Adding interior light 12v / 24v ?

[Shayne]

I was about to order a light to put on the upper tailgate when i realized i was only assuming the 24v is only for starting and all the lights must be wired via a converter or something ?

I've never thought about it buying bulbs so does it matter . It would be wired to and existing courtesy light .

 

[Towpack]

Only the starter is 24v, everything else is 12, wired back to the driver's side battery. I fitted 4 of these onto the upper tailgate, with a switch in the interior handle recess, which light up the whole rear of the vehicle when the tailgate is up. They're quick and easy to fit and being thin and flat they don't get in the way.......

LED strip lights

 

[Shayne]

Cheers Towpack , it was a thought that struck me out of the blue because i was actually looking at boat lights and wondering if a 12 to 24 volt converter might give more powerful lights when i chanced upon these little 12v things .

Buying one for the truck as a test run because i might end up buying 10 .

 

[Mick W]

@Towpack are these separate wiring and switches from the factory ones? I've no roof interior lighting from the door switches and have tested the wiring so guess a break somewhere.

 

[Towpack]

I have some 12v power sockets direct from the battery to the rear so I took a feed from this via a separate fuse in the storage compartment and a rocker switch in the interior handle trim. They're much brighter than appears in the photo. Also, having very low current draw means you can use thin wire which is easy to feed through the cable grommet.
The OEM interior courtesy lights should have a permanent live feed so that could also be used.

 

[SteveJB]

Question about using thinner wires would it be possible to use speaker wire or equivalent for low draw lights

 

[Grimbo]

Yep.....I've got loads of LED lights in my van all using speaker wire...
Have fitted kit's from LEDit to lots of vans and other vehicles ..... highly recommend them .

 

[Towpack]

The 4 lights on my upper tailgate together draw a mere 176ma so speaker wire will do. The wire that comes with them is very thin but is double insulated so a bit more resilient to damage maybe. Just make sure you fuse them correctly, a 1A fuse is ample.

 

[Firewout]

The 4 lights on my upper tailgate together draw a mere 176ma so speaker wire will do. The wire that comes with them is very thin but is double insulated so a bit more resilient to damage maybe. Just make sure you fuse them correctly, a 1A fuse is ample.

Did you measure the current draw? From the description I get they are 6 watts each = 0,5A each x 4 = 2A.
Which is still ok for speaker wire.

 

[Towpack]

176ma was the current draw measured at the fuse holder. Mine are identical to these although not from this particular seller. No idea how they get the 6w rating.

 

[Shayne]

Having witnessed the difference between a brand name light (albeit from China) and another generic from what i assumed was a reputable lamedrover accessories dealer here in the UK , both 42 inch lightbars and both £300 odd quid and supposedly the same draw and output . I've been looking ever since for a brand name to trust .

MICTUNING are winning so far but i'm keen to try some affordable Australian lights .

Will soon know if the output is what they claim it to be .

 

[Towpack]

The rating given to many LED lights and bulbs can be confusing to say the least. Light output in lumens, colour temp and current draw are all important. Many give a power rating in watts as "equivalent to" a halogen or filament bulb. The only way to get the true power consumption is to measure it IMO.

 

[Shayne]

And nobody does hence i'm looking for a name i can trust .

Lightforce gives an insane amount of light but the prices are nuts given i generally have to replace lots of lights every 2 years or so .

 

[flint]

Hella do a range called Valuefit. I've just got some 7" single led spots (had to get them from USA as Hella UK say they are not stocking them), not fitted yet but well built and very bright. You can get the light bars in the UK: Hella ValueFit Light Bar Range - [Leaving Land Cruiser Club]

 

[Towpack]

I've had a pair of these on the dirt bike for about 3 years now and really rate them.
LED Lamps

They're well made with alloy bodies and projector type lenses and throw a great beam. They're pretty tough and they've been banged about quite a bit when off roading. I also fitted a pair to the Triumph just prior to the damn thing getting nicked. There's NO WAY I'd pay anywhere near £100 for any sort of LED auxiliary lights no matter what badge they're wearing.

 

[Shayne]

On a boat time is money and its a big sea to find dhans in .

Storm Barra moved about 25 grands worth of gear - several tons in total between 3 and 6 miles off its mark

Stedi.com is where i'm heading i think .

 

[Shayne]

I must have done something right this year because I got no socks but they only just remembered Santa brought me a new Zippo and a light to test

 

[Chris]

Bought some lights from Stedi this month. Very nicely made. Look like winners.

 

[Shayne]

Size of a Zippo and should be vaguely equivalent to a 60 watt good old fashioned light bulb , so we will see if Stedi claims are exaggerated or understated .

 

[Shayne]

Impressed enough to get the mrs outside to take a video forgetting she is female , so i ended up with a vid of me holding a shining star

I should have just taken a photo but i'm not shifting the truck away from streetlights again