DIY LED bulb conversion

[RonA]

Hi All, just throw this in for what it's worth, it might be of use to somebody.
Following up a thread (a while ago) on the forum about fixing LEDs to your welding mask to brighten up the workpiece, I bought a bag of 10mm top hat LED's off the bay (cheap as chips for a bag of 50). Having converted the helmet I was left with 46 & wondered what else I could use them for.
I managed to score a heap of browny points from her indoors by putting 8 round her make up mirror (she was always complaining that the lighting in the bedroom was too dim),but I was still left wondering what I could do with the rest.
Then it dawned on me the LED's were similar in size to glass part of the old pre-focus bulbs, so I tried converting one & it proved remarkably easy (see photo above). The pre focus bulb has a slit down the side & this mates beautifully with the flat portion of the LED lead, the other goes straight to bottom of the case, a drop of solder & it's all done. The LED's are 3V so ideal for a 2 cell torch.
RonA

 

[Mee]

My 4X4 is automatic and has lots of little dashboard lights, replaced all the bulbs in the dash with them; I also use them for general lighting and Mothers yard looks brilliant in the dark with her stainless posts and low level LED lighting which is on a remote control system like all her other external lighting.

Limited only by your imagination mate.

 

[Screwdriver]

Reminds me when I did this:

I dug out an old lamp that's been kicking about the garages for twenty years.

Needed a clean.

Fits just lovely.

Doesn't work!

So rather than throw it out, I decided to throw some money at it! I like the diffuser...
Bought a bunch of LED GU10 fitting bulbs.

They were cheap enough at £2.5 each (5w, 360 lumen) and the sockets are £1.5 each. I figure 9 of them ought to be about the same as a couple of 100w incandescent bulbs.
Rather than muck about with dozens of screws and holes and nonsense, I thought I'd test a spare tube of Gripfill. See if it really does stick!

Find out tomorrow!

I reckon it will stick solid to the plastic fitting and also the powder coating. A 5w bulb isn't going to get warm let alone hot so should work just fine.
S.

 

[Screwdriver]

Just paralleled everything up.

Glue is holding :thumbsup:

It's actually pretty bright.

Even with the lovely diffuser.

on and off. I'll see if I can make a better comparison by taking away the auto exposure in photoshop

S.
Looks more like this in reality

 

[RonA]

These LEDs really are a quantum leap in lighting technology
RonA

 

[RonA]

Just paralleled everything up.

Glue is holding :thumbsup:

It's actually pretty bright.

Even with the lovely diffuser.

on and off. I'll see if I can make a better comparison by taking away the auto exposure in photoshop

S.
Looks more like this in reality

I had 11 GU10 50W bulbs in fittings in my kitchen. It was like having half a bar on an electric fire on the ceiling. Replaced them with 4.5W LED's & they're much brighter, but only consume 49.5 W (less than 1 tungsten GU10) when they're all lit. It's not the principal it's the money as Groucho wouled have said.
RonA

 

[Mee]

I often get the old style halogen security lights and make LED boards for them, by carefully angling the LED's you can get a good light output and good spread of light, many of the chip type are cheap and overheat so making my own means I know they're safe.

 

[sardine]

Living on a boat with only battery power, the lights used to kill the batteries, you had to be carefull not to leave them on, since LED's I don't worry anymore, when I go out at night I just leave them on. I buy the cheapest ones from hong Kong off eBay and I can't see any difference.

 

[RonA]

Living on a boat with only battery power, the lights used to kill the batteries, you had to be carefull not to leave them on, since LED's I don't worry anymore, when I go out at night I just leave them on. I buy the cheapest ones from hong Kong off eBay and I can't see any difference.

I know exactly what you mean, I've just updated my caravan to 1.5 W LED capsule bulbs & 3 W LED mr11 spotlights. If I have every bulb in the caravan on, they only take 27 W, one of the (4) light fittings with the previous tungsten bulbs took 20 W. With my solar panel I can exist without mains.
RonA

 

[Mee]

I have an expedition vehicle and this relies upon battery power and all its lighting is LED.