LED interior lighting.

[g8dhe]

I've added a new Tab to the Bongo Wiring Manual pages, this has images and details of all the lights / bulbs used in a Bongo and a link to the above modification to the "U" fluorescent tube replacement so it won't be lost! http://www.g8dhe.net/bwm/

[Tony x]

There's some useful information here but i'm hoping the original question can be answered...
Does anyone know of replacement LED lights that fit the AFT roof light (not the fluorescent tube), the rear passenger side light and the lights by the reversing mirror in the cockpit?

[g8dhe]

Yes they are available either as panels or replacements, personally I prefer the panels as the light spread is better but the standard replacements are improving a search for "LED 501 bulbs" in EBAY http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from= ... s&_sacat=0

For the festoon lights much the same http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw= ... s&_sacat=0

These are the panels http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290927810412? ... EBIDX%3AIT

[cmm303]

I'm toying with the idea of putting strip LEDs in a chamfered aluminium channel round the roof instead of downlighters. To work out the density and length of the LED strips I need to know how many lumens are needed to light up a Bongo insides! g8dhe's centre light conversion used a COB LED panel rated 100Lm and looks pretty bright. It suggests that 150-200Lm would light the length of interior comfortably.

This roughly translates to 1.5m of flexible LED strip with 30 LEDs/m giving 120Lm/m (info from Cak Tanks brochure). If I broke that into two strips, one each side of the roof, they would be 0.75m each (not even half the length of the rear). Inspite of the logic, it just does not feel like it would be enough until I think of it like flourescent tubes, which then create an image of a Bongomobile operating theatre!

This stuff is expensive to buy incrementally so I'd like to get the quantity right first time.
Has anybody got any real world experience to compensate for my total lack of LED lighting experience?

[g8dhe]

Getting lighting right is a bit of an art!

The colour temperature can have a very significant affect on the perception, now measurements in Lumen's should take that into account, but I first used the "warm white" version of the panel (same Lumen rating) and found it totally unacceptable, switching to the "white" version was a lot better.

However I wouldn't put a lot of trust in some of the specifications of LED's either, the panels I used are rated as 10Watts, however they don't take anything like that, on closer reading of the "spec" they quote the same power level at 24volts as at 12volts, but they are 12 volt panels and the spec goes onto say that you need an extra dropper resistor for 24volts and that is where the other 5 Watts of power is "lost" as heat in the dropper!

Another factor that can affect the perception is the actual light distribution, the COB panels are quite good as the "gel" that covers them smooths out the individual beams a lot, whilst individual LED's may well appear very "beamed" with lower levels between each individual spot/pool of light

[novocaine]

Geoff
Next time I take my light down (hopefully this weekend), I'll take a picture of how to do the conversion to non U-shaped bulb lights for you, if it helps. (don't mind you adding it to your how to).

Armando.

[philpdr]

Finally got round to doing the interior light mod with the cob panel.very pleased with the result.Many thanks for the info and idea Geoff.