Let there be LIGHT

[zetron]

Everyone who boondocks has probably found that there regular 12 volt incandescent lights use a lot of electricity.

There is an affordable solution now. LED white light arrays of up to 36 individual LEDs use very little electricity. They are advertised as "Super Bright LEDs". However, the light is not 'super bright'. As spot lights for working with the computer after dark they are 'acceptable only'.

The light from these LED arrays is sort of weak and I might add GHOSTLY. You can however run them all night if you want with very little amphour usage.

I need two 36 LED arrays to see my computer keyboard and work efficently with it in the dark.

These arrays plug right into the sockets for the incandesent 12 volt lights.

Another idea for the boondocker is to paint some of the buttons you cannot find in the dark with phosphor. The high tech phosphors will glow all night. I have painted the hard to find buttons with white paint and then the phosphor.

Still another idea is to install what I call 'DC night lights'. These are red LEDs which are inexpensive and available at most automotive supply stores. They fit the DC sockets and give a comfortable night light that is not easily visable from outside the motorhome.

Red lights were used on submarines and we amateur astronomers use them instead of white lights to retain our 'dark adapted vision' while viewing with the telescope.

One last note on light. I recently prchased a monster portable light. It has 10,000,000 candle power. I don't know what I will use it for and I do not know how they enginnered the thing. Just a few years back 1,000,000 candle power was the biggest and it drew 10 amps at 12 volts. If the technology has not improved then the 10,000,000 candle power light would take an order of magnitude greater current draw!! this would be 100 amps at 12 volts!!! How do they do that???

David/Zetron

[zetron]

Everyone who boondocks has probably found that there regular 12 volt incandescent lights use a lot of electricity.

There is an affordable solution now. LED white light arrays of up to 36 individual LEDs use very little electricity. They are advertised as "Super Bright LEDs". However, the light is not 'super bright'. As spot lights for working with the computer after dark they are 'acceptable only'.

The light from these LED arrays is sort of weak and I might add GHOSTLY. You can however run them all night if you want with very little amphour usage.

I need two 36 LED arrays to see my computer keyboard and work efficently with it in the dark.

These arrays plug right into the sockets for the incandesent 12 volt lights.

Another idea for the boondocker is to paint some of the buttons you cannot find in the dark with phosphor. The high tech phosphors will glow all night. I have painted the hard to find buttons with white paint and then the phosphor.

Still another idea is to install what I call 'DC night lights'. These are red LEDs which are inexpensive and available at most automotive supply stores. They fit the DC sockets and give a comfortable night light that is not easily visable from outside the motorhome.

Red lights were used on submarines and we amateur astronomers use them instead of white lights to retain our 'dark adapted vision' while viewing with the telescope.

One last note on light. I recently prchased a monster portable light. It has 10,000,000 candle power. I don't know what I will use it for and I do not know how they enginnered the thing. Just a few years back 1,000,000 candle power was the biggest and it drew 10 amps at 12 volts. If the technology has not improved then the 10,000,000 candle power light would take an order of magnitude greater current draw!! this would be 100 amps at 12 volts!!! How do they do that???

David/Zetron

[FatDog]

jese! with a 10,000,000 candle power portable light, you may put you local astronomer buddies out of work.

and those LED's are an interesting way to go. I am wiring some into the bike I am making as 'hidden' rear brake and signal lights. You can put as many LEDs into essentially whatever shape you want to form them into with silicone. handy

[zetron]

10,000,000 candles is certainly a lot. I also have a Helium-Neon lasar (a real Lasar) that I built years ago for about $50.00.

With all the different colored LEDs inside the motorhome at night it looks like the inside of a space capsule. It use to be that white LED lights were very expensive, but not anymore.

I use a lot of LED voltage indicators along with analog meters.

One thing, have you noticed that your kitchen counter top and your dinning table both tend to tilt toward the walls of the RV with age. Put anything on them and it rolls or falls toward the walls.

David/Zetron

[Jeff_in_The_Dalles]

I've been wondering if HID lighting systems will ever find their way into high end RV's...

I have a HID bicycle light that is amazingly, disorientingly bright and runs over 4 hours on a water bottle type battery.

Those HID's are amazing, and coming down in price (bicycle lights still around $400)...