LED lights for M109 Campers

[Dueceownerjoe]

I have been looking at the camper/RV conversions of the M109 and started researching interior lighting. I ran across the following strip LED lights for truck boxes and trailers. Thought I would post the links for all to see.

http://www.borderline-lighting.com/


We found them in the NAPA parts catalog so the local store should be able to order them.

http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=481&Keyword=LED

Click on the LED strips

Napa also sells a LED interior/dome light made by Trucklite for the same purpose.

http://www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=23801&langId=-1

Anyone use LED's in their 109's?

 

[m109guy]

For the main lights, I put in compact florescent bulbs in place of the regular 60watt bulbs I found inside. They take a minute to get up to full brightness, but they take very little power, cheap to buy versus LED's, and last longer than standard bulbs.

There are also the two 24v lights in the back that work on truck power, but I have left them as-is due to the fact they run on 24v.

 

[THEROAD]

Go to Superbrightled. I have been using their products on my boats for a couple of years. They are cheap; but work very well. Red for nigh lighting, blue and green for fun. I like to light up the cockpit and flybridge with green or blue while at the dock.

 

[yeager1]

Due to their durability and small size, I've been looking for some LED's to mount in my truck bed, sort of under the rails. They will get hit with rocks and gravel when the bed gets filled up, so I thought LED's would be perfect, but I can't find any small, durable, fairly cheap ones? Any thoughts?

 

[stampy]

Radio Shack has some in the diode section you would have to cluster them for 24v or reduce voltage...Hey my dog's name is Yeager!!!! After Chuck Yeager not Jeagermeister! That's totally meant as a compliment...I LOVE that dog, he is like my child... oh he is a 100lb German Shepard!

 

[Michael]

That is a nice dome light but I wouldn't give $300 for it.

http://www.napaonline.com/NOLPPSE/(...Part Number&N=0&Nty=1&D=44042C&Dn=0&Dk=1&Dp=3

 

[KaiserM109]

Take a look at American SuperLite:
http://www.americansuperlite.com/
Many of their lights have a voltage range of 12 to 38 volts which means that they can be used on either 12 or 24 volts. I plan to put a set of these on the M101 I'm building up for use behind my Jeep truck.

 

[Opie]

For the main lights, I put in compact florescent bulbs in place of the regular 60watt bulbs I found inside.

How well do compact fluorescent bulbs hold up under the occasional offroad use of the shop van?

 

[tsstout]

CFL's do better under stress than incandescent... I believe the gas glows in contrast to a filament... startup is the only hitch I see with them... So on/off alot application would be less than favorable...

as if you couldn't tell... I'm an advocate of CFL's

 

[bugei]

killer price for leds

these guys always have good geek stuff

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/LBR-24P/24-WHITE-LED-LIGHT-STRIP-24VDC/1.html

$7.75 for a 24" 24 led strip that runs on 24 volts is pretty hard to beat

 

[m109guy]

How well do compact fluorescent bulbs hold up under the occasional offroad use of the shop van?

CFL's do better under stress than incandescent... I believe the gas glows in contrast to a filament... startup is the only hitch I see with them... So on/off alot application would be less than favorable...

as if you couldn't tell... I'm an advocate of CFL's

The CFL have worked just fine so far without any problems. I have had them in the back of the truck for a couple months and none have broken. They are much more hardy than the old filament bulb.

Yes the only draw back for CFL's is being turned on and off. They aren't fully bright when you turn them on, they only come on at 75-80% brightness. It takes about 30 seconds for them to become 100% fully bright. Beware of the cheapo CFL's, some of them can take up to 2 seconds to come on when you flip the switch.

And don't believe the myth that CFL's take a lot of juice to start up, that is not true what-so-ever. Mythbusters did a special on that, and they proved that they actually take a lot less power to start-up than a regular filament bulb as well as use a lot less power when in use.

LED's are nice, but they can be very expensive. I am only replacing one of the lights inside my M109 with an LED array. But this is only due to the light being in the shower portion of my camper and I don't want anyone electrocuting themselves while taking a shower. The LED array is also waterproof, unlike the old one that was in its place. The LED array I got is made for the exterior of a boat.

 

[goldneagle]

If you are going with 120 volt lighting you can also buy ROPE lights at Home Depot. Doesn't take that much power and last a long time.