Ceiling light conversion to LED

[Kxbronco]

I know, another LED conversion thread. I did search, but couldn’t find what I was looking for.

I want to replace the Thin Lite 12” fluorescent bulb lights with led. I’ve experimented with one of the lights by converting it to led strips. It worked fine and easy enough to do, but I’d like to be able to have dimmable lights. Using the old fixtures, I could put multiple strips and add a dimmer or maybe replace the current on/off switch with an off/on/on switch to control the strips. Fitting a dimmer into the existing fixture could be a real pain and I’ve yet to find a switch that will do the off/on/on scenario that would work. I don’t mind doing the work, but by the time I buy the dimmer/switch and led strips I can probably just replace the fixture.

That being said, has anybody found/used some ceiling lights that either have dimmers or multi position switches that control the brightness? I found the ones below and they seem to be about perfect. Dimmable, on/off, 3 different color temps and the size is comparable to what I have now. Anybody used these or something similar that you would recommend?

https://www.amazon.com/CT-CAPETRONIX...6&sr=8-20&th=1

[wopachop]

Those look pretty sweet for the price. I would find something with a remote control if possible. If you decide to build you own you could get a 12v dimmer with RF remote control. Negative to those is that sometimes a TV remote control might operate at the same frequency. So turning up volume on a radio or tv might change the lights.

One thing to note about LED strip lights is that they dont like to see the 14.4v of an RV. They will work, but burnout over time. Ive been messing around with LEDs in trailers for a good 10 years.

Good part about the lights you linked is that theyre rated for 12-24v. So that means they have a built in voltage regulator. One thing i notice about lights with different color temps is that people usually dont choose the 2 choices on the far ends. So in a way its almost wasted space where other neutral color temp choices could have been. Say 3500-4000, 4000-4500, and 4500-5000. Nobody ever likes the 6000+ color temps. Also people usually dont like the super low red colors. Although that lower temp is starting to make a comeback. Im seeing that happen with flashlights. Apparently lower color temps are easier on the eyes, and also penetrate through fog better. Im more interested on the easy on the eyes part. My eyes are sensitive to lights. Can barely drive at night anymore and im still in my 40s.

Do you have cabinets with room on top? That is a great spot for LED strips or LED rigid lights. The light reflects off the ceiling and creates a nice overall well distributed light. You never see the LED directly.

Another thing i do is buy 1meter long rigid LEDs and then hang them from the ceiling about 6 inches down, but facing upward. So that way you dont look at the LED directly.

There are some pretty cool PWM dimmers i bought 10 years ago. Its a white square box. I can see if amazon has them. I believe theyre rated for 6 or 8 amps so you can put a decent amount of lights on them. Might be newer versions out that are smaller. The little dimmers i have are about 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick.

Heres the dimmers i use. I bought a box of them from china years ago. $13 seems a bit high. I didnt see them on amazon. Theyre pretty sweet though if you decide to go the DIY route. I have these things all over the house and also in RVs and trailers. If you have potting shelves at home they are perfect. Because usually there is a 120v outlet up there, but its not switched. THe little dimmer box allows you to put lights up in spots where its too high to reach by hand.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/13184835800...3ABFBMqr6Pn8xh


edit: i should clarify that at home in a residential setting you would use a 12v power supply plugged into the wall.

[Kxbronco]

Thanks for the reply wopachop. I thought of using remote controls, but there’s 5 lights and I couldn’t find a good way to hide the part that attaches at the light in the existing fixtures. I even went so far as looking for 1 control that could manage five lights as we don’t always want all 5 lights on at the same time. My wife is only 5’ tall and she can barely reach the existing switches. One control would make her life easier turning the lights on.

[wopachop]

Is there a main light switch on the wall? You could add the dimmer after that light switch.

If not....depending on how much tinkering you want to do, you could find the 12v wire feeding the lights and add the dimmer there. It would control all the lights downstream.

[Kxbronco]

Originally Posted by wopachop

Is there a main light switch on the wall? You could add the dimmer after that light switch.

If not....depending on how much tinkering you want to do, you could find the 12v wire feeding the lights and add the dimmer there. It would control all the lights downstream.

No main switch on the wall. Each light has the switch built into the side of the fixture. I think I will see if I can find a wiring diagram and see if it’s something that could be somewhat easily modified to include a main switch.

[wopachop]

I would start at the fuse panel. I did something similar and added a residential light switch at the front door.

My trailer was built stupid. At night in the dark you had to walk inside, swing open a glass panel, then try to see the tiny writing on the tiny light switches.