Replacement LED Lights for ABI Dome Lights

[grabhamb]

I must admit this whole LED lighting thing has got me stumped. I've read and read and still can't find the answer to most of my questions. I've got seven or eight ABI dome lights installed in my CD36. Having had to replace a few xenon bulbs recently I know they can be expensive (about 12 bucks at West Marine) and they do consume a lot of battery power when on the hook. I've been contemplating changing these all to LED lighting but can't seem to determine if I can simply exchange one 12VDC G-4 Xenon 10 W bulb for a compatible LED array or bulb. Has anyone made a similar exchange and is it a simple matter of finding a suitable LED with the correct base and removing the xenon and inserting the LED? It can't be that simple, can it? At any rate, if anyone's done this I'd be very grateful for some advice. Thanks in advance for the collective wisdom of this board.

Bob Grabham
S/V Hunky Dory, CD36 #140
Topping, Virginia (Rappahannock River)

[jerryaxler]

I just replaced several dome lights and the reading lights in the v-berth with LED's from Sailors Solutions. You can order with the LED the proper conversion kit which is cheap, but the LED's are not. I did it to save amps not money for the bulbs, but if they last as long as are claimed to last, I might save money also.
I had ordered LED's that were cheaper from another source, but they were clearly inferior to the Sailors Solution source.

[Ben Thomas]

I just replaced all the interior lights with the LEDs from Sailors Solutions aboard my CD30.
Prior to changing them out I measured consumption of all halogens turned on with the link 10, 9 lights drew a whopping 10.2 amps. Did the same with the LEDs, 2.3 amps.
Although slightly dimmer, still readable light.
Spendy but hopefully worth it in the long run.
Ben

[Warren S]

I just added 2 this weekend: one dome light and one readng spot light. I thought i was out of luck on the dome light until I "happened" to notice on the instructions that you can position the adaptor clips on the heat sink at 90 degrees, thereby making then able to fit inside the dome light with room to spare.

[Cathy Monaghan]

I must admit this whole LED lighting thing has got me stumped. I've read and read and still can't find the answer to most of my questions. I've got seven or eight ABI dome lights installed in my CD36. Having had to replace a few xenon bulbs recently I know they can be expensive (about 12 bucks at West Marine) and they do consume a lot of battery power when on the hook. I've been contemplating changing these all to LED lighting but can't seem to determine if I can simply exchange one 12VDC G-4 Xenon 10 W bulb for a compatible LED array or bulb. Has anyone made a similar exchange and is it a simple matter of finding a suitable LED with the correct base and removing the xenon and inserting the LED? It can't be that simple, can it? At any rate, if anyone's done this I'd be very grateful for some advice. Thanks in advance for the collective wisdom of this board.

Bob Grabham
S/V Hunky Dory, CD36 #140
Topping, Virginia (Rappahannock River)

Hi Bob,

The Sensibulb LED is a direct-replacement for the G4 bulbs. In order to use them in a fixture that uses a double-contact bayonet you have to purchase an adapter. So if you have G4 fixtures, you won't need the adapter. The Sensibulb is surprisingly bright. You'll find it much brighter than your ABI dome lights.

We have a diverse array of LED lighting aboard Realization, including Sensibulb. For anyone that wants to compare some of the different LEDs (including homemade ones), come and see her, she's one of the "boat show" boats that'll be at the docks of the Connecticut River Museum at the CDSOA rendezvous at Essex, CT on July 30th.

Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[grabhamb]

Cathy - As you've apparently got more than one type of LED onboard, have you tried a straight up replacement LED bulb like the one found here http://www.yachtlights.com/cgi-bin/cp-a ... &ref=LEDG4 It's from an outfit called YachtLights and is less than half the cost of the Sailor's Solution product. If so, is there any appreciable difference in light color or intensity? I'm always amazed at the wealth of knowledge and experience displayed by the members of this Board. Thanks, again.

[Cathy Monaghan]

Cathy - As you've apparently got more than one type of LED onboard, have you tried a straight up replacement LED bulb like the one found here http://www.yachtlights.com/cgi-bin/cp-a ... &ref=LEDG4 It's from an outfit called YachtLights and is less than half the cost of the Sailor's Solution product. If so, is there any appreciable difference in light color or intensity? I'm always amazed at the wealth of knowledge and experience displayed by the members of this Board. Thanks, again.

Hi Bob,

All of the cabin lights, and the old dome lights, on our CD32 have double-contact bayonet fixtures. The old dome lights have all bee replaced with LED dome lights (combo red/white) that I purchased from West Marine in 2004. The ABI lights have to be better. Only 1 of the West Marine fixtures that we received worked properly (all LEDs lighting). Rather than return them, my husband installed new LEDs himself.

Anyway, since most of our fixtures are double-contact bayonets rather than G4s, to install the Sensibulb (purchased from Sailors Solutions) I had to purchase the adapter as well.

We also have LED bulbs from superbrightleds.com. I purchased the marine 1142 bulbs, both narrow beam and wide angle. AND my husband bought just LEDs and resistors from superbrightleds.com and built some of his own bulbs. He even rebuilt the deck-level navigation lights (Realization also has a tricolor/anchor/strobe at the masthead which is LED from Orca Green Marine. Sailors Solutions carries Orca Green Marine stuff too.) The OGM nav lights are visible for 2 nautical miles.

We haven't purchased any of the yachtlights.com LEDS. There's only one way to compare the light given off by these bulbs, you have to try them. That's one of the reasons we have so many different kinds. Buy just one Sensibulb and just one of the Yachtlights.com bulbs and see which one you like the best. Then replace the rest of your bulbs with that one. Anyway, from the photos, it looks like you'd use the back-pin version with cabin light fixtures and the side-pin version with dome light fixtures that accept G4 bulbs.

I like the color of the Sensibulb the best of the LEDs that we have. It's a bit more yellow so it's not quite as harsh as the others which are more white or blue. Also, the Sensibulb is much brighter than the 1142 bulbs that we purchased from superbrightleds.com. Again, I can't comment on the yachtlights.com bulbs since I haven't tried'em.

If you buy the yachtlights.com bulb and a Sensibulb, please let us know how they compare.



Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[Troy Scott]

Bob,

Buy this one. I bought 15 of these for $8 each.

http://www.arraylighting.com/products/Array_G4.html

They make an excellent, bright, warm light almost indistinguishable from incandescent. In order to use them in a G4 fixture, you may want to bend the contacts to align the panels to the lens. This is best done with jeweler's pliers. They can also be made to work in a 1142 fixture (double contact bayonet) using an adapter, but it's better to just replace the socket, which you can buy from Super Bright LEDs for $2.00. Be sure to get the DC version. They are available from several sources on the internet for $8.95 apiece. The warm white 12VDC part number is ADC10G4WW.

On Oct.17, 2009, Marine Beam is offering these for $25.00. They are available from several online companies for $8.95.

The Sensibulbs are great too, but a lot more expensive.

[sfreihofer]

Bob,

Buy this one. I bought 15 of these for $8 each.

Which one? Where?

Stan F
1981 Cape Dory 25 #794
Ft. Lauderdale
www.ReefRoof.com

[J D]

I think you missed posting a link or something.

[Judith]

I think you missed posting a link or something.

That's what I was thinking, then I looked back to Bob's post. Is this it? http://www.yachtlights.com/cgi-bin/cp-a ... &ref=LEDG4

[Maine Sail]

Yes it can be done:

ABI Before:

ABI After W/Sensibulb (no need for two bulbs the Sensibulb is BRIGHT:

Lens on:



Currently there is no better, warmer or wider beam angle bulb than the Sensibulb, I've looked and tried many. It is pricey but definitely worth the price!

[Maine Sail]

Sometimes the best price is not always the best deal. Without getting to in-depth on this subject many "cheap" LED's are not constant current designs and this is bad for LED's (heat = bad). Not all LED's are created equal. Even absolute spitting image knock off bulbs, that can't be deciphered visually, even when holding them in your hand, are different!

Some reputable marine suppliers are:

For Interior:

http://www.marinebeam.com/

http://www.sailorssolutions.com/

http://www.cruisingsolutions.com/ledlights.asp

http://www.doctorled.com/

http://www.superbrightleds.com/1157.htm
I list SupreBrite hesitantly as most of their stuff is junk but if you know what you are looking for they have a few bulbs that are ok.




These are identical right??? The only difference is the price.. Right? One is from Marine Beam the other SuperBrite LED they must be the exact same bulb? Right???? They are both listed as warm white..




Wrong!

SuperBrite = Very cold and blueish tint not warm at all. Draws .141 amps.


Marine Beam = Very warm and close to that of an incandescent it was also brighter. Draws .158 amps!


Knock offs are knock offs and you don't always get what you pay for. Unfortunately the LED market has become a Chinese scam artists play ground and we the fat losers getting our lunch money stolen! Buy LED's from reputable manufacturers..

[Troy Scott]

OK,

I was in a hurry, and I forgot to go back and check to see if the link appeared. I have edited my other post to include the "missing link" and here it is again:

http://www.arraylighting.com/products/Array_G4.html

I have one or more of almost all the LED replacement lights that have, in the last few years, come out promising to be reasonable replacements for the bayonet base or G4 bulbs common in our cabin lights. I "accidentally" bought one of the little round G4 units like the one Maine Sail tested. It was indeed "cool white". Then I checked carefully and discovered that I had ordered this lamp by mistake. I then carefully ordered the correct, WARM WHITE unit and discovered that it actually makes a very nice light. The Super Bright LEDs online ordering system is set up in a way that makes it too easy for this to happen. The point is that their WARM WHITE version of their G4 unit is fine.

Now, about "cheap" LED units. Yes, there are knockoffs that are not as good as they claim to be. Often the color is not as represented. However, I have personally observed the quality, and I have learned the history of the ARRAY LIGHTING G4. Despite the reasonable price, this is NOT a cheaply make copy of anything. The lamps are excellent. They do include a built in current regulator and heat sink. I have no interest in this company, and I'm not "pushing" the product, but I do want my Cape Dory friends to know that this is a good deal and that it will work in our lamps (at least the ones that take G4 bulbs. You WILL have to bend the pins if you want the circuit board to be parallel to the glass). Now about the price, I can buy 10 watt G4 quartz bulbs all day long for 70 cents apiece. The Array G4 makes about the same light and costs over 11 times as much. When you look at it that way, it isn't really "cheap". Sailing Solutions buys an ABI dome light, installs two Sensibulbs in it and sells it for $109. That's not much more than the combined prices of the components, so it is a fair deal. I have one, and it's very nice. I also have another, identical ABI fixture into which I installed two ARRAY G4 units. I have demonstrated these two cabin lights to several friends for comparison, and nobody can really see a difference. I can, because I've practiced. The Array light is very slightly warmer, more like incandescent. The fixture with the ARRAY units cost me $35 total.

The important point here is this: Any new technology is expensive at first. Remember what color televisions used to cost? Now they are cheap. The time is now for reasonably priced LED-based replacements for incandescent lamps. It just isn't necessary to pay so much any more. Don't get me wrong: The Sensibulb is great. And for a long time it was the only game in town. That is no longer the case. Don't be too quick to dismiss something just because it doesn't seem to cost enough.

[Maine Sail]

I will pick one of those up and add it to the testing. You can view my test results here:

http://www.toolworks.com/cdsoa/board/vi ... 69f117216e

Here's some technical data from the Practical Sailor test:

Sensibulb (daylight)= 150 lumens / 60" beam width / 2990 color temp

Sensibulb (Soft Light)= 130 lumens / 58" beam width / 2650 color temp

Cruising solutions MR 11 6P= 72 lumens / 48" beam width / 3300 color temp

Cruising solutions MR 16 9P[/b]= 108 lumens / 44" beam width / 3300 color temp

Dr. LED MR-11= 35 lumens / 25" beam width / 3850 color temp


Not tested by Practical Sailor:

Array G4= 85 lumens (claimed not tested) / beam width N/A / 3000 color temp (claimed not tested)[/url]