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Topic: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED  (Read 16047 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #20 –
Yes. There are clearly identified lines where you are supposed to make the cut. I used metal shears since it is printed on an aluminum board. It cut right through no problem. You can save the pierce you cut off and wore up another spot with it.

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #21 –
One is LED and the other is original florescent bulbs.  I can't remember which.  I did these a year and a half ago.  2 rows of single natural white LED self stick strips...el cheepos off Amazon.  Gutted the Thin Lite ballasts, etc.  So far the chinee self stick fake 3M adhesive has worked okay.  I did every florescent fixture in the coach with the same natural whites and all the halogens with warm white.  JWID.  Woody.

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #22 –
We installed the warm white in the bedroom and put 3 strips in each fixture.  The brightness is not overwhelming.  If we need more light we can turn on the side puck lights.  We used the same warm white behind all of the valances on all of the windows.  We will install the daylight strips everywhere else.
John M.

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #23 –
We installed the LED light strips inside the cabinets and I love them.  Stuck the LED light strip to the cleat above the cabinet doors and tied into the 12 volt light switch for the lighting under the cabinets.  They look great and I can find my stuff!

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #24 –
Received our order of:

 ICIH (Pack-10) Aluminum DC12V 9W SMD5630 Double Row 84LED 0.5M/20" Rigid...

this afternoon after placing the order on Sunday.  I didn't feel like jousting with the DMV late in the afternoon on a Monday so I gutted the ThinLite over the dinette and installed the 6,000K LEDs. I like the color.

Tomorrow may turn into a rain day, so I'll do the same thing with the two 20" bulbs in the bedroom Thinlite.

The fluorescent tubes just don't last as long as the old ones.

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #25 –
Eric,
Perhaps it is too soon to tell, but does the double stick on the the strips you bought seem to be holding up well? I bought a couple of ten packs of the same in warm white (thanks for the heads up on the product! ^.^d ) My thought is the aluminum backing of these strips will likely make the adhesive used less likely to let go. I did buy the window glazing tape that Roger posted (not 3m by the way, but I am confident that if it passed Roger's litmus test it will do the job), but I don't want to possibly waste one of the strips trying to get the original double stick off (which by the way looks almost identical to the stuff the LED strips come with, only thicker). At this point, I think I will do the entry fixture with the OEM double stick and revisit the issue should it prove inadequate for the task.
Don

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #26 –
Great question. My strips have held up over my last two trips and 800ish miles. We also went through hot and very cold temp swings. I agree with you that the aluminum backing should help provide stability. They make a slightly cheaper (-$5) without the aluminum.

Time will tell!

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #27 –
Don, when I changed all my overhead lights to LED I used the glazers tape in addition to the self stick on the back of the LED strips. I have had a couple of the strips come loose evidently from getting hot. I fabbed up some plexiglass plates which I put 5 strips each onto. Then double stick tape the plates to the Thin Lite frames after removing the bulbs, ballasts and aluminum bracket which separated the bulbs. The entire plate assembly wouldn't hold. They would fall if sitting too long, or if I hit a bump in the road. I added hot glue to the back of the plates to help hold. This helped a lot, but a couple would have tendency to fall while driving.

With 5 strips of warm white LED's each, the light is too bright for our liking, therefore I am reworking them now. I am eliminating the plates completely. I am reattaching the aluminum bracket which separated the bulbs and can fit 3 rows of lights on the top of this bracket. The bracket is held in place by the rivets factory mounted in the frame. I haven't decided whether to use glazer's tape and/or hot glue and/or shoe goo to hold them in place.

Any and all suggestions appreciated.

Larry

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #28 –
Shoe-Goo is the answer

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #29 –

Same as AM Solar uses ti hold down solar panels.
3M 4950/WI15 Scotch 4950 VHB Tape: 1" x 15 ft, White Amazon.com: 3M 4950/WI15 Scotch 4950 VHB Tape: 1" x 15 ft, White: Industrial...

I've used this on the my interior roof led lights.
3M 1/2-5-RP32 VHB Tape  0.5 in width x 5 yd length (1 Roll),Gray Amazon.com: 3M 1/2-5-RP32 VHB Tape 0.5 in width x 5 yd length (1 Roll),Gray:...

As an Amazon Associate Foretravel Owners' Forum earns from qualifying purchases.

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #30 –
Larry

I added a second switch to the light fixture so that when the lights are on I can use one strip or all.  Never need then all at night but during the day it is nice.  I used a thin aluminum sheet that the strips are stuck to and then the sheet is stuck  to the fixture.  Tha lets me wire and test outside of the fixture.  You can get a smaller piece of countertop laminate at the big box stores for about what the aluminum cost. 

Waterproof LED strips get hotter than non-waterproof strips and don't stick well at all.  Clean off the original stick on strips and use the glaziers tape. If it comes loose ot is the original tape on the strips that is failing. I usually put a little dap of silicone on either side of the steips where the wires are.

Wire the strips in parallel to minimize voltage variances.

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #31 –
Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 –
Larry

I added a second switch to the light fixture so that when the lights are on I can use one strip or all.  Never need then all at night but during the day it is nice.  I used a thin aluminum sheet that the strips are stuck to and then the sheet is stuck  to the fixture.  Tha lets me wire and test outside of the fixture.  You can get a smaller piece of countertop laminate at the big box stores for about what the aluminum cost. 

Waterproof LED strips get hotter than non-waterproof strips and don't stick well at all.  Clean off the original stick on strips and use the glaziers tape. If it comes loose ot is the original tape on the strips that is failing. I usually put a little dap of silicone on either side of the steips where the wires are.

Wire the strips in parallel to minimize voltage variances.
Roger what do you use to cut the hole for the added switch?


Keith

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #32 –
I used four of the 3000K warm white strips with aluminum backing in the overhead entry light. Very pleased with the brightness, but I will likely add a switch to make so I can have all four on or the two outside ones. They are wired in parallel and connected to power via two position terminal strip for easy removal. I will likely use just two in each of the bedroom bath overhead lights. I like the quality of the light Put out by the LED's much better than the fluorescents they replaced.
Don

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #34 –
I used a Dremel tool to cut rectangular holes. Pretty quick.  It is just plastic so you could drill most of out and use a file or utility knife to square it up.

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #35 –
If you need to cut a square or hex hole in metal, Watts Bros. in Wilmerding, PA has just what you need.
Of course, things are more complex than cutting plastic or wood but really neat how a three fluted "tool", a square hole template, a floating holder, a vise, and a drill press running at a slow speed can make a square hole.
Cutting tool companies do this all the time in order to make square drive holders for cutting tools like core drills.

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #36 –
I found led tubes that replace the florescent tubes in the hall and bath fixtures. I also found direct replacement bulbs for the lamps and basement fixtures. I searched LED replacement for the bulb part # I wanted to replace.

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #37 –
I'm getting ready to finish my install of the LED strip lights possibly tonight. previous owner had replaced all the bulbs with LEDs, but many of them were failing, and the color temperature just wasn't right in my opinion. I was going to go with a much more expensive option until it was posted about those inexpensive ones from China on Amazon. I bought two boxes of the daylight and I'm pretty much finished with the exception of the bathroom. any u320 there's two overhead fluorescent lights in the bathroom one controlled from the bath and the bedroom, called the hall light and one kind of over the toilet but in the middle. that one comes on with the under cabinet puck lights and I always thought that that was kind of dumb. I want the puck lights to come on separately. That way I can kind of use them just as a night light or if I just don't need much light, but have the other two come on when I want a lot of light. So I'm having to drill a channel between the two lights through the AC unit to connect the wires that way. So then when I flip the switch either the puck light comes on, flip another switch the other two come on.
For the fluorescent fixtures, I took out the bulbs cut the wires and just rewired it directly to the LED strips. I used two LED strips and they are quite bright which is exactly what I was looking for. In the kitchen I used three in each of the two overhead lights, and again they are nice and bright. If I'm cooking or soldering something whatever, I have plenty of bright light where I need it overhead. The fluorescent tubes that I'm replacing required a ballast and I just didn't think they were very bright.

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #38 –
Nice job. I hope to get the rest of my lights done over the next week or so. I also am looking forward to doing the storage bays.

Re: Fluorescent light fixture upgrade to LED

Reply #39 –
Bob your bathroom lights must have been a newer model year upgrade. On my 96 the undercabinet puck lights are on one switch under the med cabinet and the overhead light is on a switch in the hallway by the bathroom door. I didn't find the puck light switch for nearly 6 months and then surprise

Larry