Engine Room 12V LED Rope Lights in 43DC

[sgharford]

Below are some pics of a fun Saturday project recently completed. I purchased 2 strands of 30' long 12 Volt LED Rope lights for around $60 and zip tied them to existing wire looms. Really nice to be able to see everything down there, was tired of carrying and positioning work light for past 8 years. They wire up very easily to existing terminal block powered by existing pull switch for the 2 stock 25W incandescent bulbs. I have the turbo's and exhaust manifolds out, so thought I get it done while access was good. Took about 3 hours total.

 

[sgharford]

Another pic

 

[q240z]

Nice!
Those LED ropes have gotten so good and so cheap, it makes no sense to stick with the old glass bulb resistance heaters that just happen to also give off some light. I did read somewhere, though, that they're susceptible to drastically shortened lives when voltage goes over 12v. So instead of running mine straight off the battery, I run all of them through 12v~12v converters so even if voltage goes to 14.4 while under way, the LEDs only see 12. For ER lights, it probably doesn't matter.

 

[sgharford]

That's interesting about LED lights being very sensitive to voltage input, I'm going to look further into that on train ride home. It's always great to get feedback like that when you post a project. You don't become an internet expurt by not putting your work out there.

 

[lake of the woods]

sgharford and Q

I am in the process of doing the same change for my engine room lights.

What specs were your lights (warm white, daylight, cool white) and did you use the 5050 or 3528 or the 5630 size. Where they the waterproof type? Are you happy with the choice you made? what type of string lights would you advise?

Q I was just going to connect my strip wires to the existing incandecent light junction box marettes and remove my 40 watt 12 vdc incandecent bulbs (x3) from the fixture. Would this connection be a problem? Also I am not sure how I would protect the strip lights from DC voltage over 12 as I do not have a 12 v converter. Any advice would be appreciated.

Mark
Lake of the Woods
1989 40 DC

 

[sgharford]

I ordered cool white outdoor rated led lights, don't have other stats handy. I did place a 25' strip of outdoor warm white incandescent rope lights around lower helm enclosure last year and was very happy with that. I think cool white more appropriate for an engine room. You can probably just leave old lights in place, that's what I did. Fortunately there was a terminal strip right outside the original engine room switch, so simply swage 4 eye terminals to ends of 2 rope lights and I was off and running. Here's my tip - make sure lights are on as you are hanging them - they are directional and you want them facing the right way. Also, led lights are polarity sensitive, so if they don't light first try simply switch the terminals around.

 

[jim rosenthal]

The only problem with this is that it's going to make it easier to see all the stuff you haven't done yet.

 

[q240z]

I got my LED strip lights and DC-to-DC converter on Amazon. For the living spaces, I went with warm white and I just wired the converters to the original wiring. When I flip the OE switch on, battery voltage goes via the OE wiring to near the OE light socket, which is where I installed the converter. So the LEDs never see more than battery voltage, and the OE light fixtures on my boat have their own switches onboard. So I keep the incandescents off and the switch only activates the LEDs.

Here's a write-up I did on the install in my Commander: https://sites.google.com/site/1968chriscraftcommander42/home/Upgrades/led-lighting

Here's the converter I use: http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-12V-2A-Converter/dp/B000KGKFA4

No, they're not marine rated nor are they ignition protected. That said, I've been using them daily for the last 2-1/2 years without a hitch.

But when I ordered another batch of strip lights for my Roamer recently, what arrived is a much bigger, much brighter strip. That's good, because the ones I used on my Commander are fine as mood lighting but they're not quite bright enough. There's no way the problem is my aging eyes...

 

[TROUBLE]

I see your current project is not "your first rodeo" I enjoyed reading it

Art

 

[lake of the woods]

Thanks Q,

Your information is helpful.

Mark
Lake of the Woods
1989 40 DC

 

[q240z]

Definitely not my first rodeo. I've got calluses and saddle sores all over.

Some people spend time and money on fashion, going to the mall, watching sports, therapists...none of that makes sense to me. Bringing old stuff back to life's been my thing for a while. And it's a lot cheaper and more effective than women, sports, or therapists.