Dirt cheap LED's

[wingtime]

 Cute packaging, wasn't it!

Yup like a baby cooler or something....  I wonder if a beer can will fit in that thing!  

In addition to the self sticky led strips I bought two of the higher output type that have larger leds and are molded in a clear vinyl of some type.

[seabob4]

Reds are installed, but I haven't taken a good picture yet.  Problem is, my boat is parked under a rather large and bright streetlight, so I need to move it to a dark place on the lot to snap a good photo.

I like the idea of anchor locker, but the thought of running THAT wire is scary!

Wingtime, I used 5200 in addition to that 3M adhesive. I don't think it would have held very long after getting wet.  Cute packaging, wasn't it!

Mike,
Remove the pie at the fuel fill.  Go from the pie on the deck over the fill neck to the pie on the inwale.  Then, using a stiff cable, feed it forward to the locker.  You can do it, it may take a few attempts...

A tip to you guys when you go to install.  It sounds like this outfit is using the same 3M tape that Rob and ScarabChris use...and it doesn't stick when applied up underneath something.  At first I started using 3M genearal spray adhesive, and a good cleaning of the mating surface with acetone.  Next, I went to 3M Super 77 spray adhesive.  This worked a little better.  Now, I'm using several drops of 2-part epoxy evenly spaced.  Won't go anywhere after that.  5200 would work as well, I imagine...

[Treefish]

5200 would work as well, I imagine...

a few spots of 5200 is what I used to mount all of my LEDs. I used some duct tape to hold them in place until the 5200 dried.

[DOCREED]

I like the idea of anchor locker, but the thought of running THAT wire is scary!

They dont draw much....hook them up to your running lights in gthe bow.

[Mcdiver]

If your worried about the voltage, a simple resistor in line should reduce the voltage and make the led's last longer.  I have forgotten most of the formulas, but I will pull out my old electronics books and see if I cant find the formula for y'all.

[Mcdiver]

so here it is:

The mathematical equation that describes this relationship is: I=V/R

where I is the current through the conductor in units of amperes, V is the potential difference measured across the conductor in units of volts, and R is the resistance of the conductor in units of ohms. More specifically, Ohm's law states that the R in this relation is constant, independent of the current.



If I remember this correctly, if we are running 14.5 volts and want 12 volts, we would need to install a 2.5 ohm resistor across the circuit to reduce the voltage by 2.5 volts.  I did these calculations based on 1 amp.  you would have to measure your amperage on your circuit and enter them into this calculator to get the resistor value.  Wattage would also be another factor to know so that you can get the correct size resistor (based on the wattage) so it will not burn out.

http://www.the12volt.com/ohm/ohmslawcalculators.asp

[RickK]

It's a little more complicated with LEDs then regular incandescent bulbs.  They require that the polarity be correct for one thing. In Diode operation (Leds are diodes) the current flow is from the negative to the positive terminal. They also require specific voltage to operate and if you add a resistor is series you may be hindering it's ability to operate.  
My $.02

[GoneFission]

Here is what you need to figure LED resisitors:  

http://metku.net/index.html?sect=view&n ... eng#single  

Good luck!