Quote:
Originally Posted by TheEnemy
$0.27 each, I am planning on using a panel of 20 or so to light a room. The benefit I found is the lower power ones are more efficient and wont need a heat sink.
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I have done similar in my room already except I bought the raw LEDs and wired them up a resister + 13.8v power supply. Main reason is for a night light that uses just about no power. I have 4 in my bed room and is plenty to see and use my computer at night. I have them setup for 7ma draw (20ma rated) and are labeled as "ultra bright". If I put them up to 20ma, they light the room fairly well unless you plan to read a book or work on something (i fix electronics a lot), but are too bright for a night light at that power. One thing to note for room lighting... either plaster a lot all over with a small angle, or get more powerful ones with a WIDE angle. For the normal lighting I have some 600ma rated leds that are similar to the CREE ones (160 degree angle), going to run them at about 100-200ma with a tiny heat sink on them.
For anything to do with LED lighting, it seems the wide angle ones work well for lighting areas up (rooms, car lenses), and the small angle ones are better for flash lights or spot lights. Another thing to point out is to check for a good rated LED if you plan to DIY install them. Lumans and angle will be the most benefit, but also note if it requires a heat sink. It is always to go too bight and lower the current than over drive the leds. Besides them running cooler at lower than rated power, they last longer and are more efficent (lumans per watt).