Remote Living > Lighting
12VDC LED Lamps
DamonHD:
Hi,
I created a UK-based list which is a bit out of date now I expect.
You should definitely aim for 60lm/W or higher, as that is CFL efficiency. 100lm/W+ is possible now in off-the-shelf lamps.
Its harder to achieve those numbers in smaller lamps.
Rgds
Damon
dnix71:
To get the rated light output of some of the "super bright" leds I see advertised you would need some pretty good heat sinks. But that heat comes at the expense of efficiency and rated life.
Damon do you need a high frequency driver to maximize light output efficiency? I've bought and used some very bright commercially made led lights that had stupidly short life spans because of heat but if I cut the voltage the lights dimmed noticeably. In a flashlight you might not care if the life was short because the run time is short, but for home lighting I don't want to pay premium prices for something that won't outlast a linear fluorescent.
DamonHD:
Hi,
I don't think so, though to avoid having something silly like a series resistor (wasting energy), a switch-mode constant-current driver could be used instead, and it probably would be fairly high frequency.
Rgds
Damon
Bruce S:
The newest thing I've begun seeing is dimmable versus non-dimmable LEDs being sold.
The newer ones sure are hot!!
kitestrings:
--- Quote ---I could moving lighting circuits to one of the inverters but then it would need to idle all the time with a very light load. Reason I want to go 24 volt and avoid that
--- End quote ---
I'm admittedly old-school, and it stems from having lived with inverters that were much less than what the better ones are today, but I really dislike having all of the lighting (and water pumping) reliant on an inverter. If you ever have to send one "away" for repairs - and that's a hassle all its own - I'd don't want to be without, light, heat and refrigeration if I have a choice. Inverters have come a long way though.
kc7 raises a good point about efficacy specs/standards, or lack of. As with the fist CFLs there's some junk to avoid. The one above seems to be in the 75 l/w.
What I tend to be more sensitive to with CFLs & LEDs is not the output generally, but the color and especially the CRI. We've used a lot of those MR16 (Quartz Halogen) specular reflector lamps in areas where color is important. You can power a small trac section with 12VDC (usually with one wire terminal change, and eliminating the transformer(s) of course) and dim them with chopper dimmers. Excellent color and control. I've just started converting some to LEDs with pretty good results.
--- Quote ---The newest thing I've begun seeing is dimmable versus non-dimmable LEDs being sold.
--- End quote ---
There are also emerging "smart bulbs" that allow remote full-color dimming (smart phone or fob). I like the ones with motion sensing. I like going down the stairs to get a drink of water without fumbling for a light. Most kids don't know what clock-wise means today, I wonder if wall switches may soon be a thing of the past.
~ks
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