Ikea 12V LED lights in Van?

[Calaverasgrande]

Curious if anyone has tried the Ikea DIODER LED strip lights.
It comes with a little AC adapter that converts 120V AC to 12V DC for home use.
But it should be possible to cut out the middleman and just whack that right in to the 12V of the vehicle.
Thinking about mounting a pair of those down the length of the vehicle where the wall and ceiling meet.
There is a model with white light and another for $10 USD more that has RGB LEDs with a color remote.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/dioder-led-4-piece-light-strip-set-multicolor-50192365/
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/dioder-led-4-piece-light-strip-set-white-20119418/

 

[Scorpion Regent]

At first glance it looks good.  How well does it tolerate variances in voltage?  From 12.6 volts engine off to 14.5 max when running a automotive system doesn't maintain the most stable voltage.  How does it compare in price and quality to the DIY stuff? I can't see any mention of where it's made.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

Fair points.
The wall wart for the Dioder says Made in China. But I think the LED stuff is Korean.
One of them I looked at yesterday was Korean, but that was a single lamp.
It wouldn't be too difficult to wire up a voltage regulator to clamp it at 12V exactly.
I'm already thinking of doing that for some 12V and 9V barrel outlets to plug music gear into.
One of my concerns regarding the vehicle 12V supply is whether the alternator or starter generate spurious voltages which exceed the nominal 12V range by a significant amount.

 

[Scorpion Regent]

It wouldn't be too difficult to wire up a voltage regulator to clamp it at 12V exactly.


One of my concerns regarding the vehicle 12V supply is whether the alternator or starter generate spurious voltages which exceed the nominal 12V range by a significant amount.

I really don't think you have to worry about to freak accidents. All 12V automotive systems have some form of voltage regulation that maxes out around 14.5V.  Some Bosch systems tend to run around 13.5 while Asian systems are around 14.  I guess that is the definition of nominal.    If voltage regulation fails then you have far bigger problems than your lighting.  The battery is the closest thing that the vehicles have to surge protection.  Losing a on board computer can leave a vehicle dead on the side of the road.  Before doing any installation I would check actual output from the AC to DC transformer to know what the true operating voltage normally is.  If you want piece of mind, it can't hurt to make a voltage regulator for the lights.   The way I see it is if the lights work with the engine off and still work with the engine running they will most likely work till they wear out.  So in the first ten minutes of testing you will know they are good or you wasted your money.  Of course if you hook them up wrong that's on you.
Good luck.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

I was just at the Ikea picking up 4 of the Skorva bed support beams. They clip in to the walls perfectly on my Transit! Pretty enthusiatic about how the bed platform is shaping up.
Anyway I checked out the Dioder sets more.
They are 100% made in China. They do look a little dinky.
I did notice that the connections seem to be standard .1" pin header stuff.
So bonus for being kinda hacker/maker accessible,
but not rugged or sealed at all.
If I do snag this for interior lights I'd have to do my own heatshrink or epoxy to make it reliable.
My theory is to put them behind some white corrugated plastic sheet to light the ceiling up.

The other glitch in this plan is that the RGB one doesn't appear to gave a white mode.
So I'd want to grab a separate white one for that function.
But hey, 5 watts!

 

[Calaverasgrande]

I went ahead and did it yesterday.
Actually bought the RGB lights a couple weeks ago, but I'm traveling south right now and haven't had much time for working on the boat.
Chopped off the power connector, used my DMM in continuity mode to figure out the wire with the dashes corresponds to the large flat pin. The wire with the writing the small round pin.
In electronics teh convention is to give ground the path of least resistance, so it's often the bigger wire or large surface area thing. So yeah had to make an educated guess there.
Crimped rings and red/black heatshrink on each lead and connected to my DC block.
popped the fuse in and powered it up on just one segment.
Didn't want to fry all 4 strips if I reversed polarity!
Works great so far.
Turns out it has a white mode, which is all the RGB LEDS at equal intensity. However blue is a tad more so it has a bluish cast.
I find that the pure red is good for night reading. The strobe modes are next to uselsess. Wish there was an intensity dial.
In order to hack it to do that, I'd have to make a PWM circuit. These are diodes, and diodes, especially LEDs have specific voltage and current.
So I'll just live with it for now.
It's just enough brightness at 2 segments plugged in. When I finish the back shelf and attach 2 more it may be a bit much. Perhaps I can put a switch or relay to toggle off the sections?
Might buy a 2nd one so I can have 2 zones, one for each side of the van.
Makes sense for reading light use, since I have to flip where the pillows are for the side of the street I'm parked on.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

I'll post some pics after I get cable management and some cosmetic wall covering issues sorted. It looks too messy for me to show in public right now.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

Here are some shots I took last night.
[img=302x403]http://doctorruss.com/bodega/IMG_8698.jpg[/img]
Installed a small row of clothing storage bins on top of where the lights are mounted.
The cubbies are made of semi translucent white coroplast. Which diffuses the light a lot. So it isn't very bright. But I can still read by it after my eyes adjust.
Though even the 'white' setting has a violet tint, so it's always a little disco back there.

[img=302x403]http://doctorruss.com/bodega/IMG_8699.jpg[/img]
Thats the purple setting not the white setting btw.
Need to get around to finishing that back door!
(and the side door, and the floor where it meets the driving area, and the slides for the cooler)

 

[B and C]

Looking good. I've had mine for almost 7 years now and still think of improvements! I don't think I was ever through with any van I've had.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

If anyone decides to follow me on this vain quest to hack Ikea stuff to work in a van. The big flat plug on the cable is the ground.
After you chop it off, use a continuity tester or DMM to confirm which wire goes to the big flat plug. Then make note of the markings on that wire.
Warranty won't help you if you reverse polarity it after cutting up the wires!
I'm going to hit up the Ikea in the next state over after I get my van serviced. Want to get at least one more. Maybe 2?
The current draw is extremely low, like 7 watts. With 2 more my van would be very well lit.

 

[Sofisintown]

Yes it does work that way, and that's what I did.
Cut off the wire 120 to 12V converter. Test the wire by using a 9 Volt battery, to see which one is the positive and mark it. ( If you invert the poles the lights don't light up)
Then connect the positive on the positive side in your fuse box, and the negative on the negative side. I used a 5 Amp fuse for that connection which is plenty, because the whole strip draws only 30 Watts/hour. (20 feet)
It has been working for a year now with no problems now.

 

[ElroyPatrick72]

I tried them, but I wouldn't recommend them. Firstly, the LEDs were overheating. It could be dangerous for kids in the house and not only. Secondly, the colors were pale. And last but not least, they consumed more energy than I thought. I was disappointed.

 

[ElroyPatrick72]

I tried them, but I wouldn't recommend them. Firstly, the LEDs were overheating. It could be dangerous for kids in the house and not only. Secondly, the colors were pale. And last but not least, they consumed more energy than I thought. I was disappointed.

They didn't match my expectations at all. Then a friend suggested to me these amazons led light bulbs. I ordered some even if I'm not a huge fan of online shopping. However, now I'm delighted about them! The bulbs are energy savers and have voice control. But the intensity of the colors broke my heart from the first use. You certainly have to try them!