Flexible LED Interior Lighting

[mdud]

Van is offering flexible LED lighting that attaches to the underside of the glare shield. Is this functional? My instruments are not lighted and I was thinking about installing them but I have no actual experience with them. How well do they work?

[DGlaeser]

I used similar LED strips (may be the same, but I got them from an LED site, and much cheaper) for backlighting my panel placards. A strip of those lights mounted under the panel lip would be quite effective IMHO. I think they are the same, or similar to the ones Stein sells as well.

[jason007]

http://superbrightleds.com/led_prods.htm

Plenty of stuff there to give you ideas.

[petehowell]

http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=17358+OP

I have ordered from MPJA in the past and have had very good service.

[N908RV]

Originally Posted by mdud

Van is offering flexible LED lighting that attaches to the underside of the glare shield. Is this functional? My instruments are not lighted and I was thinking about installing them but I have no actual experience with them. How well do they work?

I had two eyeball lights aimed at my panel and they worked so-so. I ended up adding the LED strip and it was terrific. Dirt simple install. Be sure and mount it as far AFT on the glareshield overhang as possible so that you get good light angle down on your panel. Too close to the panel and you won't get as much light spread.

[Jim P]

I installed the blue strip and I really like it. I do have pilot and pax eyeball lights, as well as a baggage flood that can be put on the panel. The only shortfall is the illumination of some of the lettering across the bottom of the panel, otherwise, works good. I have mine connected directley to the LC-40 lighting controller, so it's dimable, and there's no inverter like you have with the glo-strips. My camera didn't do too well in low light, but you get the idea...

[trib]

Using the good deal lights like Jason mentions, what type of dimmer switch is necessary? Has anyone wired a seperate dimmer switch into a strip of these lights and what did they use?

thanks for the info

[Norman CYYJ]

Use the dimmer circuit found in the book from Van's 21 years of the RVator it works very well and can be built for under $10.00

[Harold Lanfear]

I bought my LED strips from http://http://www.theledlight.com/fl...ledstrips.html

The have several colors, all under $20 and can be cut in increments of 4 LEDs; which is handy for subpanel lighting. They have a foam adhesive tape back and use a small plug (which I desoldered and soldered in wires directly). I was also sucessfully able to bend the LED leads to 'aim' the light at my panel.

[trib]

Norman (or anybody else)

I have the 17 years of the RVAtor, but not the 21 year version. Shows how long I've been working on my airplane. Could you possibly share the details of the dimmer with me?

thanks loads