Interior Lighting - 110V vs. 12V

[Waynebo]

I enjoy the softness of a 110v light, and the convenience of installing additional 12V fixtures when needed. Is there a 12v light (bulb) that replicates the "soft light" look of a 110V bulb?

[Seann45]

U can get 12 volt LED's in soft or bright. Just Google LED's for RV's

[Bearles]

I believe much of the "softness" comes from the intensity of the bulb, if you can find the same socket with a less intense light you get the soft effect. May require some trial and error or research on the net of which is less intense or bright.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by Bearles

I believe much of the "softness" comes from the intensity of the bulb, if you can find the same socket with a less intense light you get the soft effect. May require some trial and error or research on the net of which is less intense or bright.

The warm light on the Kelvin color scale is in the (2700 - 3200K) light range. It doesn't matter if you have a 1 watt bulb or a 1000 watt bulb that is in this range, it will always have the warm light color. When you look for LED Bulbs, look for them in the 2700 - 3200 range, and get the LED with the most Lumen you can get 250 or 300 Lumen (2) are what I have in the light over the dining area. I believe my SOLAR album link (below) is the one with a picture of the bulb I modified for my use. My wife could not tell the difference, and if she is happy, I am VERY HAPPY. The dogs did not care, for what that is worth.
Don

[tnchuck100]

Remember when things were simpler? If you wanted more light you get a lager watt bulb. Things have changed. Now we have florescent, mercury vapor, sodium, halogen and LED's.

But LED's are the object here because of low heat and a lot less current to operate. Now the "color" problem. As Mustang65 points out it is measure in Kelvin.

LED marketing generally uses therms such as "warm" and "cool". Sometimes "bright" or "daylight" is used.

The closest in appearance to the incandescent bulbs is "warm" or around 3000K.
The "cool" or "Bright" or "daylight" is around 5000K and has a VERY white appearance. To me it has a hospital look.

When purchasing these LED's you must pay attention to the temperature listed (K) or the description of warm, cool, etc.
Now brightness or amount of light is measured in lumens.
Personally I like the "cool" ones.

[3330]

LEDs are good for all the reasons mentioned but are they expensive! I hope the price comes down in time like with most technology. Or if my ship would just come in I wouldn't have to care

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by 101vet

LEDs are good for all the reasons mentioned but are they expensive!

If you do a little shopping and be patient, LEDs can be had for pretty cheap. I just ordered a couple from China that replace the G4 style halogens above my kitchen and dinette. I think I gave no more than $2 each which is less than the halogen replacements at Lowes where I had to buy one last time we were out because one went out on the road. Yeah, quality control is relatively low, and most of the cheap ones don't have a warranty, but that's what keeps the price down. Ebay and Amazon are plentiful sources for deals on LEDs.

The above recommendations about the temperature are right on. I purchased a pair in the "white" category (not to be confused with "cool" or "cool white") and they made the inside of my trailer look like an office. I spend my professional life in an office, so there's no way I'm spending my leisure time in that environment! Not to mention there weren't enough lumens. I think you have to go a little higher on lumens with an LED, the light is just different and even the same lumen rating is not as bright in LED as it is in incandescent (weird, I know). I also picked up a pack of 10 of the 921 style for some of the other fixtures, DW said they were blue, so I put them in places she doesn't see like the cargo areas and the front utility light. Only 8 of them worked, but then I only paid $7 for the whole package of 10.

So I went back to the drawing board and started really paying attention to the temperature ratings and the lumen output. I just received 4 bulbs to replace the G4 halogens (second time for the kitchen) that are rated in the 2800-3200K range (IIRC). These should look just like the halogens they're replacing but with A LOT less heat output and A LOT less energy input. I haven't had a chance to try these yet, but I'm confident these are the right ones...

[Waynebo]

Thanks so much....outstanding post