Can anyone give me a practical current or wattage range for interior/gauge lights?
My guess is the worst case would be a steam gauge setup with traditional bulbs.
I am looking for a general rule. Is a 3amp circuit enough? 5amp?
Can anyone give me a practical current or wattage range for interior/gauge lights?
My guess is the worst case would be a steam gauge setup with traditional bulbs.
I am looking for a general rule. Is a 3amp circuit enough? 5amp?
Its impossible to guess how much your lights will draw. If you plan on post lights (with incandescent bulbs), +3 amps is a real possiblity.One of the reasons for my request is that I don't like generating heat just for a dimmer. A proper "high side" PWM will do the job without the excess heat.
The worst case is assumed to be lamps in steam gauges.
If I knew the bulb type and number of gauges it would give me my answer.
A 3amp solution would be better as there are single chip solutions in that range. If 5 amps is needed then a discrete solution would be needed.
Not sure what you mean - are you talking about replacing the inverter or the EL strips? Inverters are common. EL sources - the only one I'd use now are light rings, and I think the only ones are made by UMA.Is there even a standard panel size or form factor that could be purchases year after year? The inverters seem to have common traits but what about physical size, light output, and interface issues?
I don't think I'd use EL strips or wires. LEDs should be able to do what you want with fewer problems. EL works well for light rings because of the thin nature of EL.The inverters I have used are 400hz jobs and can be used across several types of EL.
The EL panels are what worries me. I have low confidence that I would be able to find the same panel twice!