I am wanting too start setting our van up with some 12v lighting , what are these strip lights that you can buy on eBay ,about 5mt for $20

LED's and some are much more efficient than others,,, a strip as you describe can save you heaps of power OR not save as much as you think. MY 5 m strip used 2A @ 13V which is OK IMHO.

Others with more knowledge will jump on this for you I'm sure.

Quality over the cheepies IMHO. Go and look at them in shops,,, some white others "off white" I forget the term but generally not 1st grade.

An analogy is - Mono solar cells (individual cells) have 3 grades generally and this is reflected in price and performance.

Cheers Baz

I've bought them on ebay over the years, and do not like the "warm white" as they have a yellowy light.  Ensure you get the roll with the 3m sticky on the back.  Also my latest lot (which I stuck on the awning roller) have two small sections which don't work, but this is the first time I have had this sort of problem.  I have previously stuck them to the van, but wanted to get a better distribution of the light this time.  You can also get LED replacment bulbs for the old filament type.

Glen

I have just fitted these two up in my van, the wife recons they are great,  1.2 mtrs with lead ,on off switch, and can fit a dimmer if nessasary ,very bright.

Lance C

Here's something's to consider..... The flexible self adhesive LED on a roll with the silicone cover make them water resistant or as some claim waterproof so they can be used outside right? .... Wrong!. These type of strips where originally designed for refrigeration lighting the cooling from the refrigeration system keeps them cool and the silicone cover is not UV resistant, so when exposed to sunlight the silicone will eventually yellow and cause the underlying strip go brittle and break.

The point I'm making here is that some people see an LED product and think "Great I can use that on my.... XYZ" but rarely do they consider what it was originally designed for and what things need to be put in place to use it for a different purpose.

Using the Strip Lights inside are OK as long as they are not exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time, so for inside the uncoated strips may be better.  Either way the 5mt rolls being referred to here can make economical lighting, but the heat they will generate may make them unstick on some surfaces, although the uncoated type will cool more efficiently than the coated through its exposed surface area.  For internal lights there are some better options, some with aluminium/plastic casings that will look and perform better than something that's just "stuck on"


You can get LED in various colour temperatures so without going into the Kelvin values heres a rough layman's guide, Warm White is supposed to resemble the colour that an incandescent bulb gives but it's more yellow as others have pointed out. Natural to Pure White is similar to day light and Cool White is a brighter again but with a slight tinge of blue which can take a bit of time to get used to. The colour temperature is not about grade its more to do with preference. The older we get the brighter/whiter light we want to use. Younger people or those with very good eyesight prefer Warm White.

The next thing to consider is power consumption especially if you are free camping and then how much light you want and where.  3528 type LED is where strip lighting started, BTW the numbers are a measurement of the LED 3.5mm x 2.8mm.  Inside each SMD (Surface Mounted Device) is a single LED. Then theres the 5050 type these are 3 times brighter because theres 3 LEDs in each SMD and inturn will use 3 times more power and now theres some new players 5630 and 5730 These are high power LED and again 3 times brighter than the 5050.  For internal lighting my choice would be the 5630 type because you can use a shorter length to get maximum light and these are available in easy to fit and reasonably attractive fittings that wont look "stuck on".

Before you put in LED strips for internal lighting you should first consider converting your existing incandescent or halogen light fittings to LED. Greater than 95% of existing light fittings including Fluro's can be easily converted to LED.  The trick is getting the right LED to do the job. PM me if you want further info.

Have them down the side of my motorhome ..
Excellent at night when under we are under awning .. Not too bright but can see where your going ...
I used some clear silastic on the end ..
Then every 200mm or so.. So it doesn't come off...
I'll be fitting some short strips where required ..
Fuse / elect board believe it or not has no lights !!
Also the fridge temp and 12/240v/ gas control switch is hard to read with my old eyes..
Strips can hardly be seen outside its fitted just above the hinge strip ..