LED conversion issue

[boatpoker]

Before you spend a nickel put a VM on the power supply and find out what the actual voltage is. You may have a small inverter somewhere.

[seatotaler]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Before you spend a nickel put a VM on the power supply and find out what the actual voltage is. You may have a small inverter somewhere.

What would I set the VM voltage at?

[seatotaler]

Originally Posted by seatotaler

What would I set the VM voltage at?

Meaning would I set it on DC or AC. Is it possible to damage the VM if it isn't set on the correct voltage?

[mabowers]

Originally Posted by seatotaler

Meaning would I set it on DC or AC. Is it possible to damage the VM if it isn't set on the correct voltage?

Most digital voltmeters will display "OL" or Overload message if set on too low of scale. Just put it on AC, 250V range and check, then on DC and check again. A lot of DVM's have an "Auto" range as well.

[seatotaler]

Originally Posted by mabowers

Most digital voltmeters will display "OL" or Overload message if set on too low of scale. Just put it on AC, 250V range and check, then on DC and check again. A lot of DVM's have an "Auto" range as well.

On AC 200 range I'm getting 27.4
On DC 20 range I'm getting 12.87

[mabowers]

Originally Posted by seatotaler

On AC 200 range I'm getting 27.4
On DC 20 range I'm getting 12.87

That sounds like you are measuring the output of a bad rectifier. You seem to have an AC signal riding on a DC level. Or a bad meter possibly. Test it on known DC and AC sources.

[seatotaler]

Originally Posted by mabowers

That sounds like you are measuring the output of a bad rectifier. You seem to have an AC signal riding on a DC level. Or a bad meter possibly. Test it on known DC and AC sources.

Rectifier?? Where would that be? There are two of these fluorescent fixtures in the salon, both operated by the same switch. The one is working fine. The other tube is burnt out. ( no continuity at the end pins on one end).

I checked the multimeter with a 110 outlet as well as one of the 12 volt batteries and it's working fine.

I pulled the switch out of the wall and there is continuity in the on position as well as the off position, but no voltage reading on the meter AC or DC in the off position or the on position which seems impossible. I sanded the contacts to make sure I had a good contact. As I mentioned the one tube lights up. I'm confused ???

The on/off rocker switch is using 2 of the 4 prongs. 4 wires at the switch all black wires 2 wires are grouped together on the one prong. the other 2 wires are grouped together on another prong. There is a breaker for these lights and I checked the wiring diagram for the boat but it's basically just identifying the various breakers and although I can find the appropriate wires at the breaker, they disappearing into a harness and don't come out anywhere on the diagram.

[Spot]

Originally Posted by Pizzazz

Do yourself a favor and replace the whole fixture with a LED fixture as @sailormed says. Get the lowest temperature you can find. Anything above 2700K is offensive, bad for the eyes and brain and should be avoided.

I find myself liking 'cooler' LED lights than warmer ones. Maybe I am too used to computer screens...

In my garage I have a LED light over the workbench that can be switched from 'warm' to 'cool'. If you wanted to switch from task to mood lighting that might be an option.

I am also curious to see how the power supply readings turn out.

[NPCampbell]

I re-wired all the fluorescent T12 fixtures in my house to use LED tubes. As mentioned above, you can can use two different types of retrofit LED tubes: those that work with the existing ballast (plug and play) or those that work with raw line voltages (ballast bypass), either AC or DC.

Keeping the existing ballast is a waste of time and money. The ballast adds an extra failure point, typically has a higher failure rate than LEDs, can cause electromagnetic interference, reduces the efficiency of the fixture due to ballast draw, generates additional heat, doesn't respond to turning off and on as quickly as the bypass tubes and the plug-and-play LED tube is more expensive than the ballast bypass retrofit tubes.

The downsides to the ballast bypass retrofit kits is that you have to re-wire the tombstones, you might have line voltages of 110 volts where you didn't before and accidentally placing an old style fluorescent tube into the new fixture won't be pretty.

[RSH]

Originally Posted by StuM

Most F30T8/CW 30W tubes seem to be 4000 - 4100 K

That's going to make your boat look like a dentist's office.

[RSH]

Originally Posted by Spot

I find myself liking 'cooler' LED lights than warmer ones. Maybe I am too used to computer screens...

In my garage I have a LED light over the workbench that can be switched from 'warm' to 'cool'. If you wanted to switch from task to mood lighting that might be an option..

I like the cold high lumen lights for tasks not requiring me not to look like a zombie or never sleep because of the blue wave spectrum. The LED headlamp I wear when I'm poking around in the bilge is super cold and super high lumen, for example.

I am one of those people who buys into red shift for electronics after 7 pm, and I think it works.