LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

I got one of those underlights last year. Not for asthetics, for practical use. It was very pricey but the very low amp draw on my batteries is why I got it. I can now net a large unhappy salmon at O darkthirty in the morning with success, lol.

Underwater lights are great for attrcting bait fish and also seeing what your landing at night. The strip lights are just as practical to me for the interior of the boat.

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Humm. I hadn't thought of led lighting on a boat as practical (except for amp draw) just thought it was cool. Lol

The Attwood underwater lights, I think, are the ones I saw at West Marine. I'm looking for a nice even spread around the back of the boat, not hot spots. I assume these inexpensive strips aren't real brights and it will take a bunch to light up the water in the back. Wandering also how they will hold up in salt water on a boat docked in the water full time.

Cc, sorry if we're hijacking your thread from just above water. I'll start a sepRate thread if you want. Seems related though.

A seperate thread on under water lights might get you motre useful information. The attwoods I have are white and I have been very happy with them. They have 9 large leds and I have not been able to find attwood lights with more than 6 leds in them. I would like a second pair. Coastalnitelights has some very good lights according to alot of folks that have bought them. And they are priced right.

I have never seen the strip lights used underwater, accept in a bucket for testing. They are brighter than you would think, but not like a spot light.

I am installing these flexible strip lights underneath a book shelf on my desk at home to replace failed florescent tube lights. I am not going to rely on the adhesive and my plan is to use my own adhesive and mount the strip on some sort of aluminum strip. Before I found these strip lights I installed some very expensive LED Strips already housed in an aluminum housing for under counter lighting in my kitchen. I wish i had found these before I did that. They were very expensive.

The strip I bought is a single color. I suggest buying the warmest ones you can if you don't like the stark bluish light of some of the LEDs.

I toured a LEEDs home under construction that used these types of LED lights as its primary form of illumination. Was pretty amazing. The builder of the home used hundreds of feet of these lights.

Yes, alot of builders are switching to led lighting for the intire home. Including multiple colors with a mass control system. They also make replacement bulbs for existing fixtures to change over to led bulbs that can also be controlled by a controller to dim or change color etc.

Future to me is definately led over flourecent lighting. For one, the amp draw is way less than other types of lighting, like a fraction of the amp draw.

Many leds are being used in wedding decor, fish tanks, ponds, home accents and general lighting, etc. They are definately growing across the country.

 

[iEnforcer]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Hi CC thanks for this thread, there is some great info there.
I have been trying to find a quality RGB LED controller that is not remote control and dimable.
Do you have any suggestions ?
I plan to deck out a 70ft boat entirely in LED lighting including dual white/red for the flybridge, underwater spots and starlight LED's in the main deck.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Hi CC thanks for this thread, there is some great info there.
I have been trying to find a quality RGB LED controller that is not remote control and dimable.
Do you have any suggestions ?
I plan to deck out a 70ft boat entirely in LED lighting including dual white/red for the flybridge, underwater spots and starlight LED's in the main deck.

I am still in the process of finding helm mounted quality controls, because like you I would like to be able to have a console mounted controller that looks nice.

If your outrigging your 70 footer, depending on t he lengths and amount of strip lights you install, you may need some amplifiers as well. To many lights run in series will have a voltage drop and the farther out the light strip, the dimmer it will get. Your usually good without amplifiers until you get above 50 feet of lighting.

I have thought of just velcro the remote to the console/helm but would look tacky and probably not work unless the controller eyes were close by. I will keep you posted on what I find.

If you look on youtube there is alot of information also. Very informative stuff.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

I am curious, have you used the white dimmer yet? I know its PWM and wonder if its PWM frequency interferes with your VHF, stereo or depth finder?

 

[R Socey]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

I love this thread; I'm a night fisherman mostley. Exactly what I had in mind - beautiful affects, very pactical! Thanks!

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

I am curious, have you used the white dimmer yet? I know its PWM and wonder if its PWM frequency interferes with your VHF, stereo or depth finder?

Bruce, I have not, Mine are all rgb controlled via remote control.

I love this thread; I'm a night fisherman mostley. Exactly what I had in mind - beautiful affects, very pactical! Thanks!

Thanks Socey, glad I could shed some light on the subject,lol In all seriousness though, about 50 percent of my boating is at night also and these are a great addition.

 

[iEnforcer]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Hi CC,
Thanks for the replies.
I have managed to find THIS controller that has buttons, but am unsure if it will offer me the type of controls I need. Specifically I just want to be able to turn them on and off as required, with the push of a button, without stuffing around with menus or remotes.

As mentioned I will be decking the whole boat out in LED. I am looking for bright white down lights for most of the boat with the RGB LED's as a mood lighting and night ship modes.

Is a direct 12v feed from the boats batteries suitable for LED's ? or does it need to be via a power pack supplied by the LED makers ?

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Hi CC,
Thanks for the replies.
I have managed to find THIS controller that has buttons, but am unsure if it will offer me the type of controls I need. Specifically I just want to be able to turn them on and off as required, with the push of a button, without stuffing around with menus or remotes.

As mentioned I will be decking the whole boat out in LED. I am looking for bright white down lights for most of the boat with the RGB LED's as a mood lighting and night ship modes.

Is a direct 12v feed from the boats batteries suitable for LED's ? or does it need to be via a power pack supplied by the LED makers ?

No problem and I will give you the best answers I can as I am still learning on this stuff as well. Lots more to learn but I am getting there.

The controller you linked to is for dream color lights. These lights do alot more than what mine previously even do. Some people call them horse racing lights. I actually will be adding some dream color lights to my interior soon. That being said, I will not be purchasing the controller you linked to. I can tell you first hand, the remote that comes with that controller is bad news. It has a pull out antenna that is very cheap and will break very easy. Its great for distance turning off and on but the antenna really is a poor design and cheap.

I will try and get you a link to a controller that I have previously had for just 3 color change with a fade and dimmer. It might be more of what you are looking for if your looking for simplicity.

Question, you mentioned white and red. Are you planing on doing just white and red or other colors as well. If you just want white and red, you will have to run to seperate color single color strips. I have not seen any strips that will just turn those two colors.

The rgb lights turn many colors but with the color selection remotes, they are easy to see what color you are turning off and on. Also, imo, you will want a dimming feature on these lights for mood lighting. Sometimes the lights are better set at a lower light level depending on where they are installed.

As far as the feed goes, yes, battery 12v power is what you want. All strip lighting is 12v lighting. Some strips sold will come with a power adapter to adapt power to 12v for home use and maybe shore power etc.


If you do chose to just have your lights turn off and on with no other control almost any toggle switch can do this for you.

 

[iEnforcer]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Hi,
Thanks for the heads up with the controller. The only reason I was looking at it, was the mounted controller looked good, I am not planning to use the remote at all, but it is good to know about its poor quality.
As mentioned the main feature I am after is just the on/off and dimable via a rocker (or pushbutton) and a knob (for dimming). I do not know why everyone only sells the remote controllers.
As for the Red/White, this will only be for the Bridge as I want to have red for night driving. This is because the bridge is a fairly large area and will be like an indoor entertaining area, so night lighting will be a must if underway and having guests on the bridge. Hella make a nice LED Red/White light that is touch operated that I want to look a bit closer at.
I just hope the 50" LCD TV will not cause too much glare on the bridge...lol ;-P

 

[BSnB]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Outstanding. chriscraft254, this is just what I need. Unfortunately, I think I bought the RGB LED in the silicone sleeve. I now know that I've got to get the better ones for my purposes.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Outstanding. chriscraft254, this is just what I need. Unfortunately, I think I bought the RGB LED in the silicone sleeve. I now know that I've got to get the better ones for my purposes.

Thanks man. Yeah, you need those IP68 ones if you want to be sure it is water proof. The silicone only sleeve will be plenty water proof for in the boat even if its outside. But below the water line I would go with the IP68 and if you want alot of light get the 60 lights per meter. That is 300 lights per 5m roll. More expensive but not much more.

 

[Pmccraney]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

"lord of the lights" - we are not worthy! Great thread, thanks for posting.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

"lord of the lights" - we are not worthy! Great thread, thanks for posting.

You are all worthy, thats why I posted the thread.

 

[super_boater]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

It seems lights keep getting brighter. I have been looking into lights for my SlickCraft (yea rocking it old school) and wanted something that wasn't going to be $3000. I liked the idea of surface mounted LED lights but they all seemed really lower powered, too pricey or just plain stupid looking.

I found one light that seems to look pretty good. It is called the MIU-30 and it looks like a super bright surface mounted LED with a small hollow bolt witht he wires that mounts it. They look like they are about 500$ and the guys will make custom colors and lengths if you ask them. They are made in the USA and are using patented technology. I was wondering if anyone else had tried them and what people think. I am thinking I am going to test them out. Their site is:

http://macrisindustries.com

They have some youTube videos of them bending and hitting the lights with hammers. I think I am gonna buy one next week. I will keep you guys posted

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

It seems lights keep getting brighter. I have been looking into lights for my SlickCraft (yea rocking it old school) and wanted something that wasn't going to be $3000. I liked the idea of surface mounted LED lights but they all seemed really lower powered, too pricey or just plain stupid looking.

I found one light that seems to look pretty good. It is called the MIU-30 and it looks like a super bright surface mounted LED with a small hollow bolt witht he wires that mounts it. They look like they are about 500$ and the guys will make custom colors and lengths if you ask them. They are made in the USA and are using patented technology. I was wondering if anyone else had tried them and what people think. I am thinking I am going to test them out. Their site is:

http://macrisindustries.com

They have some youTube videos of them bending and hitting the lights with hammers. I think I am gonna buy one next week. I will keep you guys posted

If you notice, this isn't a thread about under water lights, and I am just guessing you might be a sales person for this company. At $500 bucks a piece I don't see anything there That you can't get for half the price. There are plenty of surface mounted underwater leds available and much cheaper. I doubt you will find anyone on this forum that has used the aboved mentioned lights.

I also don't quite understand the stress test that they show because what would that have to do with being mounted flat on the stern of a boat? Are you a sales guy?

 

[Struc]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Back on interior lighting topic -

I thought I would throw up some pictures of what I'm using. These are single color LED's in pre-made lengths. I've used them in my car (trunk lighting) before, and they work great. They are completely flexible and decently bright. I bought mine off Ebay. I think the total sum for all these lights for going around my 20' Sea Ray was around $35 shipped (EDIT: Just looked it up and confirmed the price). You obviously need to measure the size strips that will work, and order Qty of each size you want, but they still end up being very reasonable.



I'm not aware of this style coming in RGB for mutliple color output, but if you're looking for a simple and cheap single color solution, these fit the bill pretty nicely.

EDIT #2: I should probably point out these are 100 LED per meter, not 30 or 60.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Back on interior lighting topic -

I thought I would throw up some pictures of what I'm using. These are single color LED's in pre-made lengths. I've used them in my car (trunk lighting) before, and they work great. They are completely flexible and decently bright. I bought mine off Ebay. I think the total sum for all these lights for going around my 20' Sea Ray was around $35 shipped (EDIT: Just looked it up and confirmed the price). You obviously need to measure the size strips that will work, and order Qty of each size you want, but they still end up being very reasonable.

View attachment 144254View attachment 144255View attachment 144256

I'm not aware of this style coming in RGB for mutliple color output, but if you're looking for a simple and cheap single color solution, these fit the bill pretty nicely.

EDIT #2: I should probably point out these are 100 LED per meter, not 30 or 60.

No offense, they look funky,lol

Couple questions.

Are they water proof?

Are they cut able every 3 lights?

What size led light is in them?

How much power per strip and voltage drop do you get?

What colors do they come in?

How do they connect? Are they 12 volt only?



For comparison, 30 lights per meter is usually way more than enough light for lighting a boat. 60 lights per meter I wouldn't even install without them being able to be dimmed. I can't even imagine having 100 lights per meter. They must be very small leds.

Do you have a link for them so I can acquire more info?

Most the strips above in original post can be purchased very cheaply, especially in the single color selections. They are able to be cut and installed to any desired length you want. You won't see a noticable voltage drop until you have reached approximately 60 meters total.

Last but not least do you have pictures of them lit up on your boat?

Here is an example of what 30 lights per meter will illuminate and with the rgb's you have pretty close to an endless amount of colors you can chose from depending on the controller you choose to purchase.

Also, as a reminder to everyone, if you plan on operating your boat at night with these lights eluminated, you will want red lights or the option to turn them red as to not impair your night vision. Red is the only color that does not effect your night vision.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

Quik addition to original information. If you are considering these strip lights for your boat. Make sure you order the same strip lights as in the same color strip light.

The copper/clear caoted ones color emitted is different slightly from the white strips and the silocone sleaved ones also. Just make sure if you order your lighting, you are getting exactly the same product as you previously ordered if you are adding more lighting.

 

[Struc]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

No offense, they look funky,lol

Couple questions.

Are they water proof?

Are they cut able every 3 lights?

What size led light is in them?

How much power per strip and voltage drop do you get?

What colors do they come in?

How do they connect? Are they 12 volt only?

No offense taken. I didn't design them.

I am certainly no expert, and had I read this thread last fall, I probably would have considered going RGB. I wasn't a fan of the SMD LED strips because they looked fragile to me, and it appears the "lower end" models are. I wasn't aware of the top model in the tube and filled with silicone. I'm guessing that would be as "rugged" as these are. These are totally flexible, over and over without having to worry about the power circuit strip snapping. You can bend and twist and whatever else, and they stay in tact.

I'll try and answer your questions, however again, I'm just a customer of these things - I don't have any real backround knowledge about them.

Yes, they are waterproof. The circuit strip and LED is encased in a rubber or silicone type material.

No, you can not cut them. They come in a lot of pre-cut sizes with power wires sticking out one end when you get them. You would have to pre-measure your spaces and buy accordingly.

I have a 20' Sea Ray Bow Rider boat, and I bought Qty 8 - 1 meter strips ($30), which will cover 2 on each side of the bow, one on each side of the back of the boat, and one under each "dash" area, plus 3 small 24cm strips for side pocket areas (1 on each side), and one for in the glove box ($5).

By size I assume you mean power, which I don't know. If you mean physical size, each LED is 5mm round. The strip width is 7mm X 10mm tall.

No idea on power consumption or voltage drop. I do not have them installed yet. Bought them last fall after boating season was over, and worked on pulling the engine in fall rather than lighting.

They come in all sorts of colors - white, green, blue, purple, red, etc...

Connection is a 2 wire zip wire coming out one end. It's tiny - like 24 or 26awg.

I believe they are 12v only - at least I've never seen any that are any other voltage.

For comparison, 30 lights per meter is usually way more than enough light for lighting a boat. 60 lights per meter I wouldn't even install without them being able to be dimmed. I can't even imagine having 100 lights per meter. They must be very small leds.

I was a bit concerned about the light output as well. I now have a dimmer on order thanks to this thread. It was all of about $4 on Ebay.

Do you have a link for them so I can acquire more info?

I hate posting links on forums, because a year from now when somebody reads this, the link will no longer be valid. Do a search on Ebay for "96 LED Strip light -SMD".

Having said that, here is one link for you to look at: Flexible white strip light on Ebay

According to that link, that strip is 20mA draw / 2w for a 1M strip (well, 96cm). That's a LOT less than the lower LED count SMD strips, so probably a comparable less amount of light.

Last but not least do you have pictures of them lit up on your boat?

Nope... The pictures in my post were taken minutes before I posted them. These are all sitting in my office waiting to get installed sometime this spring after I get the engine back in and running 100%.

I'll also note that these are not meant to be "functional" for me - they are more for show. They are just a "fun" add on to the boat. I am rarely out on on the water at night. Having used these strips in my car, I thought it would be cool to put them in the boat. They will probably find more on-time while the boat is on the trailer than when it's on the water.

 

[ben2go]

Re: LED STRIP LIGHTING (Ins and outs info)

ChrisCraft,is this the same thing that you are running?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0040FJ27S



BTW,I have family that lives and grew up around Perry County KY.My girl is from Slemp coal mining village.