T10 wedge base LED bulbs

[SternWake]

My conversion van came with fixtures which used t10 incandescent bulbs.
914/921,194/168, w5w, al these incandescent bulbs would fit these housings/ fixtures.

I still employ these fixtures, and since 2007 or so, have been trying LED bulbs in them with less than spectacular results.

My grievances were not enough light, or light that was too blue, and even the price at upto 8$ per bulb.

Sometimes I'd find a bulb with good color and 5 5050 SMD's that would have been acceptable, if they were brighter.  So I'd order one with 9 5050 SMDs from the same outfit, only to find they were barely any brighter, but they'd be too blue for my liking.  Same with the 13 5050 SMD offerings.  Argggghhhhhhhhh!

I also tried some other LEDs with different size led emitters and could get some to be almost bright enough, but the color was irritating.

The warm white LEDs I tried were also not impressive, their warm white color way too artificial feeling, their output, lacking.

I decided no LED bulb was going to use the fixture's reflector properly as it would a halogen 914 or 921 bulb, so I went with a projector type of t10 LED, the type with a convex lens and a single emitter behind it.  these would stick outside my fixtures ignoring the reflector, but their output was acceptable, their color also acceptable, and I quit looking somewhere in 2013.

I found this Wiki page more recently showing the 5050 emitters are only good for 14 to 18 lumens each.  Well that explains why all these bulbs I tried were too dim.

So I see there are other sizes that are much better, such as the 5730 at 45 to 50 lumens each, and for grins, I type in 5730 LED T10 into Amazon and find results.

Recently I ordered these.

http://www.amazon.com/Cutequeen-10P...8&qid=1462431922&sr=8-3&keywords=5730+SMD+t10

They arrived today.  I plugged one into a reflectorless t10 receptacle in my workshop, and the output was obviously more intense than any other t10 bulb I have tried, and it was also white, without a blue hue.

So I plug one into a receptacle in my Van, right next to a projector t10 LED that i thought was good enough, and the output of the new t10 was significantly brighter, and its output wider, without the yellow. green ring around the edges.

So I Unplugged the other projector, and all my other projector bulbs and they are now in my spares bin as these are simply brighter, whiter and  just impressive.

They also respond to my PWM dimmer nicely, and since they are basically more bright than I need most of the time, I can lower their intensity when it is not needed.  A fan needs a speed control, a light needs a dimmer.  Can't imagine either without.

These are not the most efficient LED though.  i measured their amperage at 0.18 amps at 12.7v or about 2.3 watts.

The now removed projector LEDs are 0.12 amps or about 1.5 watts.

As far as efficiency goes, these overpriced Phillips bulbs are fairly bright, but are only 0.63 watts, or 0.05a at 12.7v:

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-retro..._UL160_SR111,160_&refRID=1J9JEEPWMJX5RF1HVFAQ

These have only a single emitter with no projector lens and they fire straight out the top.  Their warm white color is OK, but not really boat floating material, but man they are awesome in the efficiency department.  I'd say they are 60 to 70% as bright as the cutequeens at less than 1/3 their electrical consumption.

Phillips has a 6000k version of the bulb above, and new ones too which I've read are significantly better, but their prices are not acceptable to me.

Looking at that Wiki chart on the LEDs, and skimming the lumen figures, well the 3030 chipsets are 110 to 120 lumens per chipset.

So I type in t10 LED 3030 and this pops up:

http://www.amazon.com/JDM-ASTAR-Ext...8&qid=1462950240&sr=1-34&keywords=h3+led+bulb

These are supposed to arrive tomorrow.

Hopefully they are not too blue.  I expect they will be bright.  will report back.

So if you have also been less than impressed with LED offerings up until recently, look into some of the newest offerings as  they finally seem to be up where they should be.  do not buy anything with 5050 smds as these are simply not bery bright, not very efficient and their coloring is too 'cool' blue, mostly.

One other link:

http://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Da...d_cp_60_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=17HY0J1GW8W38C4QQ0QR


For $8.50 I thought why not. It Arrived today.  Not as impressed.  It does not draw 10 watts, but 7.  About 0.48a at ~13.12v.  Warm white but artificial. it does not dim well, only about to 60% of its max brightness before shutting off and not smoothly to that point.

But it is a very wide beam, a good floodlight, and waterproof, or so they claim.  not sure if I will employ it in or around my Van.  Probably not.  Should have spent that 8.50 on some quality beer instead.

 

[SternWake]

Amazon delivered the JDMaStar 3030 t10s today, and they are definitely extremely bright. One should not look at them as it sears one's retinas.

They appear to give off about 10 to 15% more light than the cutequeen t10s with 6 3030 led chipsets, compared to the CQ's 8 5730 chipsets.

They draw 0.15amps, 0.3a less than the CQ's
They are the same neutral white color
They do respond to a dimmer, but not quite as smoothly going downward, there is a weird hiccup at about 85% intensity that smooths out. They do not dim quite as much before going out completely.

Neither bulb makes any whining noises when dimmed, which is an issue with the single 'cree' type projector bulbs I have used. Cree in quotes as they could easily be counterfeits or seconds.

The CQ's have to win in my review. 10 bulbs for 6$ opposed to 6$ each for the JDM astars. The 0.3 amps less consumption for ~15% more light is not really much of a concern, the CQs are certainly bright enough, and the 0.3 amp difference would be hard to quantify in actual battery depletion, easily saved elsewhere.

Those looking for the brightest possible LEDS on led bulbs using multiple chipsets should consider the 3030s, or the 5730s. They are such a huge improvement over the 5050's.

Finally, LED bulbs worth something in my 'salt and paper shaker' type of fixtures which came in my conversion Van. it only took 9 years for the tech and my awareness of it, to catch up with my desires.

Hope this review helps someone. the cutequeen t10 LEDs are a surefire winner. I will report any longevity issues should they arise.

 

[SternWake]

Update.


One of the  JDM astar t10 with the 3030 leds has failed.

It was on for 5 or 10 minutes with a cutequeen led in the adjacent fixture when i got a whiff escaping magic blue smoke.

They have a 2 year warranty, lets see if they honor it:

http://www.amazon.com/JDM-ASTAR-Ext...8&qid=1462950240&sr=1-34&keywords=h3+led+bulb

As it claims to be for Dome light/ map light duty, which I was using it for, it overheating and failing in this manner should not have occurred.  

The other one is still working and has accumulated many hours, but not at full brightness as it is not needed.  The domelight in which it failed is not dimmable.....yet.


These arrived today:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019W8T1M8/ref=twister_B019W8T89O?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

No real review on them yet, other than that they too are pretty white, not blueish.  Their intensity as of yet is hard to judge the 110 to 120 lumens appears accurate.  they made an attempt to seal the backside where the wires enter the back, but the assembler was sniffing too many fumes and did not care that there were voids.

 

[SternWake]

As always, thanks for the detailed reports on your research. Good luck on the warranty!!

Guy

You're welcome.

Amazon gave me a refund, said I could place another order for it if I wanted a replacement, but they had nothing do do with a 'warranty'.

 Here's hoping the other JDMAstar does not follow its twin.

It is nice having so much interior lighting available, aimable and dimmable.  I remember pre2007 using a single 914 or 921 incandescent bulb.  Now I have 10x the light for less current consumed.

I ordered more t10 wedge receptacles and more cutequeen t10's.

I put two receptacles in one of  my hooded gooseneck lights securing them with a single screw, predrilled of course:

Those are 18 awg wires.  Overkill for 0.15amps but they are meant for incandescent bulbs.

http://www.amazon.com/uxcell®-Harne..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=1GTZ3KDAT9QAH0JA2V04

 

[SternWake]

update:


The other JDM Astar t10 with 3030 LEDs smoked itself this morning with a sizzling and a stinky line of dense smoke which made a bee line for my roof exhaust.

The Yitamotor eagle eye leds are absolute junk.  they cannot handle anything over 12 volts without going into blinking disco mode.  This is after I mounted them in a metal heatsink and ran a fan across them thinking heat was the issue.

The issue is that they are junk and a waste of money and I will be giving them a scathing review, but first perhaps a chance at a refund for them as they are basically useless, unless one employs a voltage limiter on them, which i might do as I have one laying around.

Amazon did refund my account on the failed JDM Astar bulbs.  It is a shame they cannot handle continuous use.  they are a very intense LED and extremely bright, but the Cutequeens are all still working without blinking or failure and are nearly as bright and with a good white color.

The 20  t10 receptacles I bought on the cheap linked to in my previous post, are stinky rubber, and the toxic  smell has not yet abated after being taken from the plastic packaging and hung in front of an exhaust fan for a few days to air out.  I would find this smell intolerable if used inside my van, so hopefully it abates.  Their wires are also much thinner than 18awg, and I could not recommend putting an incandescent bulb in them.  It would however be easy to drill an appropriate sized hole and install these and likely have a watertight seal.

My Dodge's front amber turn signals have the lower portion of the lens with a reflector, but no Bulb.  i installed some Amber t10 LEDs into them, but the seal is imperfect, requiring a blob of silicone grease to hopefully seal them from rain intrusion.  These rubber ones would be a better choice if I did not already drill a hole and file out the tangs for the twist lock t10 receptacle shown above with the drill bit making plastic pigtails.

With one LED and one Incandescent bulb in the turn signal, one can really see how much faster LEDs illuminate than incandescent.  The 2 different bulbs are attention grabbing and scramble one's brain if looking at it for too many flashes.

 

[66788]

Update.


One of the  JDM astar t10 with the 3030 leds has failed.
It was on for 5 or 10 minutes with a cutequeen led in the adjacent fixture when i got a whiff escaping magic blue smoke.

They have a 2 year warranty, lets see if they honor it:

http://www.amazon.com/JDM-ASTAR-Ext...8&qid=1462950240&sr=1-34&keywords=h3+led+bulb

As it claims to be for Dome light/ map light duty, which I was using it for, it overheating and failing in this manner should not have occurred.  

The other one is still working and has accumulated many hours, but not at full brightness as it is not needed.  The domelight in which it failed is not dimmable.....yet.


These arrived today:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019W8T1M8/ref=twister_B019W8T89O?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

No real review on them yet, other than that they too are pretty white, not blueish.  Their intensity as of yet is hard to judge the 110 to 120 lumens appears accurate.  they made an attempt to seal the backside where the wires enter the back, but the assembler was sniffing too many fumes and did not care that there were voids.

CHINA=  Crap Heading Into North America.

 

[SternWake]

update:

The Cutequeen t10 LEDS I was so enamored with back in May, well 4 of the 20 started blinking. But 10 for 5 dollars, and having 20, this has presented little issue as my bulbs are easy to access to swap out.

The failures show no obvious signs of failure, like burnt resistors.

They are still the T10 LED whose light I like the most, and I will have many back ups for quite some time.

They are no longer available anyway and i am glad I bought 10 then another 10.

I've not perused the latest offerings on LEDs, but hope they can soon get them even more efficient, so that the heat caused failures, magnified by battery charging voltages, are less of an issue.

 

[DannyB1954]

I replaced the bulbs in my rectangular fixtures with these. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product...act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A298K45OP416LP At 6,000k color, they are very white. 2 of them in the fixture puts out a lot more light than the 3 incandescent bulbs did. I hot glued them to the plastic shade. 6 watts each. I soldered the leads to the old bulb holders so that I can go back if desired. I can run one or both.

 

[SternWake]

I have some of those on My rear doors that come on with my dome lights if I have allowed their operation. Usually I rotate headlight knob all the way clockwise to insure no lights come on when I open the doors.

Quite bright, but more blue tint than I really like, and IIRC about 0.35 amps each and 0.7 amps together, so If I left a side door open, I might remain unaware that the rear lights are On and sucking up in an hour, the same amount my fridge would use.

Also my Dodge has a time delay relay that also consumes 0.1 amps when the door is open, in addition to the light circuit itself. meaning if headlight knob is not rotated all the way to off, even if I have all the bulbs turned off, this time delay relay is sucking about 0.1 amps. i would have remained ignorant of this if I did not have a battery monitor and had turned everything off, but still saw this mysterious 0.1 amp load that disappeared a few seconds after doors were closed.

 

[DannyB1954]

At the Jammie buildout I put a toggle switch on a ladies side door that disconnects the door switch. This way she can keep the side door open if she likes without the light, or if she wants the light to come on she can flip the switch at the door. With my switch in the closed position, the light will still go off when she closes the door, (the switch I installed and the original door switch are in series).

 

[SternWake]

Nice, I was considering adding a switch. Often I have need of the lights on back doors, but have my dash switch set to off, and then need to go to driver's door and turn the switch to allow them to work as door lights.

it is an Unideal method, that I just accept. My regular entry doors on the side are not automatically illuminated, but will have the overhead lights up front come on, or the back door lights come on, as long as I have that switch not rotated to off, which I usually do.

I like the flatness of those DRL leds. I actually have them mounted so when the doors are open the light shines into vehicle and not at the other door. And with doors closed and they illuminate, they illuminate only the seam and whatever light escapes. Their thinness allows this. I have them on Velcro and can relocate them with a few feet of slack, but so far, have not done so.

 

[Mobilesport]

You can buy led lilights in rolls and cut them down to size .
Here's pictures of mine 

First picture is full length  non cut I have Mounted to my ceiling,, insane amount of brightness , Bright white.

Second picture is a strip about 12 inches long ,fairly bright light I use for reading.

3rd picture  is a light strip I cut down to 3 inches , I use it as my night light.

4th picture is what the rolls look like when you buy them

5th picture is also what they look like when you  buy them

You can cut them any length  you want for different  brightness levels.

 

[Mobilesport]

Control them with remote control for $15
Second picture  is how to wire them up

Links

 

[Mobilesport]

Ran out of edit time

The ones in the very last picture you cut the 110 volt plug off and wire them to 12 volts