DIY LED lights

cruisertoy

Explorer
I didn't want to post in on Safari's thread on LED lights. Those light strips are a great option. I figured I'd post up a DIY option that looks to use very similar lights and might give people the ability to customize thier own.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380176979551&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I bought 2- 5 meter rolls of these for my undercounter lighting and have used some for inside my cruiser. There are 3 LED's per section and the sections can be cut between the 4 copper points. Any length of LED is doable. The ones in the link come with a "waterproof" sleeve over the LED strip. This would work great in a tent or in the vehicle, but for something on the underside of your rig I would slip them into a PLexiglass or Clear PVC tub and cap the ends with Silicone. The one pictured on top of the roll in the photo below was done that way. Excuse the crappy solder job, i was in a hurry. They are really easy to solder. Follow the Ebay link to angel.edeal and you can find all different colors. The LED's come iinto two sizes. I bought the smaller size since most were going to be in my wifes kitchen. I'll be ordering a larger size soon. The White lights put off a slight blue tint, while the "Soft white is more yellow/ very slight green tint). At $40 per 16'+ of lights I thought it was a great deal.
 

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off-roader

Expedition Leader
How bright are they when lit up? I'm thinking at that price they're a good option for under vehicle lighting (rock lighting) for night time wheeling but am curious about the light pattern and intensity.
 

cruisertoy

Explorer
I cut them into 6 light sections and put each section 16" apart above my cabinets and they still light up very well. I would get the higher output ones for a few bucks more even though the ones I have would work fine under a vehicle. I won't have time until the weekend, but I might be able to throw a few under the cruiser and give more rock light feed back.

Plus they even sell the ones that blink through colors. Pimp baby.
 

off-roader

Expedition Leader
I cut them into 6 light sections and put each section 16" apart above my cabinets and they still light up very well. I would get the higher output ones for a few bucks more even though the ones I have would work fine under a vehicle. I won't have time until the weekend, but I might be able to throw a few under the cruiser and give more rock light feed back.

Plus they even sell the ones that blink through colors. Pimp baby.

I'd appreciate anything you can do so show their light pattern and intensity.

As for blinking through colors... Ive seen a set of those on a buddy's Jeep and have seriously considered them but this may be just as valid an option assuming the lighting coverage is sufficient.

TIA
 

dzzz

The problem with using inexpensive ballast resistor type LED devices directly with batteries is that these are designed to run at the specific current supplied by the included transformer.

Better LED for marine/RV use a form of linear regulator to control current from a system that can go to 15v or more when charging.
 

off-roader

Expedition Leader
Better LED for marine/RV use a form of linear regulator to control current from a system that can go to 15v or more when charging.

Do you have any specific suggestions for an 'inexpensive' alternative to these? The main alternative's I'm considering are...
1) the setup from Vision X which is about $120 for a set of 8 lights. http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=600
2) finding the lights and putting my own set together.
 
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