Thrifty LED Lighting

[GPW]

pretty cool ... Cheap enough too !!!

[Fyddler]

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I got these at the local RV dealer for $12.00 each.

[CampsALot]

Are they LED?

Warren

[CampsALot]

These lights work as well on D size batteries as they do on AAA.
They are designed to work on 4.5 volts, (three batteries).
D and AAA batteries are the same voltage per battery. They use the same chemicals and construction.
The D just has higher capacity to deliver power longer.
AAA can deliver almost as much current as a D, The D will just do it longer.

AAA batteries can deliver enough current to burn out LED's, but the flashlights are designed to only use
a small amount of current. That's why even the AAA batteries last so long.

If I were to hook them up to 12V, they would probably last about 4 seconds. This is because the current would be
almost 3 times as much, (2.666 X), which the light ISN'T designed for.
Even going to one of the old type square 6V flashlight batteries would be too much but they might last a little while.

a 4.5V regulator would allow me to run these lights from 12V.

The amount of current a,(fixed), load uses, at a fixed voltage, is constant as long as the voltage remains the same.
Ohms law... Hey i still remember that from technical collage oh so many years ago..

It's Sturday, company's gone home, time for a

Warren

[GPW]

If you're going LED , you might as well go solar too ... charging that is ... We've been experimenting for many months now with the new Eneloop NIMH cells (Sanyo) and they are really Much better than anything before , and not as expensive , dangerous , or difficult to charge as the Li batteries... Perfect for trailer work and a small portable solar charger would keep all your LED lighting batteries charged for an indefinite period ... Plus you can get tubelike adapters to transform AA to D size ... I use those all the time ...

I'm trying to break Solar down from one large EXPENSIVE array to many little small panels , each independent of the other... No mass failures... Smaller panels can easily be stored when not in use ... and are affordable (Thrifty as the title implies) ...

[RandyG]

GPW, not sure if you have looked into Li-Po's lately but they are getting much safer. Bad thing is for the up-to-date safety features, you're gunna dish out some bucks.

[GPW]

That’s the problem ... I already have a couple really Good Li chargers (FMS) and they were PRICY ... On our older Li chargers we actually had two packs EXPLODE ... and start minor grass fires ...Since then I’m somewhat leery of Li batteries ... I see even Boeing with all their megabucks/technology had similar problems ... I’m sticking with a little safer technology ...Thrifty too ...

Ps. We’ve used Li -ion , and Li- polymer batteries for many years now in our electric RC planes... Expensive!!! Sometimes Downright dangerous ... we’ve “puffed up” many Lipos ... Not Good !!!  More pricy ... and unbeknownst to the consumer , Li batteries start to chemically deteriorate from the time of manufacture , so are really only good for a year or two ... much less at the currents we’re drawing on electric motors ...

I don’t want Li batteries where I’m sleeping ... bad enough they’re in all the cell phones already ... One day ... ring ring ... Hello , Who Dat’ ? ... Boom !!!

[Fyddler]

Are they LED?

Warren

Yes. Not super bright, but for a small trailer plenty bright

[suzart24]

I saw battery powered LED lights in the newest Harbor Freight flier and they looked to be about business card size. I'm going to carpet my interior walls and am thinking about putting some Velcro on the back of each light and sticking them wherever I want. If I recall, they were, $3 and something rach.

[GPW]

Many inexpensive HF LED lights can be “converted” to trailer use ... whether battery powered or wired into the system ... a little soldering , drill a couple mounting holes ... I’ve been thinking of converting one of these as a ceiling light .. http://www.harborfreight.com/27-led-por ... 67227.html

[Fyddler]

Costco has some great remote control puck lights for under 30, AAA powered. I also found these motion lights there for $15 a pair for my galley

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[GPW]

Motion lights !!! That’s even better then the “Clapper” ... ...

[suzart24]

Many inexpensive HF LED lights can be “converted” to trailer use ... whether battery powered or wired into the system ... a little soldering , drill a couple mounting holes ... I’ve been thinking of converting one of these as a ceiling light .. http://www.harborfreight.com/27-led-por ... 67227.html

Converted?
Solar?
Soldering?
Drill?
Li-Ion?
D cells?

Hell!....I'm building a teardrop trailer!
Lets stick some Velro on the back of these puppies and go camping!!!

[GPW]

Doug , we only complicate things to save batteries and the endless cost of buying them ....that and we don’t know how long we’ll be camping ...
Rechargeable batteries will pay themselves off in very little time , and saves all those alkaline cells from ending up in a landfill ... You can recycle rechargeable batteries... save the Planet ... or does anybody care about that any more ...

I just heard they asked children now what they want to be when they grow up ... the almost universal answer was ... RICH !!!

[kudzu]

I regularly use the puck LED lights & a couple of those that suzart shows. Use rechargeable AAA & AA batteries for lights, wireless keyboard & mouse, cameras, etc. Works well for me though the rechargeable do not work as long on one charge as the non-rechargeable type. That's only an inconvenience with the cameras that are energy hogs.

GPW, 40 yrs ago if you'd asked what I wanted to be I'd have said rich also. Adulthood taught me that money doesn't equate to happiness. (But poverty sure makes life harder.)