Follow up on LED lighting

[Scott Danforth]

Quick preface as this is a follow up to a 6 year old thread started by chriscraft254 and I wont be the guy to post in an old thread

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...s/557605-led-strip-lighting-ins-and-outs-info


just a follow up on my experience with the LED strip lighting

I installed resin coated RGB in the boat, did the water-proof (in the tube) RGBW lighting on the Tiki Bar, and some of the resin coated RGBW in the house for cabinet lighting.

for the most part, the boat light strips were protected, on the inside of the bulwark stowage bins and under a section of trim in the boat. the strips in the cabin were pushed into a section of poly tubing to act as a diffuser to remove some of the harshness.

the double sided tape originally supplied failed on the strip lights within a few outings. Maybe the Klus extrusions that bruceb58 used help this.

Florida heat and sun turned all my strip lighting yellow/opaque depending on which strip. this leads me to believe that the silicone (labeled as epoxy) coating may be different on each manufacturing lot. however for $10 a 16M strip, hard to complain. some of it is "gummy" and breaking down

Again, hoping the Klus extensions helped with this.

I had a few strip failures where i soldered the wires and the pad tore off the LED strip. the symptom would be one strip would go Green or Red. not sure much can be done with this as even the factory solder joint on some of the strips failed.

I found that if the power is cycled rapidly, the LED controller will change color or go to one of the fade programs. that was a funky, but repeatable issue worth a laugh or three

every strip I cut had the ends siliconed and then covered with white epoxy lined shrink wrap. this helped with moisture damage, however the resin on the strips is failing and the factory soldered end wasnt epoxy lined shrink wrap.

the Tiki Bar has gone thru a few strips as they simply failed. these are full, non-cut strips. i suspect quality control issues as it usually is half a strip going out (all channels)

the ones in the kitchen are still looking good, however I have not climbed up to the ceiling to pull the access panel to get a look to see if the resin is breaking down.

I originally simply made up small brushed stainless channels for the boat for the LED strips to be glued into.

now that I am 3/4 of the way thru a hull re-paint and interior refresh, I would like to revisit LED strip lighting from those that installed it back in 2012. Specifically with Bruce and his Pontoon installation, and anyone else that has had good experience in a sheathed application. the other alternative is the yacht lighting we use at work, however that is $37 a Meter and not RGB (only 2700k and 5200k white)

or simply going with a few of the yacht step lights mounted in a few strategic locations.

chriscraft254 , bruceb58 Struc , lil buggy , MWBoatFan , FisherDan ,

 

[fishrdan]

I installed red LED rope lights in my boat 8+ years ago, before LED lighting was all the rage and self adhesive strip lighting was available (cheap).

The LED rope lights outer cover (silicone?) yellowed in 3-5 years, dimming the lights, but they still work. To supplement the dimmed rope lights I installed 2-3' LED strip lights 3+ years ago and they have not yellowed, plenty bright. They face down and not exposed to direct sun light, which may have to do with them not yellowing (yet?). I still have the remainder of the 16' roll to install, some day.

On the terminal end of the LED strip, I removed 2" of adhesive tape off the back and then replaced it with another piece 1/2 to 1" beyond the cut end, soldered on the wires, then epoxy coated over the connections and tape. So the soldered connections are supported.

I primed the painted surfaces with 3m adhesive promoter (pen) before sticking down the strips, and they are still stuck. At the ends of the strips, I put a dab of 3m 5200 (or epoxy? don't remember), to keep them from lifting.

So far, no LED light failures, besides the yellowing of the covering.

 

[dingbat]

Two Coast Guards warnings on the use of decorative lighting on a boat

https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.com/baybulletin/2018/8/31/led-lights-a-hidden-hazard-on-boats

https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO Documents/5p/CG-5PC/INV/Alerts/1015.pdf

 

[sam am I]

It's the SMPS/driver IC's that cause this RFI and NOT the LED itself. These SMPS/driver IC are found esp in some rope LED's and generally most other more new'ish designs these days. Some of the switching drivers (SMPS) are just small IC's (surface mount Tic Tac size) but, create and the cause of the emission of tons of RF trash.........The IC creates/emits it and then actually causes more emissions by driving the wiring/PCB and LED's causing them now to add/emit additional RF emissions.

You can however remedy this if still wanting to use LED's, I have (anyone can) stayed away from those SMPS types on my boat and kitchen intentionally for just this noise/interference reason. Use the linear designs, e.g. series/parallel config'd (rope, bulb type, etc, etc) LED's balanced to run at supply voltages and/or with linear regulators/power supplies all with passive current limiting resistors and such......Older school design!!

It'll be a little less efficient by nature and you'll have to ask/look specifically for this primarily, older design but hey, they're LEDs!! I'm money ahead already just getting rid of CFL's and Incandescent bulbs. Circuit and supply management inefficiencies pale in comparison to the saving of just what little power to light output ratio the LED's use as compared.

 

[sam am I]

These are quite as mud.......no electronics, just passive limiting resistors in each and ran straight off the battery.

 

[Scott Danforth]

FisherDan , dingbat , sam am I thanks for the feed back.

Two Coast Guards warnings on the use of decorative lighting on a boat

https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.com/baybulletin/2018/8/31/led-lights-a-hidden-hazard-on-boats

https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO Documents/5p/CG-5PC/INV/Alerts/1015.pdf

I posted similar exterior lighting concerns a while back when someone wanted to decorate the exterior of their boat. The nav light interference with the radio antenna is a new bit of info

this would be specifically for courtesy lighting when anchored/moored, primarily in the stowage areas because, much like Sam, my night vision is going to heck.

the two colors I primarily used anyway were dimmed Red when anchored and bright white when cleaning the boat on the trailer at night.

I may simply get a red LED strip and a white LED strip and mount both, eliminating the RGB driver and going with the simple toggle switch on the dash.

still trying to determine if the Klus extrusions and diffusers that bruceb58 used on his 'toon helped with the yellowing

 

[dingbat]

FisherDan , dingbat , sam am I thanks for the feed back.

I have spreader (flood) lights on the hardtop and cockpit lights on the floor. Just changed out the bulbs in the cockpit lights from white to blue. Enough light to fish but not enough to bring attention to yourself.

If I need "real" light I hit the spreader lights. Can't see for 20 minutes thereafter....lol

 

[Scott Danforth]

I have spreader (flood) lights on the hardtop and cockpit lights on the floor. Just changed out the bulbs in the cockpit lights from white to blue. Enough light to fish but not enough to bring attention to yourself.

If I need "real" light I hit the spreader lights. Can't see for 20 minutes thereafter....lol

I have a 350,000CP spot light I use for docking/mooring. its the one I used 30 years ago fishing walleye on the Menomonee River.