LED lights for cabin and navigation.

[Tomfoolery]

So looking into LED's. I find BWY sells these:
http://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/8406-1v0.htm
if I want to buy them individually

That bulb is the Polar Star 20, made by Dr. LED, and is suitable for red/green and white nav lights. https://doctorled.com/pdf/bulb_selection_guide.pdf

It's actually cheaper at BWY than it is at WM. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/dr-led-- ... --14982078

I use a P338 Wedge Star in my Perko anchor light, and you can't tell the difference from the original incandescent.

The two OEM Aquasignal nav lights are not rated for sailboats, by the way. There was a rule change some time back, and I've forgotten the details, but they're currently approved for power boats but not sailboats. Not a big deal, especially in my case, as when it gets dark, I'm motoring - it's a long way from the lake to my slip, through a narrow cut and down a channel, and sailing when the wind dies at night like it always does here means I won't get there 'til morning, so the iron genny goes to work. But if you're going to sail in the dark, you might want to think about just buying LED nav lights that are approved for sailboats. I didn't re-read this thread to see if I already mention that, so my apologies if I did.

I personally wouldn't bother changing the masthead light bulb for an LED, as it's only used with the engine running, and they're not cheap.

In making a changeover to LEDs I don't want to get inundated with bugs at night because my nav lights are overly bright (especially the aft light).

I replaced my stern light with a Perko deck-mount stern light, as my original Aqua Signal was pretty clouded and yellow and AS doesn't make that light in the stern light version any more, and it's so bright I have a cloud of bugs following me home. I should consider using my all-round pole light, to keep the bugs above the bimini, where I can't see them.

This is frustrating.... I mean how many sailors does it take to change a light bulb????

None. Real sailors refill their whale oil nav lamps.

[Russ]

I personally wouldn't bother changing the masthead light bulb for an LED, as it's only used with the engine running, and they're not cheap.

I replaced my steaming with LED mostly for reliability. Filament bulbs and vibration don't mix well.

[paul I]

So looking into LED's. I find BWY sells these:
http://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/8406-1v0.htm
if I want to buy them individually

That bulb is the Polar Star 20, made by Dr. LED, and is suitable for red/green and white nav lights. https://doctorled.com/pdf/bulb_selection_guide.pdf

It's actually cheaper at BWY than it is at WM. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/dr-led-- ... --14982078

And even cheaper at defender:
https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=2382201

[BOAT]

It's not the nav lights I am worried about - but I must say if you do change your nav lights use only Coast Guard Approved stuff - LEDs can have some real color issues.

My big question is about TAPE LIGHTS for the interior of the cabin.

Russ put up an Amazon product early in this thread but I can't see anywhere in that Amazon page about VOLTAGE. The impression is that the product is for home use so that means 120 volt.

Does anyone have experience with using 12 volt LED Tape Lights that can change color inside their boats? Do they really work to help with night vision? This night vision issue is a big problem for me because we do sail at night quite a lot over here. The way we do it right now is to carry tiny red military penlights that are made for reading charts at night but I have been doing that for 40 years now and I'm sick of it - the batteries are always dead when I need the light!

I would rather have a way to change the color of some tape lights in the cabin and dim those lights too. Blue for normal use and red for when underway at night.

Anyone have any good luck with a 12 volt product they want to recommend?

[Highlander]

I have the LED version of this anchor light swings about 19ft up in the air off the Topping lift
https://victory-products.com/collection ... ts/aa01644
No mast wiring to fool with or bulds way up there 35ft off the water
J

[Highlander]

It's not the nav lights I am worried about - but I must say if you do change your nav lights use only Coast Guard Approved stuff - LEDs can have some real color issues.

My big question is about TAPE LIGHTS for the interior of the cabin.

Russ put up an Amazon product early in this thread but I can't see anywhere in that Amazon page about VOLTAGE. The impression is that the product is for home use so that means 120 volt.

Does anyone have experience with using 12 volt LED Tape Lights that can change color inside their boats? Do they really work to help with night vision? This night vision issue is a big problem for me because we do sail at night quite a lot over here. The way we do it right now is to carry tiny red military penlights that are made for reading charts at night but I have been doing that for 40 years now and I'm sick of it - the batteries are always dead when I need the light!

I would rather have a way to change the color of some tape lights in the cabin and dim those lights too. Blue for normal use and red for when underway at night.

Anyone have any good luck with a 12 volt product they want to recommend?

Rocky " Dreamer" bought Tape led strip lights at the 2016 boat show in Toronto I think they were 50ft long had about 50 colour modes u could choose from or multi colour display like xmas lights u could change the colour , adjust brightness mode & flash speed slow to fast to off all from a cordless remote control they were 12v & came with a 120volt adapter so if u were at a slip u could run them off dock hydro I believe they had a double AA battery pack option so u could use them any where . he was going to run them from the front of the dinette mirrored headboard S/B aft an across the back off the aft berth then down the port side behind the galley forward as far as they would reach towards the v-berth on the port side

I,ll tex him later today see if he can chip in , I do not know if he ever got around to installing them lol !

J
PS I have 1 red leds installed in the V-berth , head , 1 mounted on front of cockpit pedestal , 4 installed one in each corner of the cabin dinette/galley area they r not only great for night vision but don,t seem to draw the bugs into the cabin or cockpit either hope this helps u out !

[BOAT]

When the LED tape lights first came out way back in 2000 they were automotive stuff from China designed for the low riders to install in their wheel wells - NON UL LISTED, so they were at places like PEP BOYS and they came with battery packs. They were never really designed back then to connect direct to the 12 volt battery on a car. I bought some way back then and put them in my RV. The wires were SO tiny - they were like electronics wires near less than 22 GA (30 GA, is that possible?)

Anyways, if you made the slightest mistake handling the wiring when it was connected to the car battery they would light up and smoke!! The wire and insulation was so thin a car battery would make them burn when faulted.

I put tiny fuses on them and installed them in my RV and they became our favorite lights. They used almost no electricity at all! And they put out a great, quality light throughout the entire RV. I really liked them, but I am wanting now a good quality tape light for the boat (and replace in the RV too for that fact).

I have already replaced all the factory lights with flush mount LED (the same kind that are used on modern sailboats like the Bennetue and so forth). They are WAY WAY too bright for use underway.

[Russ]

The impression is that the product is for home use so that means 120 volt.

Does anyone have experience with using 12 volt LED Tape Lights that can change color inside their boats?

Most cheap LED strip lights are native 12VDC. Some are 24VDC, but those are rare.
In your house, you need a transformer to go from 120VAC down to native 12VDC voltage.

It's a high volume market so the Chinese make them super inexpensive (and probably super poor quality).
https://www.amazon.com/LEN-Lights-Water ... 1527786796

I've been playing around with these for a while now.
They typically come in 2 types of remotes. IR and RF. Or you can hardwire them like I did in the boat. Connectors are available for no soldering.
I have one controller that is also WiFi enabled so I can use it from my phone app and Amazon Echo device "Alexa, dim the bedroom tray lights". These things are pretty cool.
They also make them waterproof (I have some in master bath shower under the shelf. Low voltage is okay there).


One thing I learned. They are NOT energy efficient. Man, these things suck juice. In one tray light, I strung 3 sets together. I noticed a voltage drop between strings (so I wired them directly). But more importantly, it started overheating the transformer. Melted the dang thing. My guess is the Chinese don't care about quality and make them for cheap bulk market. I had to use a big transformer.
On the boat I installed some blue strip lights under the dark aft berth. My ammeter when up to 1.5 amps with them on. Wow! LEDs are supposed to be efficient.

BOAT, you could use these for your RED light needs. The remote dims them down. I've never measured amps with a dimmer but I would imagine it goes way down.
They come in various colors, but if red is what you want, why not do ALL colors and choose the one you like.

Multicolor strips don't do white very well. They turn on and blend all colors to make white.




And NEVER EVER EVER use these (LED Strip lights) for nav lights.

--Russ

[BOAT]

There should not be any transformer involved at all. The ones I used in the RV connected directly to 12 volt and they used almost no power at all and they do not get warm. I don't want to use tape lights that use a lot of power. The LED lights I am using in the RV can be run on a tiny solar cell! So I know they do not use much juice. This is frustrating.

I guess I just need to keep thinking about this.

[kurz]

Hello

I used this type with the original Hella


It was very very bright and I was very happy.

Unfortunately the glass and the led is destroyed... So I need to replace.

But I cannot find anywhere the LED bulb in warmwhite...

Who knows more?

Thanks all!

[Tomfoolery]

But I cannot find anywhere the LED bulb in warmwhite...

Who knows more?

This? Festoon Star in warm white, 36-44mm, fits Hella. Masthead (steaming) light?

Edit: Forgot the link.

https://www.doctorled.com/store/LED-Bul ... n-Star-12V

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=3729921

https://us.binnacle.com/p6874/Dr-LED-Fe ... _info.html

[Russ]

There should not be any transformer involved at all. The ones I used in the RV connected directly to 12 volt and they used almost no power at all and they do not get warm. I don't want to use tape lights that use a lot of power. The LED lights I am using in the RV can be run on a tiny solar cell! So I know they do not use much juice. This is frustrating.

I guess I just need to keep thinking about this.

Yup, LED Strip lights are generally 12vdc native. No transformers, just connectors. Amazon has all kinds of connectors for all kinds of needs. No soldering required.

The lights don't get warm. My transformer did. It was undersized apparently. I did the math and still came up short on power. The transformer melted. Probably also a cheap transformer.

My disappointment comes from my over expectations. Even at 1 amp, a 25' of strip lights is still less than an incandescent bulb and should not deter you from using them. I was just expecting much better. I replaced all my cabin lights with LEDs. With all of them on, I draw about .5 amps. When I click on the strip lights, it goes to 1.5 total. YMMV. It may be my bad luck from buying super cheap strips. But even so, the power draw is acceptable. I wanted less power guilt using them. Again, all my cabin lights and strips consume less than one incandescent bulb.

[BOAT]

There should not be any transformer involved at all. The ones I used in the RV connected directly to 12 volt and they used almost no power at all and they do not get warm. I don't want to use tape lights that use a lot of power. The LED lights I am using in the RV can be run on a tiny solar cell! So I know they do not use much juice. This is frustrating.

I guess I just need to keep thinking about this.

Yup, LED Strip lights are generally 12vdc native. No transformers, just connectors. Amazon has all kinds of connectors for all kinds of needs. No soldering required.

The lights don't get warm. My transformer did. It was undersized apparently. I did the math and still came up short on power. The transformer melted. Probably also a cheap transformer.

My disappointment comes from my over expectations. Even at 1 amp, a 25' of strip lights is still less than an incandescent bulb and should not deter you from using them. I was just expecting much better. I replaced all my cabin lights with LEDs. With all of them on, I draw about .5 amps. When I click on the strip lights, it goes to 1.5 total. YMMV. It may be my bad luck from buying super cheap strips. But even so, the power draw is acceptable. I wanted less power guilt using them. Again, all my cabin lights and strips consume less than one incandescent bulb.

So what about this "color changing" crap? Does it really work? How does it change the color? Is that color changing feature something that requires another transformed load to operate the color change or is that some electronic switching that is already built into the tape light? If it's just switching the power from BL to GN then that should be just a little diode pull, not too bad?

I wish I knew more about how LED works. Maybe one of you smart guys can chime in and explain why the diode lights up in the first place?

[paul I]

So what about this "color changing" crap? Does it really work? How does it change the color? Is that color changing feature something that requires another transformed load to operate the color change or is that some electronic switching that is already built into the tape light? If it's just switching the power from BL to GN then that should be just a little diode pull, not too bad?

I wish I knew more about how LED works. Maybe one of you smart guys can chime in and explain why the diode lights up in the first place?

I cant easily explain how an LED works other than its similar to a transistor (try Wikipedia for a more in-depth explanation). Suffice to say it is a solid state device (a semi-conductor) that emits light when a voltage is applied to it. The voltage has to be applied with correct polarity, since like all diodes, it will only pass power in one direction. The type of phosphor mixed into the semiconductor material determines what color the light is.

The color change thing is actually kind of a misnomer. Its not that the LED can change color from red to green to blue, its that the LED is really three LEDs contained in a single case. One red LED, one green LED, one blue LED. Each going on when asked to and at the intensity required. Then there are combinations of those colors as well. With the right colors and controls, you can produce a huge range of colors, like on a LED TV screen.

[Russ]

So what about this "color changing" crap? Does it really work? How does it change the color? Is that color changing feature something that requires another transformed load to operate the color change or is that some electronic switching that is already built into the tape light? If it's just switching the power from BL to GN then that should be just a little diode pull, not too bad?

I wish I knew more about how LED works. Maybe one of you smart guys can chime in and explain why the diode lights up in the first place?

Paul (above) did a good job of explaining it. The strips have 3 primary color LEDs. They change color by blending the colors together to make the color you want.

Wiring: They have 4 wires.
Shared Ground
Red
Green
Blue

Now if you want, you can hardwire them with the common ground and pick a color(s) you want lit. But that's kind of boring and old school.
It's much easier to spend a whopping $6 on a controller.
https://www.amazon.com/SUPERNIGHT-Remot ... 1527888770



This makes the RGB color strip so much easier and more flexible. It's powered from the line 12V line voltage. Then it supplies the strip lights with power via a 4 pin connector (matches the wiring of RGB strips).
With your skills, you could do this in your sleep. Just feed the controller 12v in. You can buy some or just cut off a plug from an old power brick.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018I72HPM/re ... B018I72HPM

Why should I buy a controller Russ?, you ask.
It comes with an IR remote that lets you pick all kinds of colors. Almost an infinite amount of different colors, like a Sherwin Williams paint display.
It lets you dim them.

Put on some tunes, hang a disco ball from your boom and you can have it do all kinds of effects, like random fade through all colors. Trigger an acid flashback with all the crazy effects it can do.

But mostly, it lets you pick your favorite shade of nighttime vision protecting red. Then dim it to where you need it.

Surely you have boats in Oceanside using these things. I was just in Miami and it seemed like every other boat had 'em.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jV1OZW_r-I



Of course, you don't have to use RGB strips. LED strips come in solid colors as well, including red. The problem is still that they tend to be too bright full time. It's nice to dim them.
So just buy a single color strip light and controller. Or hardwire them like I did without a controller and lose the dimming ability.

https://www.amazon.com/Water-resistance ... 1527890298
https://www.amazon.com/LEDMO-Remote-Con ... 1527890236