Better-Priced Interior LED Bulbs

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

... I checked for radio interference on the vhf and I didn't have any. I don't have an ssb so I have no information regarding interference in that band.

That was going to be my question, as I thought I remember reading in a forum that LED lights are prone to causing RF interference.

If these don't, then there is no reason to buy expensive ones anymore!

Good catch, Tellie.

[Danibug]

Originally Posted by Target9000

Its a shame Ikea won't sell those lights through their website.

Yes those are cool lights! We are definitely going to get all led's for our boat during the electrical project. I did find them on ebay though:

Ikea INREDA 4 LED Spotlights Light Lamp TV shelves + ANSLUTA Power supply cord | eBay

[barnakiel]

Seen some in our discount store at 7 USD each and less. Hard to guess how long they will last but I might be tempted to test a couple at this price.

Now using 220 Volt eco fluorescents - thay are OK - low consumption, plenty of lumens and cheap to replace. The downside is I have to keep a small inverter ticking.

b.

[Dulcesuenos]

The rv store was lazy days,in tampa area though I am sure others have them as well

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by avb3

That was going to be my question, as I thought I remember reading in a forum that LED lights are prone to causing RF interference.

If these don't, then there is no reason to buy expensive ones anymore!

Good catch, Tellie.

Unfortunately most of what I have read would indicate that LEDs like these are more likely to cause interference in the SSB band than in the VHF band. I guess we're going t o have to wait until someone with an SSB buys some and tries them. Since I don't have an SSB it's not an issue for me.

[twistedtree]

Over the past year I've purchased a half dozen or so different LED bulbs trying to find the most cost effective replacement for my G4 Xenon bulbs. I've got a total of about 50 lights so before buying a small fortune in bulbs I wanted to try out a number and find ones that worked well. Here's what I found:

- There are a number of different style LEDs (the individual LEDs) used in bulbs. The older style are domed and are not so great. There are small LEDs and large LEDs, but both styles are domed tops. The newer (and brighter) LEDs are square with a flat face and are called SMD5050 LEDs. These are the brightest I've come across so far.

- The bulbs brightness is measured in Lumens. If a web site or manufacturer doesn't say how many Lumens a bulb is, I'd go elsewhere. Don't be fooled by the number of LEDs since there are several different types of LEDs. Only compare LED count if you are sure you are comparing the same type of LED.

- Anything less than about 120 lumens is pretty dim. My boat came with 10W and 20W xenon bulbs which are pretty bright. 120-140 lumens I think is the same or perhaps a bit brighter than a 10W xenon. I haven't found and LED bulb that compares to a 20W xenon, but I can live with that.

- The brightest bulb I've found has 15 SMD5050 LEDS and is about 200 lumens. It's real bright, but the disk that makes up the bulb is about 1-3/4" in diameter and doesn't fit in my light fixtures.

- I got two of the Imtra bulbs at teh Ft Lauderdale show and like them, but they are a bit expensive at $16 or so each. The have 10 SMD5050 LEDs and are pretty bright while still fitting the fixture without issue.

- The other day I did some hunting around and found another 10 SMD5050 LED bulb for $8.99 from Scintiluna. I bought 30 of them and installed them today. So far so good. Interestingly, they appear to be identical to the Imtra bulbs except for the "Imtra" silk screened on the PCB.

In the pictures below, you can see the Imtra and Scintiluna bulbs side by side. The Scintiluna has a physically larger capacitor, but they are otherwise identical.

My light fixtures have a metal reflector/heat sink which makes sense for the hot xenon bulbs. But it's unnecessary and gets in the way of the LED bulbs, so I've removed them all. In the pictures you can see the before and after. The reflector easily pries out with a screw driver. Last you can see the bulb inserted.

I hope this helps others avoid some failed experiments and the associated costs.

[DHHong Kong]

HKAlan,
Thanks for the info re LED bulbs source - I need some !! Grateful you give me a call in HK at 68990620 or let me know how to contact you.
Cheers
Paul

[Vasco]

Just got ten of these G4 LED Bulbs
He only had 8 warm white ones left so I got 2 cool white ones. They might do in the reading lamps. $7.50 each. They're supposed to be 170 lumens.

[stevensuf]

ebay g4 replacements 60-140 lumens $1-2 a piece

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Tellie

Don't laugh they work great. Toss the transformer and you're set

INREDA Spotlight - IKEA

Don't even toss the transformer.
Those lightweight flat types are actually a very efficient PWM supply.

Most of them are good for an amp at 12 volts, draw almost nothing with no load and they don't even get warm at full output.

[wristwister]

Originally Posted by Tellie

Don't laugh they work great. Toss the transformer and you're set

INREDA Spotlight - IKEA

Tellie, I owe you a beer! Went to Ikea, and being the cheap sumbitch I am I found a set of 4 LED lamps for $15 cheaper than the ones you posted: DIODER Multipurpose lighting - IKEA

Just mounted two of them over the dinette. They're GREAT! Other two will go over the galley, then a couple over the sofa, maybe a couple up in the V-berth ... hell, at $7.50 each I'll light my boat up like a christmas tree!