#1

LED Lighting

in Improving your pride and joy and how to fix things Wed Aug 18, 2021 6:00 am
by paulj (deleted)
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We have an Eriba Familia 320GT, manufactured in 2002. It had halogen light fittings inside which were (in my opinion) less than ideal. They were not very bright, and also consumed more power than I liked. We could operate a few days off-grid, but hankered for the ability to spend longer without a hookup, so I decided to modify them to use LEDs instead.
To do this, I used buck converters from Sparkfun, and some warm white LEDs. Buck converters are constant current drivers - this is the model I used: femtobuck converter, product code: 13716. This drives the LEDs at around 300mA, with the option to increase to 600mA by bridging a contact on the board. The LEDs chosen were sparkfun product code: 13104 (I can't post links yet...). These can be driven up to 750mA, but I chose to drive them at the standard board output of 300mA. This means they don't get particularly warm. I fitted four LEDs in each light fitting. The Buck converter needs to be driven at a voltage greater than the forward potential voltage for the LEDs (3.2v - 3.8v each) plus at least 2v. Therefore with a 12v supply, I used one converter for each pair of LEDs. If you use these in other applications (for example downlighters in a kitchen), you can drive them with a higher voltage, and have more LEDs in series.
For mounting, I used aluminium profile, and glued the LEDs at an appropriate spacing. The aluminium can help to sink the heat generated. Mounting holes were drilled to line up with the bolts holding the fitting in place, and additional nuts retained the assembly. The wiring for the 12v sockets was retained, and the lighting wiring simplified as only one feed was used. I used bullet connectors as they were available locally, but I would have preferred small spade connectors.
Pictures:
LEDs fitted to the profile, with the buck converters on the reverse side:
IMG_20210813_132732.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
Profile turned over, so you can see the shrink wrapped buck converters:
IMG_20210813_132736.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
The femtobuck converter before assembly:
IMG_20210813_132752.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
Light fitting in place with profile bolted in. I would like to find some slightly longer M5 bolts, so I can use lock washers as well as nuts!
IMG_20210813_140242.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
With the lens in place, and turned on. It is brighter than the original halogen, but still atmospheric enough!
IMG_20210813_140401.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
If you have basic soldering skills, this is not a difficult modification to do, and the LEDs should last a long time, as they are not being driven hard.

Couple of things I should have done differently: I turned on the 12v supply when confirming the polarity on the incoming wires, as this is critical for LEDs (but not for halogen bulbs). While doing this, the bare bullet managed touched the switch contact and shorted out the supply briefly, blowing the 7.5A fuse. I then started pulling the fuses one by one to see which one had blown, but when re-inserting them, I managed to short and damage the circuit driving the red LED on the BIP unit. Anyway, our BIP is not charging the battery, as John England fitted a new charger in 2018 after we bought the van - everything else it does still seems to be working. When it goes back for servicing, John will look at what damage I have done to the BIP. My learning point - do not remove and replace fuses with the 12v supply on - the bare circuit board means you can damage it!
If you have any questions, feel free to fire away!


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#2

RE: LED Lighting

in Improving your pride and joy and how to fix things Wed Aug 18, 2021 9:17 am
by eribanaut | 1.228 Posts

I just changed my halogens for ac/dc led's, they all work fine.
Dave


Skoda Kodiaq 2.0 150 Tdi DSG Troll 552 - 2005
Don't worry about the destination, enjoy the journey.
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#3

RE: LED Lighting

in Improving your pride and joy and how to fix things Wed Aug 18, 2021 9:22 am
by Aaron Calder | 3.834 Posts

Me too.


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2003 Triton 420 and Audi A4 2.0Tfsi S-line SE Cabriolet
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#4

RE: LED Lighting

in Improving your pride and joy and how to fix things Fri Sep 10, 2021 1:20 pm
by monoboard | 359 Posts

I have a 2015 320 GT, i must check what sort of lights i have. In the future i would like to be able to go off grid. Obviously fridge, heating & cooking can be on gas, so that just leaves lighting, water pump, loo flush & charging phones. I don't like the idea of leaving a solar panel outside (mobile type) and there's the problem of putting one on a pop top which i would be very nervous over drilling/bonding some Chinese built solar panel on a roof that could pack up in a year or two plus the extra weight issue.


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#5

RE: LED Lighting

in Improving your pride and joy and how to fix things Fri Sep 10, 2021 5:47 pm
by Stevejoyce (deleted)
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Our 2015 Triton 420 is all LED if that helps. Whilst checking, remember that it is not a good idea to stare at LEDs. They are very bright and can damage your eyesight if misused.


Triton 420 towed by a Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi
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#6

RE: LED Lighting

in Improving your pride and joy and how to fix things Sat Sep 11, 2021 1:53 pm
by Ray Lawrence | 671 Posts

monoboard, I've used a 60W folding panel for over 6 years now and I've not had a problem.

I use a long motorcycle security chain with a padlock at each end to secure the panel to the front of the A frame. There is sufficient length to orientate the panel to the sun two or three times a day to gain the maximum charging efficiency, something that can't be done with a roof mounted panel. Being more efficient means a much smaller (cheaper) panel can be used.


2007 Triton 430GT - Seat Ateca 1.4TSI petrol manual
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