LED swap out.

(grant_west) · (grant_west) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 01-23-2006, 7:30 AM

I have been in the process of swapping out all of my old lights (Cold Cathode) and replacing them with the Wake Specialtys LED's. If you havent heard it before ill say it one more time. I found that one Cold Cathode pulls as much Amp's as 12 set's of LED's. That's correct my whole boat is lit with around 14 sets now and it pulls just a bit more than what 1 cold cathode used to pull. The Red from the new LED's is much easyer on the Eye's I notice that it dosent make my eye's adjust as much as the old light used to. Here are some progress pic's. If you want to see everything here is a link
http://svtsupercharged.com/gallery/album28?page=1

(acurtis_ttu) · (acurtis_ttu) **Join Date: May 2004** 01-23-2006, 8:36 AM

Looks good. Kinda on topic, what are the differences between the 3mm, 5mm, 8mm, and 10mm LED's? I was thinking about putting a few behind my fresh air vents near the bow and stern

(catdaddy76) · (catdaddy76) **Join Date: Feb 2004** 01-23-2006, 9:20 AM

I would like to know where you are buying the lights from, and how they are wired. Also how much are they? Your boat looks awsome. I love the drink holders!

(acurtis_ttu) · (acurtis_ttu) **Join Date: May 2004** 01-23-2006, 9:35 AM

Teddy, grant has gotten them from wake specialties, I'm sure he can get you the contact info. I have ordered them from www.superbrightleds.com and have been pleased. They are pretty cheap too. Approx $4-6 per "pod". Individual LED's are a little cheaper. Most of the ones you see on the website are pre-wired with resitors already built in. It's as easy as hooking up (+) and (-) I'ven been wiring them in to my existing switch. You cna wire alot of them in as they don't pull very many amps, as grant said above.

(grant_west) · (grant_west) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 01-23-2006, 10:19 AM

I got My LED's From Wakespeciltys.com LED's vary. I got some from Owl Lighting and some from the "other guy" I haven't had any from Superbright. I have noticed that let's say a Blue LED from one guy is brighter than the next. IMO the Wake specialtys LED are brighter and better potted,(water proof) The ones I got from the other prople. I opend the one's from Owl and they were just solderd to a circut board with a dab of silicone to hold the backing plate on (hardley water proof) I have only gotten Red and Blue from Wake specilty's So I can't say how the other color's are.

(acurtis_ttu) · (acurtis_ttu) **Join Date: May 2004** 01-23-2006, 10:52 AM

I remeber seeing their (Wake Specialty) booth at a Texas Wakeboard tour stop in Houston. The speakers covers they make are top notch, and proabbly the best I've ever seen. I hope your getting their LED's for cheaper than what they advertise on their site. Grant, do you know what kind of LED's they are using?

(grant_west) · (grant_west) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 01-23-2006, 11:20 AM

Adam: I know you can get $5 light pucks on E-bay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Accent-4-LEDs-LED-Light-Car-Motorcycle-Chrome-Case-Neon_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35598QQitemZ460671 4239QQrdZ1. And It seems every where you turn someone has them for cheeper. I dont have tones of experiance with LED's as I do with all the amp's and subs ect. But from the 3 companys I have seen LED's from they are the best. Im not gonna mess with the cheep stuff. This is the way I figure it. The E-bay led is cheeper but by the time you end up mounting it you have more time in Labor than the LED it self. EVERYTIME I try to cut a corner it some how comes back to bite me "You should know" look @ all the trouble you have been having with your alternator's.

Sometimes cheepeer is exactley that. So with my personal stuff I don't look for the super deal's. I try to find the highest quality stuff and yes you pay a bit extra up front but IMO you save in the long run because "most of the time" it stays working longer. To me that's worth the extra $$$ you pay for the product, not having to hassel with it after your finshed.
Jut my 2c

(acurtis_ttu) · (acurtis_ttu) **Join Date: May 2004** 01-23-2006, 12:11 PM

You should know the tircks of ebay...that $5 LED plus shipping is $15.....

I know way too much about going the "cheap" route...lol. $10-14 is a reasonable price per pod including shipping.

(bob) · (bob) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 01-24-2006, 10:30 AM

Grant the problem comes when the product shows up and its more expensive but the exact same item you would have gotten cheaper through other channels. Id much rather do it once myself but there are so many resellers out there and its hard to get hard facts/datasheets for certain items.

(grant_west) · (grant_west) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 01-24-2006, 5:24 PM

Bob I hear ya. To pay more for the exact same thing is stupid, and thats not what Im recomending. If you can get the exact same thing for a cheeper price then your a fool to pay more than you need. Sometimes its just gets old explaning the extra cost all the time. Untill someone does some lumanace (brightness test) and burn life tests and water proof testing, with all the differnt LED's. (ya who's gonna be the first one to do that for us all?????) I guess it's all hear say untill then lets just say. "Let the buyer beware" LOL

(acurtis_ttu) · (acurtis_ttu) **Join Date: May 2004** 01-24-2006, 5:42 PM

Grant, keeping on the topic of lighting have you ever heard of / seen anyone who has put an HID kit on for their tower lights ( kinda expensive but are much more effcient)

(grant_west) · (grant_west) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 01-24-2006, 5:57 PM

Adam: I have seen Mini HID lamp's and they look vey bright, I havent seen them on the water as of yett.

(cyclonecj) · (cyclonecj) **Join Date: Jul 2001** 01-24-2006, 8:39 PM

Grant, I was wondering when you'd learn Ohm's Law. HAH looks awesome.

(toyotafreak) · (toyotafreak) **Join Date: Sep 2003** 01-25-2006, 7:58 AM

Psyclone, Grant's known about PIE for some time. Just check out his houseboat pics :-)