LED strip lighting
 

Anyone here do their own LED lighting using the flexible strips? What amperage do most boats put out? If I'm running one color, do I still need a controller?

thanx

IDK... but you should be able to find all your answers at superbrightleds.com That's where i get my led's.

Lots of people have used the flexible LED strips. If you are looking to just do one color, you could just buy a strip of that color. If you buy the RGB strips you will need the control to put it on the color you want.

You know you can buy rolls of the stuff and cut to the size you want.

Installed blue flexible strip lights in my boat. Some mounted behind the speakers grills, , underneath the seats, inside side compartments, and inside arch lights. The accent lights just required a length of 3 LEDs, approx 2". Had 9 LEDS, but those proved to be too bright and were cut down to 3 LEDS. (last pic shows the side compartments before reduced)
A 15' role of LED just require mA's of juice to operate, (less than 1 amp). All my lights are independent of each other so I can at a later date add a music controller to flash the ones I want, but for now all are wired to 2 switches; 1 that controls the speakers/sub, 1 for cockpit/arch lighting for a little bit of flexibility.

Pics taken with phone. The lights shows up as bright lights, but are actually just the blue glow. Arch lites weren't installed when these pics taken.

How did you get the LED strips inside your JL speakers? I like that look but I thought I had to buy the LED speaker rings to do it.

The grills unscrew from the body. Have to take care of the wires for the tweeters if coaxilas. With the grills on, the LEDS can't be seen as the lights are behind the grills. I don't care for the speaker ring look, thus mounting them inside the speakers. Something different. The cones glow blue. Those pics don't do it justice.

A better pic taken while modifying :

Where's the "like" button?

Do you have a link to the type of LEDs you used?

thats sweet! :)

Looks awesome, thanx

I bought some from

http://www.coastalnightlights.com/no...N0eWxlcy5odG1s

they plug into eachother or you can wire them separate. they work great so far. I used the power coming to my courtesy lights in the storage compartments... added 2 foot n each side and another foot on each side under my cutp holder/arm rest for the back bench. it worked out Well. now you can see where to walk, and has nice glow. will get pics up soon.

36 foot long strips = 1 amp.. so my 6 are like .2 amps. haha.

I bought mine from these guys....had them in about a week. I didn't find anyone who came close to their prices. These are the ones I got but if you goto their store they have many to choose from. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=220980492919

Looks awesome US1fountain, where did you buy from?

You never stay out late enough to need lites.

LOL!

Thanks guys.

I bought mine from a local auto stereo shop since he had them in stock. Course that was $120 for a 16' roll. I found it online for $80 after I got home.
Mine are Pipedream brand. They are waterproof silicone encased. Have to use the 8mm strips to fit behind the JL grills. Even then I had to dremel a little clearance out of the grill ears. All work done on the inside, doesn't show when assembled. Probably have 1/2-1 hr in each speaker. The standard RGB strips are 10mm wide, won't work. Gotta go with the single color strips to get the thinner strips, and then get the narrow strips yet still.

http://pipedreamleds.com/products/flexible/nl-f2.html

US1 Fountain how would you rate the quality of them? Are they waterproof enough for an engine bay? And sealed/safe enough you think?

I'm looking to put lights in my engine bay, thinking I could cut these in 4' strips for each side and front and back. How do they wire together when you cut them? There's not a lot of info on their website.

Thanks for the help!

I'm very happy with them. Course they all are pretty much the same, 3 leds per resistor/section, meaning they can be cut at any 3 LED intervals= 2" per. Just need to make sure they are waterproof, whichever brand you buy.
These being encased in silicone are completely water poof. I'd say as long as you seal the ends, you could mount them under water. :) I used clear heat shrink with sealant to seal the cut and lead ends. Seen some just use silicone dabbed on the ends to seal, which is fine too.
I used 22awg wire for leads, which is more than enough, plus its very flexible and easy to run the small wires. Also very easy to solder the smaller wires. A full 15' roll only uses approx 1 amp, where as a regular single bulb can use several amps in itself, so small wiring is a huge benefit. Just be sure to fuse accordingly. Don't use a 15A fuse for a 22awg or smaller wire. Wire will melt before fuse blows. :) I'm using 5A fuses. Coulda used less, but 5 will protect the new wiring and is common for couple other circuits I have.
To use, cut at any location between 2 sets of dots (solder contacts) and scrap the casing off to expose the contacts. The casing is soft, I just used my fingernail to scrap off. Using a $10 pencil type solder iron, put a drop of solder on each contact spot, and then tin your wire, followed with soldering the wires to the solder drops, then seal with silicone or heat shrink. Seal other end. Done!
You can run each wire lead to a separate switch, or wire multiple LED sections together end on end. LEDs are polarity sensitive, gotta keep + and - correct, otherwise they don't light.

So basically cut them between the 4 dots (2 on each end) and then keep + to + and - to - and just solder 22awg to connect them. You think 18awg would be okay? I already have that run from my dash panel into the engine bay.

I'm not sure I understand how you heat shrunk the cut and lead ends. If you solder the wire onto the cut end it's basically a wire onto the flat surface, I'm used to heat shrinking two wires together, how do you heat shrink to a broad flat edge?

Yep! You got it.
18awg will work, just be stiffer and a tad more harder to solder as the dots are close together.... But doable. If you have several strips to be connected, be easiest to locate some 22 and use that to connect them and give you a power lead, then solder your 18 to the 22 lead.


Pinch the heat shrink flat and slip over the wires and LED strip, leaving an 1/8" or so long. I used 1/4" adhesive lined heat shrink. Fit perfect. When heated, pinch the shrink ends closed till the adhesive squeezes out to seal the open ends.

Thanks for the info. I just installed 2 pairs of JL M650's in my boat and was thinking about the speaker rings. This looks much better. Just cut to fit the inside diameter of the speaker and trim a little bit. I wish you would have posted this 2 weeks ago. I just got done doing my install last weekend. Looks like another off-season project for next year.

Thanks US1 Fountain...I think I'll give these a shot. Save me a lot of $$$ over the other version I was thinking about.

Your right, but they would look cool for when i do decide to stay out late.

you guys are not good for my budget... i just bought some of these because it sounded like such a good idea.

The ones I linked to are identical to the pipedreams but also are RGB with a remote for less than half the cost. There are only a handful of manufacturers of these things on the planet. They're all the same stuff.

Somewhat true, but those are too big for locating behind JL speakers grills.

I actually prefer the solid color vs the changing colors and remote setup. Plus I'm looking for purple LED's and up until now couldn't find a solid color, flexible strip in purple that was waterproof and could put in the engine bay, safely.

The RGB's are adjustable to whatever color you want via the included remote control. You can even make them pulse if you want to. If you goto the ebay store of that vendor they have solid color as well...for even less money....which are the same size as what US1 used. I.E. Same stuff....less money. LOL

I thought this was about LED stripper lighting at first. :D

It is.....

I got some from the same place. I haven't installed them yet, would like to see the pictures of yours. They where the only place that had good prices. LEDS are not a new technology and should not cost the hundreds of dollars that most places charge.

Hey US1, did they affect the speaker at all? Does the LED strip interfere with the speaker at all?

Kinda the same question, doesn't the light move at all from the vibration?

How did you get the strip adhere to the back of the grill, just the adhesive that's on the back of the strip or did you use anything else?

thanx

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1...o/DSC_0032.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1...o/DSC_0026.jpg

They are attached with the strip attached double sided tape. Guess I shoulda been more clear on install. They aren't attached to the grills, but to the inside of the speaker between the cone foam and the housing side. There is enough space to place lights there. The rubber flex part of the cones do not contact the lights at all. The ears of the grill need to be cut back a little to clear the lights. A dremel and a couple minutes worth of work. This is with my JL speakers. Other brands install may vary.

optx marine is in west marine and the only 16ft spool with 3M marine grade double aidded tape, a lot of OEMs are using them. RGB 50/50 have been showing browning on the silicone from the heat of the LED stick with single color LEDs go to www.optxmarine.com check out there products they have some wild LEDs

$140 for a single color roll?? That must be installed pricing. :lolhit:

You get what you pay for, 3M marine grade adheasive, resisters that areimbeded in the silicone not mounted on the bac covered over with the tape to hide the. (not saying all produts are like that) but at cheaper price point thats what you get.....we have not seen any other brand with 3M marine grade.

I agree with "you get what you pay for", but the cheaper ones I use have the resistor mounted in the silicone, and are vertical so you can still wrap them and not interfere with the resistor.

I don't care what kind of tape it has, if there's gonna be any question about the mounting, I'll find an alternative method to mount them and not depend on the tape.

I just checked one of my rolls. It's 3M adhesive. So...I paid $30/roll for waterproof RGB led's with 3M adhesive, an IR controller and remote. You're paying $140/roll for single color. Math is hard ;)

Per request by a couple, easier to just put them here. A little late, but none the less..