LEDs for Less Power Consumption

[RSMacG]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

Sensibulbs (not the newer brighter one) in place of 10 W Halogens.
Better color temp, slightly brighter than the halogen 10 W they replaced.

Nice! Thanks.

[mbianka]

I received a BEKA LED light as a gift. It is marketed as a cockpit/anchor light but, I have found it very useful in the cabin too at night. Here is my review:
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG: WHAT WORKS: THE BEBI LED BEKA LIGHT
I've been very impressed with it and find it comes in very useful on board.

[Triton318]

I'm in the middle of a refit of my 28' sailboat and decided to go all-LED. I don't have an engine; I will be charging my battery with solar panels. Last week I ordered some LEDs from Bebi Electronics-Home of the Finest Marine LED Lighting Products on Sea (or Earth)!. They were a little expensive, but I believe they are good quality products. I'm retrofitting two existing reading lamps and my Aqua Signal Series 25 side lights and stern light. I also bought their anchor light.

[rebel heart]

Every interior bulb we have is switching to sensibulb. They're expensive but I've given a few of them a multi month burn in (including one that's on 24/7 in the head) and the results have been terrific. It's either spend more on bulbs or solar panels (to make up for less efficient bulbs). I'll go with bulbs.

[seandepagnier]

I get 100 leds for $10 and solder them together to make all my lights (running, anchor cabin) The green and red ones are handy here, but normally red and yellow leds normallly need less voltage than white and blue. For white, 4 in series works on 12 volts, and this is an efficient way to drive them, however the brightness changes with battery state.

If you want constant brightness and you are lazy, check out
Fantastic High Brightness LED Cluster---White free shipping_LED Module Driver & Test Boards_LED_Discrete Components, IC chips_Sure Electronics' Webstore

These are very bright, and all ready to go at 12 volts. I use a bunch of these strips too.

I also use compact flourecent 12 volt. My 60 watt halogen equivilent uses about 15 watts, so they aren't as efficient as led but the light color is warmer.

[skipgundlach]

We've gone to all LED, except for a few high-efficiency (.1A) fluorescents where we need a broader/wider light path. We tried the sensibulbs but didn't like either the amps, heat, or, at least in the time we had them, the mounting compromises (which may well have changed). Agreed that they put out a nice light.

99 element billboard spotlight on the stern, with a remote RF switch as well as a manual switch below. About .2A

Orcagreen on the mast, solar-activated anchor, trilight. Nearly undetectable current

Reading lights throughout, nearly undetectable current (replacements for the standard halogen pins in our fixtures)

Spreader lights (drop-in replacements for the 55W tractor lights)

Also red and amber rope 12V lighting in many places - inside the door frames in the closets, with plunger switch. Over the sink and countertop in the galley, in the sleeping quarters (all with SPDT switches), bright enough to read in. Amber nice ambience/movie-watching light, red for under way at night. Red in the cockpit, but we learned that it's confusing to traffic while under way. Great for lighting it up otherwise, and with the low power (about .1A) making finding the boat in the dark a piece of cake.

2-fer $15 stick-on (our velcro - they also have screw holes at the points) lozenge-shape switched, rechargeables on the dinghy motors. Auto-on at dark, but you can switch them off when you mount the engine on the rail and cover it.

On a stick at the stern for when we're at anchor. Nice additional water-level support against being run into, also nice light for mounting the platform if we aren't using the spotlight.)

On electrical velcros, hanging from the rails, for when we're at anchor

(two above are solar rechargeable (standard AA), photo-eye dark=on yard lights at HDepot; we take them below when we're cruising at night)

Love the typical 100k hours life (at least in the marine versions we bought - the HD/Lowes units haven't failed yet, but as cheap as they are, not to worry).

Haven't bothered with the running lights, as the only time they'd be on is with the engine running, making plenty of amps - a VERY rare occurrence, BTW, as we are as averse to running the engine as we are to burning amps.

Supported by 370W solar and KISS wind generator, we also run LOTS of other stuff successfully, but lighting isn't the amp issue :{))

L8R

Skip, aboard Morgan 461 #2, SV Flying Pig KI4MPC - currently in Hopetown, Abaco Bahamas

[motion30]

skip
if you did not like the senibulbs what did u wind up with and how is the light output compared to the s b

[skipgundlach]

Hi,

We went with plug-in replacements (common 14 element bulbs) to the halogens.

The reasons we didn't like the sensibulbs were heat, draw, and that they fell off the pins (they're - or, were, when we got them - flat) attachment modus, whatever that was (I don't recall, now).

I think that our bulbs currently have as much light, but it's not as natural, and more focused (however they did it, I think I recall the sensibulbs having a more dispersed pattern).

I might give them another look for the salon lights, as wider dispersal would be useful there. You can see how our boat's set up for interior lighting by clicking on the gallery link in my sig, and then the interiors gallery in the first page.

HTH

L8R

Skip, aboard Morgan 461 #2, SV Flying Pig KI4MPC - currently in Hopetown, Abaco Bahamas

[Pblais]

Has anyone replaced their incandescents with LED globes?

Most of mine are gone as well as all my Halogens. In the galley I have a large Taylor Bright Cold Cathode Fluorescent fixture. These are able to support a dimmer. It sits over the fridge and can light a great portion of the boat.

The new Sensibulb fixtures that came out last year are better and brighter. Yes, the cost of replacement is a factor many can not ignore. What it does the most is take care of the Admiral running about turning all the possible lights on. It drove me nuts. It no longer does. Having lights on is no longer an energy management problem.

What we really need is an LED fridge. LED's take the conservation of energy due to lighting off the table. Bad things happen in poor light. I find the Sensibulb reading lights very noteworthy. The color and brightness even has the Admiral happy.

I replaced the whole fixture over the dinning table with a dome replacement fixture. It has red and white on a dimmer and I think it works exceptional. A dimmer for passages and romantic moods is a nice thing to have in the right places. Lighting can be a positive except when you are dwelling on the 0.5 amp hours used by those Halogen fixtures. When it's warm you can feel the difference.

All boats need to replace stuff over time. Adding LED lighting to those places of most importance is worth the cost. Energy you never needed pays back big time aboard. You save time running the engine or maximize cold beer on the hook depending on which end of the spectrum you choose.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by skipgundlach

The reasons we didn't like the sensibulbs were heat, draw,

Mine are barely warm and draw an incredibly low amount of power, especially considering their output. I'm not doubting your review, but you're the first person I've heard not rave about them.

[capt_douglas]

I mumbled when I saw the bill for converting my lighting to LED. The upside is a very long life, low power draw, and good durability. Well designed interior lights produce a pleasing light that I liked more than fluorescent and a bit less than incandescent.

Interior lights seem more common so the prices are lower. Running lights are more expensive but meet USCG requirements and have proven to be far more waterproof, durable, and draw less power than those other brands.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by capt_douglas

I mumbled when I saw the bill for converting my lighting to LED. The upside is a very long life, low power draw, and good durability. Interior lights seem more common so the prices are lower. Running lights are more expensive but meet USCG requirements and have proven to be far more waterproof, durable, and draw less power than those other brands.

Yeah at ~$35 a bulb for interior and a 10x the price for running they're not cheap, but seriously all interior and running lights on with maybe 2 amp draw (for my boat anyway)? Hard to beat.

[Maine Sail]

Our boat was hit by lightning this summer and even with a 3k deductible my first expenditure was to replace all 14 Sensibulbs. During the original conversion I bought most of them over time, $70.00 here, $70.00 there but when all of them were toasted, along with 18k in other damage, they were the first items to get replaced, we like them that much.

I have tried literally dozens of "less expensive" LED's but none have competed with the Sensibulbs. Sure, I could have saved a few hundred and bough some "snake oil" LED's off eBay but I went Sensibulb for the second time. Count me as a very satisfied customer despite the $35.00 price tag. Oh and the latest models are significantly brighter, have a wider beam and are a little less yellow but still a very pleasing light.

We had friends on the boat this summer who did not believe they were LED's until I showed them behind the lens. Karen put her foot down and they then ordered 8 the next day. Considering they had already previously converted to LED this made the Sensibulbs that much more expensive by not buying them first.......

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Mine are barely warm and draw an incredibly low amount of power, especially considering their output. I'm not doubting your review, but you're the first person I've heard not rave about them.

I liked them just fine, until they fell out of the fixtures, hanging by the wires connecting them to the pins.

I found them much warmer than the ones we replaced them with, both in color and heat, so it's relative, there. I just took our infrared thermo over to the one Lydia's using: 107 at the elements, 95 at the case. I can comfortably hold my hand on the elements and don't notice any, literally, warmth, from the case. I'd not dare to do that with the units I had. There's a reason for all those fins on the back of sensibulbs...

Our current lamps are virtually undetectable in draw. I'd have to rig up something to go across the pins, and measure in microamps, because turning all of them on doesn't make our trimetric (whole system monitor) meter move a tenth of an amp.

If they hadn't fallen off whatever held them on, I'd probably still have them, because I agree that they're bright, and well dispersed, and there's no need to get my hands in there when they're lit. The draw is only notable by comparison - I'd have ignored that.

Hope that clarifies a bit.

L8R

Skip, aboard Morgan 461 #2, SV Flying Pig KI4MPC - currently in Hopetown, Abaco Bahamas

[dennisail]

We went with plug-in replacements (common 14 element bulbs) to the halogens.

Our current lamps are virtually undetectable in draw.

What lamps are you running now? Are they an LED?