LED dome lights

[padlin]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Exactly same here.

Also, our dual 6V are almost 4 years old and have had to add water twice. We have stock GoPower Solar. Am scratching my head wondering why I would get a battery monitor or tweak the charging.

Interesting. Chances are I charge mine at a higher rate then you do with my Bogart Solar, I need to put in water at least twice a year.

[Greg A]

I’m similar to your schedule, Bob. I jumpered the controller to run equalization every 30 days, at if I recall 15.3v which was the highest it would go but close to Interstates recommendation.
I add water about every third month.

[wetzk]

I just looked and the lights on Amazon now have additional parts on the boards. Notice on the small board it now has more than 3 resistors to control the LEDs it now appears to have a constant current driver. And it even has a diode now to protect against reverse polarity.
It also lost 2 of the LED chips. I guess they had to remove them to fit the new parts.
Before all it depended on was the 3 resistors. I'm surprised more of those have not failed.


And the large board is significantly changed. I can't read the new parts writing so I can't tell if they added a better constant current driver to it or that and voltage regulation.

[MimStan]

I have experienced the flickering LED problem as well. Not wanting to continue to replace these lights with the same model (mine were made by SunLink), I finally found what I believe are the same fixtures Escape is currently using (made by Kaper II) at Panther RV:

https://pantherrvproducts.com/eco-se...fixture-5500k/

Panther stocks the double and single pancake fixtures in both 5500K and 3500K. Panther RV tech support wrote me that the operating voltage of these lights is 10.5v to 14.5v. Since I have solar, I won't run these lights when doing an equalization charge (14.8v), which shouldn't be a problem during a sunny period. The Kaper II lights run at less wattage than the previous SunLink lights, which should be good for boondocking.

I easily replaced every fixture in the camper in an afternoon. If you drill holes in the new fixtures matching the original screw holes, you can install these with no additional "damage" to your trailer.

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by MimStan

I have experienced the flickering LED problem as well. Not wanting to continue to replace these lights with the same model (mine were made by SunLink), I finally found what I believe are the same fixtures Escape is currently using (made by Kaper II) at Panther RV:

https://pantherrvproducts.com/eco-se...fixture-5500k/

Panther stocks the double and single pancake fixtures in both 5500K and 3500K. Panther RV tech support wrote me that the operating voltage of these lights is 10.5v to 14.5v. Since I have solar, I won't run these lights when doing an equalization charge (14.8v), which shouldn't be a problem during a sunny period. The Kaper II lights run at less wattage than the previous SunLink lights, which should be good for boondocking.

I easily replaced every fixture in the camper in an afternoon. If you drill holes in the new fixtures matching the original screw holes, you can install these with no additional "damage" to your trailer.

What did you use to replace the LED light in the bathroom? The one I have in there now has a silicon rubber cover to waterproof it.

[cpaharley2008]

That cover has not always been there, my first E19 did not have it and the light worked fine. There are no covers on the exterior dump and porch lights and they still work, may not be necessary.

[MimStan]

tfd-texas:

I forgot to mention the bathroom light... I'm hoping that someone will post some information on the newest version bath light Escape is using - is it different from the other lights (waterproofed somehow?). For some reason I haven't had any flickering with the small model SunLink lights that I removed, although I suspect flickering eventually. Since Panther RV doesn't sell a "wet location" version of the Kaper II lights, I decided (for now) to hold onto the four small Sunlink lights I removed and will rotate them into the bathroom if I have a failure there and just keep re-using the silicon switch cover.



Does anyone out there have info on the newest bath light?

[MyronL]

I have searched a number of LED bulb suppliers but none seems to have this "wafer" type with this base. Why is that? What is this type base even called?

[cpaharley2008]

It is called a "wedge" type base, any wedge bulb will work

[MyronL]

Thanks Jim ... even though all the wedge base LED's I've seen look nothing like my picture I will probably waste 5 bucks on one just to see.

[John in Santa Cruz]

That specific bulb you show is probably a WP05-0116 from Kaper II, https://www.kaperii.com/bulbs-featur...aItem-jv8e1sa8
https://www.kaperii.com/bulbs-featured-items

they are available in daylight and neutral white, where the neutral ones are a bit warmer.

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by MyronL

I have searched a number of LED bulb suppliers but none seems to have this "wafer" type with this base. Why is that? What is this type base even called?

Generically they are called wedge base, but specifically it is a T-10 base (T style, 10mm wide).

This style of LED module does not last long in vehicle applications, especially with modern multi-stage battery chargers. It appears to be unregulated, using resistors to control the current flowing through the LEDs. For longevity you really want LED modules that are fully regulated (both buck and boost, for a wide voltage range).

You probably have cool white 6000K LEDs, which is very common and easy to find. Personally I prefer warm white 3000K-3500K. YMMV

If it were me I would get rid of all of the LED modules in your light fixtures and replace with regulated LED modules. If you wanted to stick with cool white then consider these (note this is a pack of 10): https://www.ebay.com/itm/T10-LED-Bulb-Super-Bright-Wedge-For-Boat-Rv-Trailer-Camper-Interior-Light-10-Pcs/153476031131

I have no experience with these personally; they just seem to fit the bill, and apparently are regulated.

[John in Santa Cruz]

problem with those in a trailer, there's no screw to secure them in place, they are likely to rattle loose on rough roads.

also, 600 lumens? eek, thats blindingly bright. the Kaper II lights are 130 lumens or something, and IMHO already too bright at night.

[CarinaPDX]

I doubt they will rattle loose, as they are so lightweight. I have used LEDs with bases like these in my MDX and they go in very tight and stay put. As for brightness, I take these specs with a grain of salt. Unfortunately LEDs, and especially Chinese-sourced ones, have always inflated the lumens. Personally I find about 500 (real) lumens in my overhead lamps to be perfect for working or reading, and cut them in half for area lighting. If I want to see where I am going but nothing else I switch to red for night lighting; in practice I only use red underway (I live on a small boat with an interior about the same size as a travel trailer). Earlier I posted about my LED conversions that I made for previously CCFL fixtures; currently they are set up for two output levels but it is trivial to convert them to variable output - I just don't find I need that level of choice. It is of course easy to find LED dimmer switches that can be added for reducing the light - better to have a little too much than too little. BTW I started with 1000lm COB LEDs for my conversions and adjusted the regulator down to what I thought was comfortable, which was the 500lm level.

The important point here is that these LED boards are going to burn out because they are not regulated. IMHO it is cutting corners in the wrong place; LEDs should last the life of the RV. Avoid the headaches and get regulated LEDs sooner rather than later.

[John in Santa Cruz]

I actually have an amber small LED in the 'low' side of the light closest to the door, thats switched by the switch at the door. I tried red (and I'm an amateur astronomer, so I use red quite a lot) and found the amber was easier to see stuff inside and had no more impact on my night vision.

[MyronL]

I knew you electrical gurus would give input. Ah, a T-10 base! That 15 diode LED in my picture is way too bright and cold for my taste. Been looking for a much dimmer replacement that's also either red or amber. Have been hoping for an identical replacement that also screws in place.

I know Jon will say get yourself a red gel. (I love it when you guys talk electrics.)

[CarinaPDX]

Red as a night light color has a long history, and a theory to back it up. The rod cells in our eyes are what give us night vision, and they are insensitive to red light (and most sensitive to green-blue). So the theory is that by illuminating with red we do not de-sensitize the rods, and instead see with the cone cells while maintaining night vision. Great theory. Try reading a navigation chart at night with red light: all of the warnings are in red, which appear white under the red light (i.e. they disappear to the eye). Not good. Another problem with this theory is that one is seeing the red image with the cone cells, which are nowhere near as sensitive as the rods, so require a higher light output to see things. Modern thinking is to use green-blue light at a very low level, which the rods are particularly sensitive to, and just don't saturate the rods with too bright of a light. It is much easier to read a chart... So yeah, the red LEDs are not optimal, but work well enough for me underway, when night vision really is important. For lighting the inside of a travel trailer it seems unlikely to matter much, and amber is a nice soft light.

[John in Santa Cruz]

this is what I use for amber, and for red in one of the fixtures in my 2014 E21...
https://www.superbrightleds.com/more...t-car/199/872/

[CarinaPDX]

@MyronL: I found it difficult to locate the ones I linked to, and I didn't find a warm white one. There are lots of clusters available, in different colors, but they usually require a separate driver circuit. While they can be driven directly that would put you back to burning out LEDs. It is highly unlikely that you will find a drop-in that does what you want. I think there are two ways to go: 1) modify your fixture to use an appropriate cluster or two, with an appropriate regulator (not recommended for non-techie types) or 2) start looking around on marine sites, as it is common to find fixtures with white and red LEDs inside. Marine products tend to be much better constructed, at a much higher price. I was shocked to see how cheap (in both senses) these RV fixtures are.

[CarinaPDX]

For a very elegant, albeit expensive, marine solution take a look at this: https://www.lunasealighting.com/wp-c...for_web1-1.pdf The internal dimming makes it easy to adjust the light levels, and the blue glow when it is off makes a good night light...