement LED bulbs.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/

 

[TooManyDogs]

Thanks, Blars! I pulled one off and it did just have one point of contact at the very tip. I also noticed it said "CFC 1141" and googled it. Looks like it's a fairly standard bulb.

What are the cone output LEDs called?

 

[John61CT]

The little self-contained stick-up LEDs are cheap, super-flexible and last a pretty good long time, you probably want a good AA/AAA recharging setup anyway.

When you get deeper into fitting out your interior, you can then wire in a more permanent setup in the locations you've settled on, through actual usage over time with these temporary ones.

 

[TooManyDogs]

OP-We must've posted at the same time! Thanks for the info.

John-The build is basically complete. I just want to be able to read in bed and have a light over the "kitchen" area. Luckily there are fixtures over both areas.

I stopped by the store and bought two bulbs. Is there much difference in quality between brands? The ones on Amazon are cheap, as in about $1.50 each if you buy in bulk. WM had 2 for $15 and an auto parts store had one for $25.

 

[SternWake]

The round type of LED bulbs, in general do not use the filament's reflector very well.

An incandescent 1141 bulb is rated at 18 watts and 264 lumens

http://commercial.gelighting.com/catalog/p/26903

You can search out LEDs that will fit by using LED 1156 or LED 1141. Ebay and Amazon have thousands of offerings on those search terms

Many of these will be for the reverse lights in vehicles, and can be extremely bright. These likely will not be good in constant lighting duty as they generate a lot of heat to be so bright.

Finding an adequate LED bulb for your fixture and desires as to light output and color, kind of make it a trial and error situation.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...ywords=1156+led+5730&rh=i:aps,k:1156+led+5730

I have been using the strategy of trying to find the very bright LED bulbs, but use a PWM dimmer to tame them down.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...ords=led+pwm+dimmer&rh=i:aps,k:led+pwm+dimmer

The electronic guts withing these dimmers are a tiny percentage of the size of the plastic casing. I have removed them and installed them into individual fixtures

Some of the LEDS are very cool white, meaning partially blue. These generally are brighter and more efficient than the warm white versions. I've found some led colors were different within the same order.

I've also found bulbs I liked, ordered more from same seller and then received a different color of LED.

Its kind of a crapshoot.

Lately I have been using LEDs with 5730 chipsets rather than the 5050s. They seem brighter with a wider light dispersion.

 

[TooManyDogs]

SternWake-

How are your lights wired in? I'm afraid I don't have enough knowledge right now to be adding in dimmer switches. ::Insert the "how many people does it take to change a lightbulb" joke here::

 

[Trebor English]

How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? Only one but the bulb has to want to change.

 

[Txjaybird]

SternWake-

How are your lights wired in? I'm afraid I don't have enough knowledge right now to be adding in dimmer switches. ::Insert the "how many people does it take to change a lightbulb" joke here::

  It takes 3 Aggies to change a light bulb.........1 to insert the bulb in the fixture and 2 to rotate the ladder

I'm a former student of their Construction Equip, Operations and Prevenitve Maintenence program...also referred to as The School Of The Bigger Hammer    I know it takes 3

Jewellann

 

[SternWake]

I retasked some conversion van salt and pepper shaker type of lights that originally used T10 wedge base bulbs like the 194/168/914/921. I also retasked the 14 awg wiring the conversion van company used which is very much overkill for LED's at 1/10 the current.

My other lights are modified hooded gooseneck lights I got at the 99 cent store. I ran thicker wires through the flexible stem gutted the hood of the original weak leds, and used T10 LEDS of various designs I have purchased over the years. I want my light aimable. I hate the emitter being in line of sight of my retinas.

My current favorite T10 LED appears very similar to this style:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KMPA9XK/ref=twister_B01LXGB3OI?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

They were 10 for 5$ when i got them about 8 or 9 months ago. I got 10 more after the first 10. About 5 have started flickering since.

All bulbs have a + or a - wire. These LEDs are polarity sensitive. If these t10s do not light up,m reverse bulb.

Wirng up the PWM dimmer is 2 wires in, Two wires out. Does not get much simpler.

I've only bought one pair of ba15-s/ 1141/ 1556 type f LEDS, for my reverse lights. They did not work properly behind my reverse light lenses,( being invisible to other drivers in a diagonal parking lot) and I returned incandescent 1156's in them and have not bothered to hunt out New LED ones which will properly use the existing reflector.

 

[blars]

Oops, the 2-pin ones are BA15D not BA15W.

Here's an example of the type I like. You stick the panel up in the fixture pointing down.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5X-Warm-Whi...ash=item461ece3088:g:QCgAAOxyeZNTWfyI&vxp=mtr

 

[MonteroSteph14]

Looking at your picture it is BA15S,  once you pull it out it had one single point on the base. LED panels wires to the plug. and the wire looks like a triangle shape. And the for BA15S I don't really suggest using it for a long period of time.