LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

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LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

January 31, 2016, 04:52:01 pm

I have moved these messages into their own thread (let's see if it works), Trent.

Quote from: bbeane – January 31, 2016, 11:15:29 am

Playing with LED,s, replaced all the halogen puck bulbs and 3 of the fluorescent lights. I got everything from LED wholesalers. They actually have a real person you can talk to with questions and warranty thier products.

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #1 – January 31, 2016, 04:56:47 pm

Quote from: TulsaTrent – January 31, 2016, 12:08:44 pm

Bruce,

I am following your footsteps and have a few more questions.

Fluorescent Replacement:

Did you remove all of the electronics and use two 12 volt wires?

Did you make any other changes to the fixtures in the process?

Did you just use the tape on the back of the LED's to mount them?

Puck Light Replacement:

Did you shorten the two pin leads?

Were you able to get the LED horizontal?

Did you have to bend the pin leads?

Did you remove the reflector?

Thanks for adding to the mounting evidence that Tom, Dick, and Harry (and Miz Dani), can actually accomplish modifications like this.

Trent

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #2 – January 31, 2016, 04:57:38 pm

Quote from: John Haygarth – January 31, 2016, 04:32:43 pm

Trent when I put the 2 pin light in they just fit in correctly and no need to shorten. They also sit correctly, I also used the tape backing they a few dabs of silicone to help hold. Take out the ballasts and just have the power feed lines to use as connections remove all the old stuff as you do not want it in.
JohnH

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #3 – January 31, 2016, 06:57:27 pm

Trent I removed the whole fixture, then just stick the lights in place with the tape provided.

I did remove the reflector from the pucks. I didn't need to cut the pins on the LEDs I used. They don't sit completely flat but once the lens is on they are fine

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #4 – January 31, 2016, 08:13:00 pm

Trent,

Use the search function. There has been many posts on LED modifications of almost every flavor. This is a great upgrade.
Color is important, buy some of the warm white and the cool white to see the difference in your coach. You want to see how it blends with your colors. Choose what looks good to you. Dimmers are inexpensive. Put more LED light in that what is there now, you can adjust the light level with a dimmer. As you get older more light is better. Ask if you need help.

Roger

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #5 – January 31, 2016, 09:20:46 pm

As Roger said when in doubt add more. The modules I put in the floresents are 1.2 watt per module, 8 per fixture warm white. 10 may be better. My wife says they are great. I think I would like a little more .

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #6 – January 31, 2016, 10:12:16 pm

Watts partly tell the story but there are many things in LED systems that use power. Look for the Lumens spec. This is a measure of light output. More is really better especially in the kitchen and bathroom.

Here is a $6 in-line dimmer.
Kimdrox Dc Dimmable Mini 12-24v 12a Single Color LED Strip Dimmer Switch...

Or an $8 dimmer with a remote control.
Amazon.com: LEÂ® RF Dimmer for Single Color LED Strips, LED Ribbon, RF Dimmer...

Or a $35 dimmer
Amazon.com: ITC (21005-DB) 100 Watt Dimmer Switch: Automotive

Or a $60 dimmer
Amazon.com: ITC (21030-BKBNBK-DB) Black LED Digital Dimmer: Automotive

I have one of each, they all work.

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Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #7 – February 01, 2016, 12:23:34 am

I put a few of these in place of the on/off light switch's and they control dimming of all the under cabinet LEDs I have and been working fine for over 3 yrs
Google Ebay for king controls KC-9001 dimmer. I paid $24 Cdn at the time
JohnH

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #8 – March 13, 2016, 03:26:45 pm

Quote from: TulsaTrent – January 31, 2016, 04:52:01 pm

I have moved these messages into their own thread (let's see if it works), Trent.

Tulas, what length modules did you use for each fluorescent light fixture. thanks!

Modules

Jeff

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #9 – March 13, 2016, 04:23:26 pm

I tried 3 element LED modules some time back. Adhesive backing was poor. About 70% of them are discolored from overheating, many are warped and distorted. I am replacing them all with these

Amazon.com: LEÂ® Lampux 12V Flexible LED Strip Lights, Warm White, Super...

Appear to be made in Germany. Unlike most strip lights these have a very good adhesive backing. I am soldering all of the wire attachments.

,

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Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #10 – March 14, 2016, 03:46:38 pm

Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 – March 13, 2016, 04:23:26 pm

I tried 3 element LED modules some time back. Adhesive backing was poor. About 70% of them are discolored from overheating, many are warped and distorted. I am replacing them all with these

Amazon.com: LEÂ® Lampux 12V Flexible LED Strip Lights, Warm White, Super...

Updated
Appear to be made in China and sold by a German Co. Three days of testing mounted in aluminum channel lights facing down for two to three hrs to overnight. Adhesive seems to be holding. These are the non-waterproof warm white strips. Easy to solder leads and use heat shrink tubes.

I am adding a switch to the old fluorescent fixture at the end so I have Lo/Hi. 48 elements or 96. More light is better as we get older.

Unlike most strip lights these have a very good adhesive backing. I am soldering all of the wire attachments.

,

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Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #11 – March 14, 2016, 04:18:49 pm

Roger et al, as I have mentioned a few times these LED strips can be lightly coated along the sides with clear silicone to assist in the adhesion process. I have some done like that for over 3 yrs now and all look as originally. I have replaced the short under cabinet light in kitchen with a strip the same length of the "Kick" under those cabinets and they are also as good as new. The extra light there is nice in evenings- kind of mood lighting!!. I am going to change the bathroom vanity one to match. The steps into coach have full led under slide track lighting which is a major improvement to that silly little one at bottom step. I did post pics of that change a while back before our trip. All have a small amount of silicone along sides.
JohnH

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #12 – March 14, 2016, 10:03:18 pm

Thanks John, I will try that. This last batch of strips has really good sticky backing. The stuff I use in commercial installs cast more like $8/ft but is has to be scraped off. 8 yrs on some now that are used several hours a day and no call backs.

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #13 – March 14, 2016, 10:57:10 pm

Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 – January 31, 2016, 10:12:16 pm

Here is a $6 in-line dimmer.
I have one of each, they all work.

Does the inline dimmer and cheap remote dimmer remeber the dimmer setting when power is shut off? I'd like to use existing switches, but add the dimmer inline to adjust as needed (on occasion). I may even put the dimmer inside the light fixture.

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #14 – March 14, 2016, 11:25:31 pm

You get what you pay for. The $6 dimmer is wired in line and a bit clumsey to use, I don't like them. They have flashing modes and speed of flash and the actual dimming mode is hard to find. The ITC dimmers are pricey but flawless. The one with the remote control is in the bedroom and doesn't get used much but it works.

We have the ITC digital dimmer controlling all of the ceiling lights in the living room. What every to set it at it stays there until you change it. If it is off it has a dim blue glow so it is easy to find in the dark.

The lower priced ITC dimmer is a rotary dial. All the way one way to off. Turn it to any level you want. If it is down stream from an on/off switch on the +12v line then you can just leave it where it was.

A quality dimmer is worth a few bucks. One that fails or is hard to use is pretty much worthless.

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #15 – March 16, 2016, 08:58:38 pm

Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 – March 14, 2016, 11:25:31 pm

You get what you pay for. The $6 dimmer is wired in line and a bit clumsey to use, I don't like them. They have flashing modes and speed of flash and the actual dimming mode is hard to find. \

Does the $6 dimmer keep it's setting if power is shut off before it?

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #16 – March 16, 2016, 09:28:39 pm

I don't think so. But for $6 you could just try one and see how it works for you.

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #17 – March 29, 2016, 10:28:53 pm

Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 – March 13, 2016, 04:23:26 pm

I tried 3 element LED modules some time back. Adhesive backing was poor. About 70% of them are discolored from overheating, many are warped and distorted. I am replacing them all with these

Amazon.com: LEÂ® Lampux 12V Flexible LED Strip Lights, Warm White, Super...

Appear to be made in Germany. Unlike most strip lights these have a very good adhesive backing. I am soldering all of the wire attachments.,

Roger,
I ordered a reel in warm white and am in the process of doing one thin lite fixture just to see what it is like. Someone in a review stated that after a period of time if the strips are on metal the contacts on the back of the strip will cause a short due to the heat melting the sticky tape. I had some thin lexan plastic which I cut to size to fit in the fixture to mount the strips on. Not sure how this will work with the heat, but time will tell. I did some calculations based on the fluorescent tube lumens (750 per tube 1500 per fixture) and decided that I needed five 27 LED strips which is 1620 lumens. I have tested it, but haven't installed in the fixture. Seems to be much brighter than the fluorescent tubes, possibly because all the light is focused down in one direction. Also 5 strips use 32 watts, 2 watts more than before. I'm thinking now that maybe 3 or 4 strips are enough. How many LED's are you putting in your fixtures?

The box said made in China, but the instruction sheet is English and German. I also got waterproof and it was a bit of delicate work to get the plastic off to make the connections.

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Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #18 – March 29, 2016, 10:58:54 pm

I have a question about using the strip lights for the fluorescent fixtures.

Most people seem to use several strips, connected at the ends with wires.

As flexible as the light strips are, is there any reason we cannot just use one long strip going up and down, without cutting the strip into separate strips? If, for some reason, the non-uniformity at the curved ends is a problem, some kind of opaque tape could cover those that are not in a straight line.

What am I overlooking? Theoretically, it sounds easy-peasy.

Thanks,

Trent

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #19 – March 29, 2016, 11:47:11 pm

I'm new at this, but the strips do not bend sideways very much. They are very flexible in the other direction and could be wound around a 2" diameter tube in a spiral though.

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #20 – March 30, 2016, 12:13:59 am

Trent, the strips are actually narrow flexible printed circuits. They just don't bend side to side. They make crimp on connectors which work OK but I have just been soldering the wires to the attachment spots. It is much more reliable. I always test after every joint to make sure they still work. Crossing up + and - and the lights don't work. Use a small soldering iron. Touch each attachment spot with the iron and get a bit of solder to stick. Tin each wire end (heat the wire up and melt some solder on it) put the correct tinned wire on the attachment spot and heat with the soldering iron. There is enough solder there to do what needs to be done without adding more solder. It doesn't t tanke long once you get the hang of it. Use 18 ga wire and the thinnest solder you can find. I have a really nice soldering iron and very fine solder left over from attaching strain gages.

In the flourescent fixtures that used 2-18" bulbs I use four ~17" strips with an added switch so that can have two strips or four strips on. We have two 36" former fluorescent light places, one near the kitchen and one in the bathroom. Those are getting 4 or 5 35" strips. Maybe more in the bathroom.

Put more strips in than you think you will need and add a dimmer or switch. You can always turn them down but once they are at max you cannot turn them up. The older we get the more light we need.

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #21 – March 30, 2016, 11:03:01 am

When I did our lights I used "doorbell" wire/speaker wire and after soldering I put a drop of my "good old reliable" Shoe Goo to protect the connection from shorting.
I also used a drop of Shoe Goo on the ends to supplement the adhesive backing that comes on the light strips. I have found that the 3M adhesive that comes on most of the LED light strips doesn't hold very well during extremely hot weather/when the inside of the coach gets very hot.
Because I gutted our old florescent light and then installed the LED lights I still had the opaque covers. (first cleaned the mounting surfaces with alcohol) I would put the Shoe Goo behind the light strip wherever the adhesive let go and then ball up some paper and put it between the face of the LED light strip and the opaque cover. I left it there overnite until the S.G. cured. Works great!!
Nothing has let go since.

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #22 – March 30, 2016, 01:26:30 pm

Jerry,

I am putting four strips with 24 LED elements on each in the flourescent fixtures (gutted). They are about 18" long and the strips are about 17" long. The under cabinet switch powers the entire fixture. I added a second switch so that I can have two or four strips on. General lighting or reading. As I get older there can never be too much light.

Bathroom overhead lights (also gutted) are about 36" long and I am going to put in 5 - 35" strips, all on or off. I can always cut the wires to the fifth strip.

The strip lights referenced above seem to have very good adhesive backing. All of my soldered joints have heat shrink tubing protection. The strips are mounted on aluminum sheet (0.025" thick) and then the aluminium plate is mounted in the fixture. QC is easier that way. Some belt and suspenders dabs os silicone as well. There are not the waterproof ones.

Roger

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #23 – March 30, 2016, 04:43:49 pm

Thanks Roger, I will let you know how it turns out. Your wiring looks very professional. I am working on another project right now, so it may take awhile. Do you think the four 8 segment strips provide as much light as the fluorescent tubes?

Re: LED Replacement for Fluorescent and Puck Lights

Reply #24 – March 30, 2016, 05:51:22 pm

More. There are now 96 LED elements in these three fixtures in the LR. Our first effort had 60 of some really shoddy three element things. These were brighter than the fluorescents. But they over heated, distorted the plastic holders and would not stay stuck. (too much heat)

This batch of light strips has had about 20 hrs of lights on testing in 4-8 hr chunks. They are still stuck on well. Keeping my fingers crossed but I used some silicon anyway.

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