LED Strip Lighting

[o_q]

Doing a forum search on LEDs gets me quite a bit of results, but trying to find what I'm looking for is a bit more involved. Besides, topics on LED strips in particular is less yielding.

What I want to know is:

• Is there lighting with adjustable (RGB) color? I know there are LEDs with specific colors, but you cannot change it.
• If there are adjustable color LED strips, how does this system work? (color control, power supply, etc.)
• What does your setup look like? (pics are welcome) Doesn't have to be color.
• Does it really matter if it's marine grade?

[farotherside]

Marine grade does matter, I guess. I didn't care, and mine looks great, though after three years there's a few spots where I can see the copper traces are corroding, and out of nine 3-foot strips, one of the LEDs is flickering.

Color is adjustable, but you need to set up a special device to do it. Basically there are three LEDs that make up the white LED: red, blue and green. Firing all three at full strength is easy - just hook up 12v across all three lines. Tuning the color is trickier, you have to specifically select the voltage to the R, G and B lines.

Here's some unfocused pics of my admittedly-ghetto-but-completely-liveable cruising boat LED lightling setup. The strips are self-adhesive with "3M" adhesive strips, and they cost me $120 for five 3-foot strips back in 2010, so they're probably about half that now.

In the first pic, with the young lady and the kitten, the strip is behind the stove behind a tiny ledge of wood so you can't see the LEDs. It provides enough light to illuminate the whole cubby and stove, and the color is perfect. I'm driving the strip with straight 12v right off the battery, using a 5a circuit breaker.

In the second pic the strip is mounted on the ceiling of the electrical cubby, illuminating the room. Same deal, straight off the 12v, in a circuit with four other cubbies all sharing the same 5a circuit breaker.

As you can see the light is strong and clean and bright and natural, not "blue" at all. These LED strips were advertised as "warm white". I've never, ever regretted the purchase.

[o_q]

Between the lady, the kitten looking in the bowl, and the tidy wiring, these pics are win

[o_q]

I guess you'd need something like this:
216W Wireless Touching RBG LED Strip Controller w/ Receiver - Black + White (DC 12~24V)

[Lake-Effect]

By coincidence, I was installing LED strips into my side storage bins. I went with a fairly inexpensive product, but hey it's just a 19' boat... I'll brag about how cheap later... IF it all works out.

The product was advertised as being "warm white" and when i fired it up on the bench, it looked nice, not blue-y.

It's not a "marine" product. Based on drew's experience, I might put some paint or tape on any exposed copper.

To the original question, yes I've seen RGB strips, and controllers that simplify the tuning of the colour.... but what use would this be on a boat? If it's to provide red for night sailing, I'd simply put a red LED strip in there as well.

[o_q]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

but what use would this be on a boat?

Mood lighting. I don't think a boat makes that any less useful.

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

By coincidence, I was installing LED strips into my side storage bins. I went with a fairly inexpensive product, but hey it's just a 19' boat... I'll brag about how cheap later... IF it all works out.

Be sure to post pics

[sailcruiser]

Originally Posted by o_q

Doing a forum search on LEDs gets me quite a bit of results, but trying to find what I'm looking for is a bit more involved. Besides, topics on LED strips in particular is less yielding.

What I want to know is:
[*]Is there lighting with adjustable (RGB) color? I know there are LEDs with specific colors, but you cannot change it.[*]If there are adjustable color LED strips, how does this system work? (color control, power supply, etc.)[*]What does your setup look like? (pics are welcome) Doesn't have to be color.[*]Does it really matter if it's marine grade?

Something like this?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AAV...mw_dp_img?is=l
SC

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by o_q

Mood lighting. I don't think a boat makes that any less useful.

Well, that's my point. Do you have multi-hued mood lighting at home? Really?

I guess we're all 24 once

But... here you go. Same vendor also has them in "waterproof". Post a video when you're done.

[zeehag]

i find that auto zone has many kinds of led lighting that marine stores have yet to learn about....lol..pod lights, for example, make excellent galley, engine room, and other areas difficult to light much more pleasant.
auto zone also has different lights besides pods--some healthy leds for larger areas--i go there to buy my led lights, as marine stores sell mostly crappy stuff at higher pricing--cars live outdoors,and are already 12v, so no wheel reinventing is necessary.

[Badsanta]

I bought several rolls of led lights on ebay was about $25 for 15 feet. Peel and stick waterproof color controll dimable 12volt with wireless controll. First time I can see well at night. Easy install and cut to length.
Check what you buy as all I got were RGB 2 were RGB and white were all rgb but if you did not look at bulb the color shining on everything was white but did look kind of a rgb light strip. But the other had RGB and a real white light. Really lights up the cabin. And if you are concerned about night vison you can make them all red. One of the best cheap things I have added.

[akkebeng]

LEDs have replaced every lightbulb aboard, even the navigation lights, thereby drastically reducing the energy consumption. Just beware of one thing! There are many different modules available for supplying the constant current that LEDs thrive on. A majority of these however generate an intense RF interference to the point that FM radio reception is totally blocked. Took me a while to establish the cause. I believe units sold in Europe nowadays has to be tested for Radio Frequency Interference RFI to get a CE stamp.

[farotherside]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

To the original question, yes I've seen RGB strips, and controllers that simplify the tuning of the colour.... but what use would this be on a boat? If it's to provide red for night sailing, I'd simply put a red LED strip in there as well.

actually if that's all you want, it's easy. I did it with multiple strips like you're suggesting, but kicked myself when I realized that I could have just set up a switch on a single strip to power all three rails (R/G/B) with 12V to get white light, or just power the R rail to get red light. It's when you want colors to cycle or fade that you need a controller. You probably want a resistor in series there too though - I found my red strips to be entirely too bright to be much use far offshore.

FWIW my friend tells me that the US Navy has gone to entirely BLUE light for their night operations now, so you might consider experimenting with that.

[o_q]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Well, that's my point. Do you have multi-hued mood lighting at home? Really?

I guess we're all 24 once

Mood lighting seems to make sense in a smaller space to me.

To imply that mood affects only 24 year olds, is silly. To imply that lighting doesn't affect mood, is also silly. As an example to my point, people (even here) have expressed their fondness of the light from yellowish "natural" LEDs. Let's be clear, there's no functional benefit from that slight of difference. While the difference can be stark with other possible colors, and would prove to be inferior lighting, thus factoring in function, the point that the color of light is an aesthetic in the case of "natural" light, remains. Because light is commonly appreciated aesthetically, any position against it puts you in the minority. But that doesn't matter because this is what I want regardless of how many people want it.

If you don't like what someone else likes, it's much better for your ego to accept it than to assert some superiority with passive aggressive judgmental claims. Though everything I've said could be all for naught as I'm sure you were just kidding, as indicated by the wink.

Thanks for the link.

[sailcruiser]

Originally Posted by o_q

Mood lighting seems to make sense in a smaller space to me.

To imply that mood affects only 24 year olds, is silly. To imply that lighting doesn't affect mood, is also silly. As an example to my point, people (even here) have expressed their fondness of the light from yellowish "natural" LEDs. Let's be clear, there's no functional benefit from that slight of difference. While the difference can be stark with other possible colors, and would prove to be inferior lighting, thus factoring in function, the point that the color of light is an aesthetic in the case of "natural" light, remains. Because light is commonly appreciated aesthetically, any position against it puts you in the minority. But that doesn't matter because this is what I want regardless of how many people want it.

If you don't like what someone else likes, it's much better for your ego to accept it than to assert some superiority with passive aggressive judgmental claims. Though everything I've said could be all for naught as I'm sure you were just kidding, as indicated by the wink.

Thanks for the link.

I have a set of the linked lights above. They are 12v when you cut the AC transformer off.
SC

[o_q]

Originally Posted by sailcruiser

I have a set of the linked lights above. They are 12v when you cut the AC transformer off.
SC

This has me wondering if "controllers" are necessary in all cases, or if it's okay in some cases to feed it 12 volts directly.

Originally Posted by drew23

I did it with multiple strips like you're suggesting, but kicked myself when I realized that I could have just set up a switch on a single strip to power all three rails (R/G/B) with 12V to get white light, or just power the R rail to get red light. It's when you want colors to cycle or fade that you need a controller.

Nevermind. This answered my question.