Creating an LED light tutorial for the manual

4.      REQUIREMENTS:

1. 1.       The base of the bulb must fit in the existing socket.

·         It appears that our bulbs require T10 base.  However, when I look at replacement bulbs, I see things like “replaces T10/T15 base” – are these two interchangeable, and what is the difference?   Will any bulb marked T10 work? T10 and T15 are basically the same base. The T15 bulb is slightly larger. Most RV ceiling fixtures use T10, but should accommodate T15.

·         I also see the base referred to as “wedge” – do ALL bulbs with a base described as “wedge” have the T10 base, or is the T10 base one of many types of wedge bases? There are other wedge bases. A T5 wedge is smaller.

·         I also see statements like,“This type of 12-SMD T10 LED bulbs will replace the stock bulb sizes: 158 168 175 194 2825 2827 W5W 912 921”.  I believe these numbers represent bulbs that have the same base (T10) but have other differences, mainly brightness.  Is that correct? Correct. The original bulbs in RPODS are 921. Watt suckin' heat generatin' energy wastin' monsters. 

2. 2.       The size of the bulb must fit inside the existing dome

·         For this, it seems that the length is the main issue.  The specifications of most bulbs seem to list the total length (including base).  Does anyone know what the maximum length should be for the fixtures in the RPod? Measure the fixture.

3. 3.       Some parts of “what color should I use” are required. 

·         I don’t think I saw this in this forum, but I read elsewhere that the bulb color should match the color of the light; that is, for brake lights, turn signal lights, etc., get a red or amber LED to match.   Any disagreement on this? Correct. For example a red lens passes only the red light from the bulb. Other parts of the spectrum, e.g. blue, green, are lost. Use an amber light behind an amber lens.

4. 4.       The bulb needs to be able to handle the power fluctuations of a camper

·         Various discussions indicate that things like generators starting up/cycling, fluctuations found at campground power sources, etc. cause stress on bulbs.

·         It seems as though when buying, you should look for bulbs that say something like “wide voltage range (8-30v) DC LED bulb-the wide voltage range makes this bulb ideal for marine and RV use”

·         Question:  Is voltage an issue, or do all modern T10 base bulbs have the necessary voltage range? All LED assemblies are not he same. Adding resistors in series with individual LED chips limits the current and makes them more tolerant of voltage swings. Cheap LED assemblies (China imports) skimp on the resistors, reducing reliability and life.

·         Question:  some listings that I see mention a capacitor or resistor or resistance or having a diode (or diodes).  What wording is important? See above on resistors. The diodes are included to make the bulb polarity insensitive. You can reverse the polarity and the bulb will still work. Bulbs without the diodes (technically a diode bridge) will not be damaged by reverse polarity, they just won't light.

·         Question:  what voltage range should people look for?  What’s the minimum, what’s the maximum?  For RVs a good range would be 8-16 or so. The 8-30 range would also allow use on 24 volt marine systems.

·         Question:  do I have any other questions?  Between being new to campers and being new to LEDs, I have no idea what it is that I don’t know yet. You're covering it.

PERSONAL CHOICE.   There isn’t a right and wrong answer, but these are things you need to decide:

1. 1.       What color do you prefer?

·         “warm white” or “soft white” generally refers to a color somewhat similar to incandescent bulbs – slightly yellow, or like candlelight

·         “bright white” generally refers to a color that is either more like daylight or harsh and blue, depending on your perspective

·         I saw some bulbs refered to as “Xenon white” – is that a real thing, or does that just mean “bright white”? Never seen Xenon white; maybe a gear head thing. A better spec is color temperature. Warm white or typical incandescent is around 3500 degrees Kelvin, a slightly yellow light. White or cool white is 4000-5000. Anything above such as 6000-6500 is noticeably blue and harsh.

2. 2.       How bright do you want your light to be?

·         I’d like to include a description of how you compare brightness of LEDs vs. incandescent.  People are moving to describing this in terms of lumens, rather than “60 watt equivalent” but perhaps a grid

·         Does this look correct to those with LED experience:

http://www.bulbamerica.com/wattage-lumens-brightness.html

Brightness is in the eye of the beholder, so to speak. Lumens is the correct way to specify brightness. Replacements for the 921 incandescents should be in the 180-250 lumen range, but it's really difficult to depend on advertised values without a good industry standard. Your referenced article is for home residential bulbs and doesn't really apply to RV lighting

Question: is there any maximum number of lumens/watts that we need to stay within for any reason?  See above. Lumens per watt is really an indication of efficiency and is increasig as technology improves. More is better.

Question:  what comes standard in our RPods?  To me it looks like all the interior bulbs are the same. Original bulbs are 921. Also note that incandescents quickly deteriorate with use. A new bulb will be much brighter and whiter than an old bulb. Just notice the black/silver coating on a used bulb. That is caused by the Tungsten boiling off the filament and coating the glass. LEDs do not suffer this dramatic degradation.

OTHER (this will go into required or personal choice section depending on the answer):

1. 1.       Some bulbs are flat with either a circle or square shape, with the LEDs all on one side; others are tubular, with LEDs all around. 

·          Does it matter?  Depends on the fixture. LEDs are, by nature, narrowly focused. I prefer the cylindrical or tower configuration in a reflective fixture like the RPOD uses. This distributes the light better. Flat bulbs can be used in some applications, particularly where no rear reflector is present.

·         Does it affect heat dispersion? Not generally.

·         Does it affect how much light you get, all other things being equal?  (That is, on the ones with light on all sides, does enough reflect off the back of the fixture that it evens out, or do you lose (or gain) significant light?) See above.

Installation information:

1. 1.       The bulb must be inserted correctly

·         LEDs have a polarity requirement that the incandescent bulbs do not have.  If you insert an LED and it doesn’t work, take it out and flip it over.  It should now work

·         Question:  does this hurt the bulb? No.See above.

·         Question:  is there any way to look at the bulb and the socket and figure out which way to plug it in (like batteries are clearly maked with “+” and “-“)? You cannot tell by looking at a wedge base.

2. 2.       Are there any other handling instructions (for example, are they like halogen lights where you need to make sure you do not touch the bulbs) ? Any bulb should be handled with a cloth or paper to keep finger oils off. However, LEDs are much more tolerant of this abuse.

Again, thanks in advance for helping me compile this information.