Bongo Fury

hi everyone.
i have been looking through the forum trying to find the answer, i have tried to look on ebay plus been to a number of shops and i cannot find one anywhere.
The blub for the light in the middle of the of the bongo i want to put an LED type tube in there, has anyone managed it and where did you get the tube from, I have seen some people have soldered in different LED's but I'd like to just switch the bulb.

peanutcrusher wrote:hi everyone.
i have been looking through the forum trying to find the answer, i have tried to look on ebay plus been to a number of shops and i cannot find one anywhere.
The blub for the light in the middle of the of the bongo i want to put an LED type tube in there, has anyone managed it and where did you get the tube from, I have seen some people have soldered in different LED's but I'd like to just switch the bulb.

If you want to install led type you would probably need to carry out a modification of the PCB unit IE cutting out the Ballast Circuit, and a reroute of the switching wiring.

how come indoors you can just switch the bulb but not in the bongo?

Led tubes are still really in their infancy compared to led spotlight bulbs,esp.12volt ones.

Have a search on the forum, a few people have replaced the whole unit with LED clusters. I've never heard of an LED equivalent of a fluorescent tube, but the chances of finding one to fit the Bongo seems very slim.

i have found these on ebay.
http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/C ... 42090.html
what do you guys thing will they work in the bongo?

only one way to find out!!! and if they do work, the poor guy in dispatch won't know what's hit him

Might be ok if you can find the correct size and voltage, and dont mind the minimum order qty of 50 pieces. I've had a quick look but struggled to find a part number that you can find an equivalent for. So far, I've got: 225mm long with a diameter of 16mm. It is rated at 6watts.

Up to about 1999/2000 it was a straight tube and after that it's a U-shape.

the light housing do they look the same from the out side on the old ones and the new ones, if they are the same do you know if you can get a led version of the blub to fit them?

They look similar externally, but it's probably harder to find an alternative for the U-shaped bulbs. This is what they look like:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mazda-Bongo-i ... 0978310671

None of the LED lights will simply plug into the existing sockets and work.
The principle they work on is TOTALLY different from fluorescent lights, in the fluorescent light you have two heaters/filaments one at each end they have to be supplied with isolated supplies about 3-6volts then across those two supplies you have a high voltage (200-400v) initially that then falls under load when the light strikes to around 90-200 volts. The little inverter board with the transformer on it is what supplies these three sets of voltages.
The LED's will simply require a single constant DC or AC supply.
Hence the need to strip out the existing board and wire to the switched 12 volt supply that feeds the light.

C.A.K. Tanks (caktanks.co.uk. 0844 414 2324) do loads of LED replacements but as said earlier in this thread, tube replacements are not prolific. Endorsing the previous poster, their T5 tube replacement emphasises the need to remove certain circuitry to avoid destroying the LEDs.
The caktanks site is not the easiest but I recommend sticking with it or giving them a call. I have found them helpful and their stock very comprehensive so you may be able to source an alternative fitting.

Going on "Kawasaki Kid" and a previous post about replacement of the tube...he got his from Maplins One of these I have found these... Led Tubes at £9.99 each
Not being a sparky..... just wondering if this is what we need to LED the Mid cabin light?

The LED tube linked in Amazon is 240v. But a search on Amazon for LED Tube 12v comes up with some interesting and affordable options for cars and caravans. Many probably need connection directly to 12v without the fluorescent tube electronics in circuit.