sources for 24 volt bright leds?

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dvellone

Feeling the Heat
Sep 21, 2006
489
Does anyone know of a reliable source for 24 volt bright leds? I've been searching for a long time and find that not only are 24 volt leds harder to come by (compared to 12 volt) but also that, as efficient as they are they still don't compare to the lumens that fluorescents emit. Still, I keep hearing rumors of bright and warm leds that seem to be elusive as far as my searches go.
 
I ordered my first LED flashlight from these guys almost 10 years ago, before most people had heard of them.
I don't know if they have what your looking for, but they might be able to help.

www.ccrane.com
 
dvellone said:
Does anyone know of a reliable source for 24 volt bright leds? I've been searching for a long time and find that not only are 24 volt leds harder to come by (compared to 12 volt) but also that, as efficient as they are they still don't compare to the lumens that fluorescents emit. Still, I keep hearing rumors of bright and warm leds that seem to be elusive as far as my searches go.

http://www.newark.com/jsp/search/browse.jsp?N=1000101+183460+511&No=25 or here http://www.alliedelec.com/Catalog/I...brite&sid=47F56F8013A9617F&No=30&N=4294947976

Ray
 
Might be wrong on this, but LED's "normal" operating voltage is much less than 24v, so bulbs advertised at this voltage either are multiple bulbs wired in series or have circuitry which limits voltage/current. For example, I wanted a led pilot light on a pump. Costly to buy, but at the local electronics store I bought the bulb, a diode rectifier, and a resistor; now have the pilot light operating on 120v ac. Cost was about $2.
 
jebatty said:
Might be wrong on this, but LED's "normal" operating voltage is much less than 24v, so bulbs advertised at this voltage either are multiple bulbs wired in series or have circuitry which limits voltage/current. For example, I wanted a led pilot light on a pump. Costly to buy, but at the local electronics store I bought the bulb, a diode rectifier, and a resistor; now have the pilot light operating on 120v ac. Cost was about $2.

Jim,
Yes it's true that led's operate on very low DC voltage however you can buy them for 120 vac with the electronics built in for a cleaner and simpler installation.. PLus in the event of a failure it's a simple matter to replace the led as a unit..

Ray
 
Diodes are strange little devices. An LED typically needs about 2-4 volts to light them. They also need a dropping resistor to limit current, as they are almost a dead short when they are operating in the forward direction. Backwards, they don't conduct at all. On AC, they will flicker 60 times a second, which some people find irritating. The current determines the intensity and is directly related to the voltage source and the dropping resistor. You can run more than the rated current through the LED and it will be brighter, but its lifespan will be shorter. I have heard of LED's up to 1 watt, but they have to have a heat sink to keep them from burning up. Their efficiency is much better than anything, even a fluorescent, but finding that elusive bright, warm LED continues to be a challenge.

Have a look here: http://www.superbrightleds.com/

No experience with the company, but they have a huge selection. Also, you can find any number of online calculators for the dropping resistor. Just Google "LED calculator". Some will adjust for the number of LEDs in series. Since you will almost never find the exact resistor you need, it becomes trial and error, anyway.

I just replaced all the "nonreplaceable" lamps in the instrument cluster and heater controls on the Cavalier. It seems that GM would rather sell you a whole cluster than a few light bulbs. Worked great and now I wont have to pull that dashboard apart again.

I'm babbling now! Hope this was helpful...

Chris
 
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