Newell Classic Flourescent Light Fixtures

[chockwald]

Does anyone owning a Newell Classic, or Vintage coach have a source for replacement flourescent light fixtures similar to the ones in these units?

[Richard and Rhonda]

Clarke,

Can you post a picture?

Or you could take Tom's approach and redo the entire coach :-)

[chockwald]

Clarke,

Can you post a picture?

Or you could take Tom's approach and redo the entire coach :-)

Hi Richard! Well, that's my next option. One of the fixtures went out, and I may have to update it to something that is available now. I struggle with the urge to keep everything as original as possible, but functional. Sometimes those two objectives cannot occupy the same space at the same time. I'll post a picture later this evening after I get home.

[chockwald]

OK...here are two pix of the fixture.

[Richard and Rhonda]

It doesn't look broken. When you say "went out", do you mean just doesn't light up anymore with even a new bulb? Does the bulb flicker at all?

Most of the time all you need is a new ballast, that's the black box on the inside of the fixture. Take the ballast to home depot or lowes and try a new one. The purpose of the ballast is to blast the flourescent light with a burst of voltage to get the gas excited enough to light up.

If something else is amiss, maybe you can just buy a light fixture of the right length and cannibalize it to put the innards back into yours.

[encantotom]

btw, that is EXACTLY the same fixture i have in mine. a tidbit for you is never to turn the light on with no bulb in them. they will smoke and burn up....i promise.

when you find the parts, let us all know. i wonder if an rv supply has them. they are 12v.

tom

[chockwald]

When say "went out", I mean when my wife turned it on last week she said it made sort of a "pop" sound, and went out. When I changed the bulb, nothing. Maybe the ballast is bad. I'll see if I can get one at Home Depot tomorrow, and report back.

Tom, haven't tried turning one on without the bulb yet, but give me time...LOL!

[encantotom]

hey,

if it was a loud pop, it is possible it is the ballast, but if you look up in there, there is a small circuit board. alot of times in circuit boards, a "pop" is a capacitor blowing. you might look at that board and see if all components look intact and not incredibly fried looking.

tom

[Richard and Rhonda]

Ah gee, I'm so dumb. The 12V thing went over my head. Forget Home Depot.

Look here http://store.solar-electric.com/12vodcbaforf.html

or buy a new one the right bulb size and cannibalize it http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-lights-thin-lites-light-bulbs-1.htm#Lights%20-%20Fluorescent%20-%20Thin%20Lite

[chockwald]

Interestingly, there appears to be NO circuit board in this fixture. More than likely it was the ballast. Anyway, I'm probably going to update to something newer that will fit the space. This is/was the Vanity light in the bedroom.

Nevertheless, if anyone has some spare fixtures like this (12 Volt, 8 Watt, single 12" bulb) let me know....

[fulltiming]

I have very similar fixtures in my 1992. The new Thinline fixtures use a small internal ballast but are too wide to fit into the same space on the side of the fixture.

[encantotom]

ok, so another dumb comment by me. did you check the fuse?

tom

[chockwald]

Tom, yes I did check the fuse, and unfortunately, it is intact.

[fulltiming]

Another dumb question but did you pull the fuse and ohm it? I have seen what appeared to be good fuses that were open. I had one of my over the bed lights go out and I found two components on the circuit board that had overheated and were shorting together. I separated them, put electrical tape between them and so far, all is good.

[chockwald]

Hi Michael...no, I did not ohm it, but I will this evening....good suggestion....not a dumb question.

[chockwald]

I pulled the fuse and used my multi-meter on the ohm setting of 200k, and got a .9 reading. That is the "resistance" setting according to the user pamplet. It offered no "continuity" setting. Is that the correct setting to check continuity? I am really an illiterate when it comes to electrical terminology. The two other optional settings under "ohms" are 20k and 2k.

[fulltiming]

I would set the ohm scale to 2k to get the most accurate reading. Typically error is a percentage of full scale so you would be looking at 100 times the potential error. There should be very low resistance across a good fuse.

[chockwald]

Ok, 2k it is. What type of a reading should I be looking for? I have no idea, due to total lack of electrical knowledge, what I should be looking for. Will it be on a scale of 1 to 100, or 1 to 10???

[GORDON HUMMEL]

I have the same lights in my 1991. There was one ceiling light that did not provide what I need. I replaced it with a Trucklite 80250c LED. the width is ok, but it is longer & required removing some wood in the ceiling. I tried taking a picture to show the difference, but it did not work out. I would estimate it provides 3x the light

http://www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=32951&langId=-1

Not original, but effective

Gordon

[fulltiming]

I would certainly like to see less than 10 ohms.

[chockwald]

OK, Michael, I set it at 2k and got a reading of 1.103......that's way under 10 ohms, so I guess it's OK, right?

[fulltiming]

Touch the two leads of the VOM together and see what you get. I am getting .1 - .2 ohm additional resistance across the fuse as I do just touching the leads together. The 10 ohms

If in doubt, changing the fuse is a cheap effort. With that said, I suspect that you may have a problem in the circuit board or the ballast.

[madson95]

has anyone tried to fit an led into the space after removing the ballast but using the h
ousing and orig cover?

madson95 (warren)
85wb 8v92
texas & iowa
vw bug diesel toad

[chockwald]

I believe Steven Ward ('82 Newell) has done what you are proposing. Maybe he will chime in and tell you what and how he did it, or you can send him a personal message through this forum.

[encantotom]

i love to hear about this as well. i have a ton of those fixtures in my coach.

tom

[prarieschooner]

So far I have only retrofitted the smaller wattage Florescent Fixtures. I found that I was able to get a similar Light out of two Electropod Strips that I purchased from West Marine using their #9361189 ;
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/298765/377%20710%201615/712//Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/10/0?N=377%20710%201615&Ne=712&Ntt=&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&page=CategoryDisplayLevel1&Nr=AND(Record%20Type:PRODUCT,Store:WESTMARINE)&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=5002&subdeptNum=9&classNum=13045 (http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/298765/377%20710%201615/712//Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/10/0?N=377%20710%201615&Ne=712&Ntt=&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&page=CategoryDisplayLevel1&Nr=AND(Record%20Type:PRODUCT,Store:WESTMARINE)&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=5002&subdeptNum=9&classNum=13045)#
and two of a proprietary LED #9265901 ;
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/286381/377%20710%201615/712//Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/10/0?N=377%20710%201615&Ne=712&Ntt=&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&page=CategoryDisplayLevel1&Nr=AND(Record%20Type:PRODUCT,Store:WESTMARINE)&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=5002&subdeptNum=9&classNum=13045

I am very happy with the results so far and have completed 3 fixtures above the sink in the Galley and 2 fixtures above the Chairs in the Saloon. I will be doing the Larger Florescent Fixtures as soon as one of them goes out. I expect to use four of the strips but am not sure if I will need to use any of the proprietary pieces.
Looks like it is about $60.00 to convert one fixture unless you can find someone with a discount at West (being in Iowa you are too far away for us to go to the store)./
The Power Use is drastically Lower! I expect to convert all of the Fixtures over time.

[chockwald]

I've seen the fixtures Steve has converted, and the light output is comparable to the florescent, but a nicer, warmer quality than the harsh, glaring quality of florescents.

[encantotom]

i have changed my flourescents a few times to get the color of light that i like.

i like the whiteish color and not the yellow or blueish.

i love led lighting but not enough to spend a thousand bucks on it. i have a LOT of fixtures in my coach.

i would love to see them though. as you may know i changed all of my external lighting to LED.

tom

[chockwald]

Come on Tom, it's only money................

[encantotom]

you are right. i cant decide between bidding on tuga's beautiful rig or the bergundy one to complement my own on ebay that is a buy it now for 800k.

or i could replace the lights in mine.

or i could just use it the way it is and love it.

oh yea, i think the latter is it.

tom

[prarieschooner]

When we got our Coach there were allot of Florescent Lights that were not functional. The cost of the retrofit was only slightly more than the cost of repair in my case. So far I have only retrofitted the smaller 8 watt light fixtures and all were non-functional prior to the retrofit. I do plan on retrofitting any Florescent fixture that goes bad although I have no plans to this to a working Fixture right at this time
These LED Strips have a pure White Color but are available in a blueish and red colors. As I said earlier there is a drastic reduction in Power use between the original Florescent and same fixture with the LED retrofit. I would think that the LED Strips would produce enough light without the end pieces.
My Goal with this retrofit was to reduce the power needed to live comfortably and yet use only the Solar Panels to keep up with the demand, so far so good. Solar Panels are not cheap and the space available for their installation is limited.
We move back aboard the Coach tomorrow in preparation of the River Run. If I get bored or just need something to do I will take a picture of a Fixture with the LED retrofit.

[chockwald]

Steve....are you going to be down in Hemet?

[prarieschooner]

yes I should be there tomorrow by noon or so and we leave Friday morning.
Did you want that door latch?

[chockwald]

Yes.....I think I can come down Thursday morning....are you going to be at Golden Palms?

[prarieschooner]

yes. I stopped by the Golden Palms yesterday to make the arrangements and it felt like home. I should be at the same Space, #946. #946 is close enough to the Pool and yet far enough away to make it quiet and the Dogs know where to relieve themselves.

[Summersgal]

I had some of the same lights not working in our coach. This is what I ordered and they work great.

http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/MXA051

Jeff

[chockwald]

Hey Jeff...that is exactly what I have been looking for. When I bought my coach the prior owner had several complete flourescent fixtures in one of the bays. So far I have just replaced the bad units by removing the entire assembly and using one of the backups, but now I am out, so I can buy these modules and rebuild the bad ones....I think I've got four now. Very reasonable price, too!

[Summersgal]

chockwald,

I am glad you found the link useful. Just a word of caution though, the circuit boards are about an 1/8" wider then the originals. What I did was, I placed the new board where the old one was, marked the lip of the fixture just a little wider then the board. I took a pair of snips and cut the 1/4" lip, then just slowly bent this lip inward and down. The board then fits flush against the side of the fixture. The 1/8" extra height did not effect putting the cover and lens back on, it fit just fine. The old Circut board also had a piece of insalating material between the board and the fixture. These were glued onto my old boards and I could not remove them with them tearing. I had some thin sheets of gasket material and just cut the size I needed to fit the new boards. A couple small dabs of liquid nails between the board and gasket and between the gasket and the fixture worked out great. I took the old boards to a friend to see if it would be cheaper to just replace some of the components that had burned up or by the new boards. 3 seconds later he looked at me and said BUY the new boards. Hope this helps a little, I did not want to mislead anyone into thinking they were a direct replacement and fit just like the old boards. I contacted Newell before ordering these boards, they do have the boards, but they are $45.00 a piece. I checked all my lights in the coach and everyone of them had the same resistor that had been getting extremely hot or had already smoked. Since I wanted to replace all of them, I thought I would try the $11.00 boards first.
THESE NEW BOARDS do not a fuse on the board. I just added an inline fuse when I wired them back in.

Jeff

[chockwald]

Jeff...thank you much for tutorial. Will definitely refer to it when I start rebuilding my four bad fixtures!

[Brad Townsend]

Clarke I replaced a couple fluorescence lights with new ballast in the front of the coach with a more efficient fixture and bulb T8. There is an awful lot to know about florescent lighting. Not all fixtures can recieve just any bulb as the following web site will address.
http://www.servicelighting.com/library/f32t8_fluorescent_light_bulbs_from_service_lightin g.cfm

I also replaced a bulb such as the one you are having an issue with over my sink area with a LED light strip which works very nice, but I have to admit that LED's have a shorter lighting distance and don't think it would be enough for the bathroom area. For that i believe that richard gave you a good site for replacement ballast. It would be beneficial for folks to get a good understanding of florescence lighting because they are the reason for many fires when not used and cared for properly.

Brad

[GORDON HUMMEL]

Being stuck in the Snow in Ok, I decided to install the LED's I purchased in the past. The bedroom ceiling lights were first. After removing the fixtures, I removed the old guts & glued in 1/2" pvc. Then I put the LED strips on the pvc & thats it. $4.00 of Leds for each fixture. Probably less light than the old ones, but fine in this application. Also +90% less power consumpion.

Also replaced the lights in the cove in the front. Just mounted the LED strips to some pvc & that was it. Checked after installing just one side & could not tell the difference.

Also replaced the 8 down lights under the cove lights with LEDS. Never used them before because they got so hot. $4.00 ea for the new ones & they are brighter!

[Richard and Rhonda]

NICE !

Can you tell us a little more about the source of the LED's, and also how you are controlling the amperage. I think I saw some resistors.

[Brad Townsend]

I sure would like to know where to get led's for $4

[GORDON HUMMEL]

All the LED's I have purchased are 12v plug & play. There are other components mounted to the strips/G4 lights that are probably resistors?
The first LED's I purchased were from superbrightled.com. They were 3 x 1 meter,180 LED's with 4 connectors for $80. I mounted them in the ps cove. 0.6 amps vs 9.0 amps for the old fl on both sides.
The next purchases was from sirs-e.com. They were 1 x 5 meter, 300 LED's for $32. I mounted this on the ds cove. 1.2 amps. I also used these same LEDs in the ceiling fixtures in the bedroom. Original fl's used 1.3 amps, LEDs .6.
Clearly the LEDs from superbrightleds.com use far less power, but are +/- 4 x more expensive. They also appear brighter, than the ones from sirs-e.com that have a blue tint.
I might have been better off to get the white, instead of cool white for more light & less blue, 1300 color temp vs 3000 color temp
On the front down lights, I changed the fixtures some time ago as the original protruded up into the cove area. When I add the A/C ducts in the cove area, I needed the room the original fixtures were using.
My original purchase of the G4 LEDs was from ledtrailerlights.com. They were $50 for 3. They worked great, but very expensive. I found the same G4 led from xespiderx for $3.69.
They physically look a little different than the first ones, but work great & appear to have the same light output. 1 Halogen G4 bulb uses .9 amps; ALL 8 OF THE LEDS USED A TOTAL OF 1 AMP!!!!!!!!!!
I'm no pro on lighting & I'm not sure these will never pay for themselves, but they should last a lot longer on battery's when not plugged in to ac.


http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Flight_bars-flexible.html

http://www.sirs-e.com/st/3528-cold-white-strip-1200014000k-164ft-single-p-4689.html?cPath=67&osCsid=823ce90d42f2f324b7ac9c8c8ffc7b38

http://ledtrailerlights.com/rv/RV-G4-led.htm

http://cgi.ebay.com/MR11-G4-Warm-White-12-SMD-LED-Spot-Light-Bulb-Lamp-12V-/200562299015?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb271d087

Got to find another project, it just started snowing again.

[Hardtrigger]

Gordon that is out of sight!!! I was just about ready to replaced bulbs that were out from previous owner and was talking yesterday with my girl on wether r
there was a better wat than flouresents to light up the coach! Walla you answered my questions. Wow this forum site just won't quit with all the knowledge shared here. Nice work and thanx for sharing. Robert

[GORDON HUMMEL]

Pricing on LED has dropped substancially over the last 2 months.
When I started this project, I was using what is called a 3528 led. The larger 5050 led was out of my price range & need @ the time.
The 5050 uses +/- 50% more power per led than the 3528, but puts out +/- 300% more light.

In the beginning, I paid $80 for a 16' strip of 300 led 3528's.
6 weeks ago, I paid $50 for a 16' strip of 150 led 5050's.
This week I paid $35 for a 16' strip of 300 led 5050's.

I am changing the white leds I used in the front coves, to RGB 5050's. This was I can have any color I want and have it fade, flash or whatever; ie. white.

Now all I need is that mirrored ball droping from the ceiling !!!!!!!!!!

[Brad Townsend]

Gordon, are the lights in the cove as bright as the florescent that used to be there?
Brad

[encantotom]

i cant speak for gordon, but i have done the calc's and with 2 strips of 5050 smd led's at 60 led per meter, the lumens are roughly equivalent (a little less, but more useable light). the thing that i am anxious to see is if it is better quality light. a flourescent tube has a lot of wasted light as it projects 360 degrees. the challenge with getting really bright led's is they get warm and take alot of power. if the idea is to save power, then you have to compromise a little. i will do some power measurements with my experiments and will post them. i will also see if i can find a lux meter to measure light intensity too.

i am in china as i write this and yesterday after work i went to a led factory. i got a tour of the factory and their showroom was really cool. i bought some "sample" strip lights and actually waited in their exec conf room while they made my order. i met with the owner, a 35 year old very gracious fellow who had started this factory right out of college at 23. he had 200 employees there now and appeared to be expanding. i went right on the factory floor where they were using assembly machines i am familiar with from my own work.

i ordered some from china and they arrived since i have been gone. i ordered 5050 smd led strips in cool white at 60 led per meter. i picked up some rgb 5050's at 30 led per meter and some 3528 (smaller and not quite as bright, but less power) at 60 led per meter in cool white as well while i was in the factory. i also got a couple of rgb controllers with remotes

it was in the boonies of outer shanghai but was alot of fun as i spent time with the owner. they assemble the strips and also make a number of other high intensity lights and lighting boxes. they showed me a number of flourscent replacments. they have the tubes with led's in them but they are quite pricey. then they use another technique where they put the led's on the side of the fixture long wise on opposing sides. that way you tend not to see the leds and the light is more even. i may experiment with that and put some reflective material inside the fixture.

it was fun, but was way out of the way. the driver on the way back to the hotel got lost, even with gps. the pictures are of the outside of the factory and the blurry one is of the conf room i waited in while they made my order. the driver one is him pulled over looking at a map where to go.

tom

[GORDON HUMMEL]

I would say that the 3528's x 60 led's per meter, put out equal light as the original flourescent fixtures. I had 4 x 4' & 1 x 2' flourescents, which used 10 amps, vs the leds that use 1.5 amps !!!!!!!!

If I were to do it again with 5050's, I would use the 30 leds per meter as I did this change to conserve power when not plugged in.

[encantotom]

i will have enough of the different ones to try that it will be fun to see how they turn out. gordon, you are the one that got me going on this....too bad you couldnt have been with me at the led factory.....

i agree, the reason is to save power and still have satisfactory light.

thanks for all the help. you have been great!
tom

[Brad Townsend]

I like to conserve where I can, we boondock in the winter so we count every watt.
Gordon if you went to half the leds per meter wouldn't that give half the light.
The lights,tv, and freezer are the big draws when boondocking.

[GORDON HUMMEL]

Brad,
If your counting watts & don't have a battery monitor, I highly recommend the Tri-metric's 2020.

I may have confused you on the power used on the Leds. 1/2 the leds of a given size, will use 1/2 the power. Tom & I were working with 2 different size leds hense the the confusion.

Either 60 x 3528 or 30 x 5050 leds per meter, will replicate the light produced by the original flourscents.

Try to mount the leds as high as possible in the cove to get the best light. I used 3/4" pvc pipe raised up about 4-5" in the front cove. These leds are the 3528 x 60.
I just remembered I put 5050 x 30 leds in the bathroom cove light. Because I did not not want to remove the entire cabinet, I just installed the led strip, with extra long leads, on the flourescent bulb & reinstalled it. I was able to reach up through the cabinet & find the leads going to the original light. They were plenty long enough to attach to the new leds. took about 5 minutes.

Also, if needed, don't use the connectors that some companies sell. Just put a little drop of solder on the led strip + and -; strip the wire about 1/4" & tin it. Thats work the best.

[Brad Townsend]

Thanks Gordon. I have the Tri Metric and it is worth every penny.
I would be in the dark without it.

[Hardtrigger]

Nice followed your guys leads and replaced the halogen bulbs in the hockey puck lights with LES's from Lowes and they had them on clearance priced at 12.95 instead of 25.95 original cost. Work great and twices as bright at 80% less energy and much, much cooler to the touch and nice for staying cooler in summer living. My question to those who have swapped over from flouresent to LED is when you used the LED strips did you have to convert any of the wiring for the LED's to work on what was intended for flouresents as I am ordering strips here in a day or so and not sure if I need transformers or any other tool to convert to LED wiring? Want to replace flouresents in the coves in living,and bedroom areas. Thanx in advance, Robert

[GORDON HUMMEL]

The flourescents in our era Newell's are 12v dc, as are all the Leds I've purchased.
Just plug & play

[RussWhite]

Nice followed your guys leads and replaced the halogen bulbs in the hockey puck lights with LES's from Lowes and they had them on clearance priced at 12.95 instead of 25.95 original cost. Work great and twices as bright at 80% less energy and much, much cooler to the touch and nice for staying cooler in summer living. My question to those who have swapped over from flouresent to LED is when you used the LED strips did you have to convert any of the wiring for the LED's to work on what was intended for flouresents as I am ordering strips here in a day or so and not sure if I need transformers or any other tool to convert to LED wiring? Want to replace flouresents in the coves in living,and bedroom areas. Thanx in advance, Robert

Robert,

Could you post a picture of the lamp and maybe a manufacturer and model number? Thanks, Russ

[Hardtrigger]

Russ will do. Just to let you know the lighting is like 300% brighter and burns very cool. I am going to replace 100% of all lights and televisions to LED and anything else I may exchange for LED"s for my intentions are to get away from crowds and boondock like 75% of the time out there( 3 months ) and want to reduce battery consumption. Will post pic and info right away! Be great to find a LED coffee maker (just kidding ). Robert :D

[Hardtrigger]

https://mail.google.com/mail/?attid=0.1&disp=emb&view=att&th=132bc559f79dd0cd

[Hardtrigger]

Can somone please share how I may take pic that was sent to my e-mail copy that and past here so I have standard size pic for Russ to see? This sucks having all this up to date equipment and not knowing how to use it. How embarassing! Thanks, Robert

[Hardtrigger]

http://2011-09-30_15-49-11_235.jpg

[encantotom]

a few points of clarification. for the past number of years i have worked on chips for TV's and set top boxes etc. so i know enough to be dangerous.

LED tv's are a marketing name and is quite confusing. they use the same LCD panels, it is just the BACKLIGHTING that is LED. so you cannot equate low power tv's with LED TV's, though they will be some lower. you just have to look at the power consumption of each tv and make a judgement. i just looked up some power specs. a current model panasonic 42" plasma tv consumes 79 watts, a panasonic 42" led tv is 45 watts and the LCD 42" is 80 watts. they are not exact apples to apples but close.

the power could change based on the sound system etc of the tv. if it has wifi built in etc.

tom

[RussWhite]

Robert,

Please feel free to forward the picture via standard email:

russwhite at earthlink dot net

Thanks!


Russ will do. Just to let you know the lighting is like 300% brighter and burns very cool. I am going to replace 100% of all lights and televisions to LED and anything else I may exchange for LED"s for my intentions are to get away from crowds and boondock like 75% of the time out there( 3 months ) and want to reduce battery consumption. Will post pic and info right away! Be great to find a LED coffee maker (just kidding ). Robert :D

[RussWhite]

Robert,

Lool at this link and let me know if this is what you did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-HJGuxUwqI

Almost all of my 10 watt holgens are no variable voltage controllers for dimming. Have you tried dimming your led's - I'm wondering how or if that would work.

Thanks,

Russ

[encantotom]

i dont see why they wouldnt dim. the regular strip lights i have dim just fine.

tom

[RussWhite]

Tom,

That's good news. Usually when you just lower the voltage to an led it just goes out. So I think I can assume the dimmers we have are PWM and just modulate the time that full voltage is applied. Wishing I had not bought quite so many halogen spares now:D

[GORDON HUMMEL]

Russ
That G4 replacement shown in that Utube vidio is the same ones I installed some time ago.
They were $4.00 each from HK including fgt.

Regarding dimming LED's I just received a strip of 5050 RGB 60 leds/m. This included a controller. I temporarly installed them in my PS cove, where I had previously installed a strip of 3528 white leds 60 leds/m. I used a DPDT switch so I could go back & forth between the different strips.
There are 2 buttons on the controller to lower & increase the light, so yes, they are dimable, at least thru the controller.
Also of interest, when I reduced the light, the power consumed when down. That surprised me. At full power, they consumed 1 amp more than the 3528's did. At 1/2 power they consumed the same as the 3528's, but put out less light. That surprised me. At 3/4 power, they put out the same light as the 3528.

Also of interest, when power is removed from the RGB controller and restored, it comes back on in the mode it was in when turned off. In other words, you can leave the RGB remote control set for white which would be normal usage for me, and control the on/off with the original Newell rocker switch. The RGB control would only be needed when you wanted different colors.

I've ordered some 5050 RGB 30 leds/m Which I think will be sufficient. Will advies when I receive.

[encantotom]

i picked up some 5050 rgb 30 led per m when i was in china this week.

i didnt think of using the rgb's for the lights in the coves. i may do that in the back.

i could drill a small hole for the IR reciever to poke through.

tom

[encantotom]

for only 5 or 6 dollars the controller is fairly sophisticated and included a remote. you can choose from a number of modes and alot of different color combinations.

i have been playing with them on my bench using a 12v bench power supply.

i have 5050 white 60led per meter, 3528 white 60led per meter and 5050 rgb 30 led per meter to experiment with.

plus the IR controller for the RGB.

tom

[Hardtrigger]

Russ, no I replaced the old halogen with a standard looking bulb with two prongs just similiar to the halogen then snapped the light facia back on and walaa done!

[Capnted]

I just completed taking 3 cranky florescents out of my '83 and replacing them with warm white led ribbons. The light's about the same, there's nothing to it and the cost is ridiculous. I bought a roll of 16' for $23. (The three fixtures were 6' long). I just went back for more and the same roll is now $8. They have a built-in pressure sensitive backing, so I glued mine to a 3/8" wide strip of thin aluminum from the hardware store and screwed that to the board that the fixtures were attached to. I thought that would be better than trying to stick them to wood.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QQ48TK/ref=ox_ya_os_product

Haven't tried a dimmer yet.

[chockwald]

Thanks Capnted.....just bought 2 16' strips!

[Brad Townsend]

What about these being twice as bright, a litte bit more money but I am wondering if they would to bright or better. Clarke did you run one strip or two?

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VXFK0I/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003VXFK0I&linkCode=as2&tag=affiliatechie-20">LEDwholesalers 16.4 Feet Doubl Density Flexible Light Strip with 600 SMD 3528 White 6000k 12 Volt, 2052wh</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=affiliatechie-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003VXFK0I" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

[Capnted]

IMHO, you can pay $50 for 16' of the double-density or $8 for the single and lay 2 strips side/side. Somewhere i saw that the 5050 led is more efficient, but I'm not an expert.

You can cut these every 2" and solder new leads to them (or buy a $6 connector.)

I'm not selling these, but i am excited. I've been watching LED's for a long time for RV's and boats & this is the first really flexible and economical application I've found. I'm going to wrap them in loops inside a metal shade 110v reading lamp to convert it to 12v. Also going to lay multiple strips in the recess for the ceiling fluorescents to convert them. Having too much fun!

Also looking at the color-changing ones for party time. Have emailed the vendor to see if the controller is 12v.

[Capnted]

Thanks Capnted.....just bought 2 16' strips!

Great. let me know what you think.

[Capnted]

for only 5 or 6 dollars the controller is fairly sophisticated and included a remote. you can choose from a number of modes and alot of different color combinations.

i have been playing with them on my bench using a 12v bench power supply.

i have 5050 white 60led per meter, 3528 white 60led per meter and 5050 rgb 30 led per meter to experiment with.

plus the IR controller for the RGB.

tom

Tom--

Is this the kind of controller you bought?

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IJFAMW/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004IJFAMW&linkCode=as2&tag=affiliatechie-20">LEDwholesalers IR Remote Controller 44 Keys for RGB LED Light Strip</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=affiliatechie-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004IJFAMW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
(http://www.amazon.com/Remote-Controller-LED-Light-Strip/dp/B004IJFAMW/ref=sr_1_12?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1320076668&sr=1-12)

[encantotom]

that is it exactly

[encantotom]

hi all,

i spent all of last week replacing ALL of my flourescents and downlights and closet lights.

i have 14 ceiling flourescents (10 12" and 4 18") and 6 of the 4' and one 2'. and 11 downlights.

when i get a chance i will post pictures. the light inside is amazing and the total power savings averages out to about 75 percent.

i used a combination of strip led's.

1. 5050 with 60 led per meter i paid 30 bucks per 16 foot strip

2. 3528 with 60 led per meter i paid 10 bucks per 16 foot strip

3. 5050 RGB with 30 led per meter i paid 20 bucks per 16 foot strip

i took the entire fixture out of the bus. then i stripped all the guts out. then i used aluminum tape and lined the inside of the fixture to made a reflector.

for the front ceiling flourescents i used a strip of 3528 on each SIDE of the fixture. darlene didnt want to see the led's.

for the ones where you couldnt really see them well (under things) i used a single 5050 in the center pointed down. it draws about 400ma for a 12" strip. the 3528 draws 150ma per 12" strip so 300ma per fixture.

for the 18" i used 5050 single strips. it draws 600ma

for the 4 foot and 2 foot ones in the coves i took the cove front off. i built a platform out of wood about 6" high and put a single strip of 3528 the entire length.

the lights are awesome.

underneath the kitchen counter at the kickplate at floor level i put the 5050 rgb with a controller. they are hooked to the aisle light switch.

they go on and off with the switch. you can change colors or flashing, strobing etc with the remote. i mounted the control unit under the sink. just open the door under the sink and point the remote at it.

i also replace the round 906 wedge bulbs under my coves. all 11 of them now draw less power than a single 906 bulb before with better light.

i more than offset the power my new house fridge takes from the inverter.

i will post pictures when i can.

tom

[Capnted]

Fantastic! Thanks for the detail. I just ordered two more reels of 5050 ribbon. If the toilet hadn't started leaking and the fridge hadn't quit, i'd have a lot more time to play with lights!

[encantotom]

here are some pictures of what i did.

[Capnted]

Thanks for sharing.

[folivier]

Hey Tom, do the new lights put out the same amount of light or more?
I'm thinking of replacing my cove lights (fluorescents) with LEDs but want the same amount not more.
Did you have to chAnge any switches?
So to summarize these hooked up directly to the existing wiring?
Thanks!

[encantotom]

hi forest,

the lights i put in the coves are as bright and are a better quality light. you will have to build stands like i did to get them up towards the top of the cove or you will lose alot of light.

the tradeoff is brightness for power. i used the lower power 3528's at 60 led/meter. if i had used the 5050 even at 30 led per meter they would have been a little brighter, but alot more power.

the cove lights look like regular florescent fixtures but i assure you they are not. they have an inverter circuit in them so they convert 12v into 110v. so with straight 12v going to them, they just hook up right to the strip lites. your switches are rated for both AC and DC so no problem with them.

led's are funky about dimmers, so be careful about that.

the thing to pay attention to on the led's is the color temp. i dispise warm light colors (3000k). i love white or cool white (6000k min). you have to decide what look you like and want.

i spent more in the wood to build the platforms than i did for the cove led's i think. i had 25 feet of cove lights front and back and paid ten bucks per 16 foot strips. but, i took the coves entirely off and that takes a little while. i have tips for it if you have not done it before. i screwed the platforms i made down to the cove base.

i love them.

tom

[folivier]

Ordered my LED's to replace my fluorescents.
After I install them, anybody need the old fixtures?
Hate to just throw them away if anybody wants them just let me know.