READING LIGHT LED CONVERSION ?

[mountainborn]

I popped the lense out of one of the reading lights and it seems to be the same bulb as the halogen G4 bulb that is in the puck lights that are under the cabinets.

Can anyone confirm this ? And, has anyone converted the reading lights over to LED ?

[mountainborn]

Not yet. I am buying the LEDs one at a time at the lowest possible price. So far, just one at $13.99 . I messaged them about combining shipping and they won't. I have won another that will arrive in a couple of days. I will try the reading lightwhen it arrives.

[mountainborn]

I talked today with Wayne at ledwholesalers.com this morning. They are located in Burlingame California. The conversation was about current draw and being able to dim or brighten the reading light after converting it to LED. http://www.ledwholesalers.com is where I have been eBaying the replacements for our halogen puck light bulbs.

Though is was a bit before regular office hours, Wayne quickly answered the phone and was most helpful. Knowlegable about his products, from memory he quickly quoted dimensions and current draw.

He told me that the 120 lumen, ten LED replacement, G4 base bulb, is a first generation bulb and he looks for more applications to be coming down the line in the future.

The G4 base might be reshaped to work in the reading light, but the variable intensity function could be lost, becoming instead a on / off function only. We will most likely leave our reading lights as they currently are with the G4 base Halogen bulb, we like the variable intensity feature. In the photo below, the halogen bulb is dimmed to give contrast for the photo. Here is a look at the light and the LED:

A different look:

[astrocaster]

Just in case anyone is wondering about LEDwholesalers.com as a vendor, we have ordered many of their LED products directly from them over the last year or so and have been totally satisfied with the their products and service. In fact, we purchased seven G4 LED replacement units from them for our Oliver's puck lights about six months ago. These are the ones with six LEDs instead of the newer ones with ten LEDs that Larry is getting.

 

We have found the replacement units with six LEDs to provide sufficient (but not bright) light, and we got the ones with warm white color, rather than the white white version, which is also available. The former are 3100 K, and they seem about the same as a regular incandescent bulb, and the latter are 7000 K (if I remember correctly), which seems too bluish and harsh for our tastes.

 

Even though we are satisfied with the LED units we installed, we may order two or three of the brighter ten-LED units to use in some areas of .

 

Steve

[mountainborn]

Betty and I are wondering if one of the brighter 120 lumen LEDs might work well in the bathroom since the light is so diffused ?

[mountainborn]

While at the Lake Greeson Catfish Camp earlier this week, Cajun Birdman, Aubrey, showed us his LED conversion reading lights. They were plenty bright at 75 lumens, and the variable intensity seemed more than adequate. We got the part number and the web URL from him and placed a order that day.

Though we are still at the Lake, we picked up the LED's when we went to feed the critters at the house.

Here is a short video that will give a look at the variable intensity. There are fifteen LED's on the replacement, and they are a bit higher. They don't seem to be available on eBay yet.

Click the link to view the Youtube video:

[mountainborn]

Here is a photo showing the web address, the part number and a side by side comparison of the G4 base bulb to the 15 LED replacement.

[mountainborn]

Contact information:

Super Bright LED's, Inc.

4400 Earth City Expressway

St. Louis, Mo 63045

314-972-6200 phone

314-972-6202 Fax.

http://www.superbrightleds.com

 

Their web site is quite extensive and worth cruising through if you have a special application or project. They aren't as inexpensive as the eBay store we bought from, but they did have what we needed and shipped promptly.

[technomadia]

It's good to know that my experience with this LED wholesaler is an isolated experience.. we have been having an *awful* experience with them, particularly Wayne.

 

While we were just down the road from them in South San Francisco last month, I ordered a few bulbs from them. I got notification that a shipping label was created, and by any stretch of the imagination, they should have arrived in a day or two. A week went by, and they didn't show up. I wrote, explaining we're full time RVers and would be leaving the area soon, Wayne wrote back just simply saying 'This should be three very soon.. Totally useless and unhelpful and grammatically incorrect, and totally ignoring my concern that the package would likely arrive after we left.

 

I wrote back after we left and asked how they wanted to handle this.. and never got a response.

 

A couple days ago, I got a message from someone else saying the package came back undeliverable. I checked the shipping label history.. and they didn't actually deliver the box to the post office for *3 weeks* after I ordered and they printed the label. And, they wanted us to pay again for shipping to have them reshipped?!?

 

So, I replied.. pointing out we ordered in plenty of time for them to arrive to us, but despite them actually mailing them about 3 weeks late - I would pay for the shipping to catch up with us in May (the first time we'll have a delivery address again) if they really thought we should have to under these circumstances. A

 

The response I got? Was from Wayne.. simply saying 'We shipped these on Friday, they should arrive soon' - totally disregarding the thread of the message that the shipment was 1) shipped 3 weeks late and 2) returned because we've already moved on. I wrote back, yet again.. and again, no response. In my opinion, Wayne is a complete moron.

 

I'm completely dumbfounded by this company and their customer service, and very disappointed. And, I'm out $50.

 

- Cherie

[mountainborn]

Maybe a person to person visit ? Need his personal cell phone number ?

[JuniorBirdMan]

Which website was the troublesome one? I've had great service from Superbrightleds.com and I've placed several orders with them over the past year. My experience with them has been very positive.

[mountainborn]

Hey, Aubrey ! I think she was talking about the other company. How did the return trip go ?

[astrocaster]

Hi, Cherie,

If you are talking about having trouble with LEDwholesalers.com, I am very surprised. We have ordered from them directly from their web site at least six times over the last year, and they have provided the fastest service we have ever had from an Internet order. We have received the goods within two days every single time. We have never spoken with anyone there, though. I am sorry to hear that you have had trouble.

 

Steve

[JuniorBirdMan]

Great! Just got home a couple of hours ago. Have been working my volunteer jobs since I left you guys. Please tell Betty how much I enjoyed your company - she had headed home before I got to thank her for all her hard work entertaining us flatlanders. Hope to see you in Colorado!

[technomadia]

Yes.. LEDWholesalers.com is who I ordered through, directly from their website. It's good to know ours is an isolated incidence.

[DCKiefer]

I just installed the LED replacement for our reading lights. You don't get the ablility to dim nearly as much as the holagens, but love the light and the abscence of radiant heat. Wih these lights now LED our trailer is 99% LED lights. I replaced all the pucks, plus the exterior lights and even two of the bulbs in the third brake light. The one in the center is still a standard only because the LED's don't illuminate the entire lens as well has the standard bulb.

 

I replaced the little flood lights on either side of the trailer with one found from the same place the puck replacements came from. I use the one with six LED's, in total darkness they give good light 15 to 20 feet from the trailer. The porch light I replaced with a yellow LED I bought at Pep Boys, it looks like it will work pretty good, but have not tested it camping yet. Replaced two of the bulbs in the third brake light with some red ones found at Pep Boys. Looks pretty good, but I should mention I have modified how the third brake light functions so these will not work as intended right out of the box.

[tumbleweed]

Hi Doug and thanks for all your great innovations!

We also replaced the exterior side lights with the 6 LED 42mm bulbs. Big differance . Also got an amber 18 LED 1056 for the upper exterior light and was somewhat disappointed . BUT we switched out the little bulb in the front jack and got the biggest surprise with a 4 LED replacement . Makes any labor around hitch briter! Love our interior LEDs also. Hope to see ya'll this winter when we return to FL

Chuck n Geri