Puck Lites

[Ace]

We have some puck lites we installed a while back that are the halogen type. We purchased some new ones that appear to be the same but are slightly different. They look the same anyway. Well, I plugged them up to an 110 outlet and they all work but... they are very low lite compared to the older ones we had. The older ones are very bright white where the new ones are more of a yellow and pretty dim. We tried them next to the old ones and it's an obvious difference. Ok the bulbs from the old ones say 120v 20 watt and the bulbs AND the package from the new ones say 120v 20 watt. NO difference! What gives?

Ace

[JerryH]

Ace:

There's incandescent, xenon and halogen bulbs.  The first being not brilliant white, while the halogen is a brighter white.
Keep in mind total bulbs on run -- length of [wire] run, etc.

Here's a link to some bulbs from Seagull.  http://www.seagulllighting.com/Low-Voltage-Light-Bulbs.htm

Good luck,
Jerry H.

[TomC]

Just for some info-I bought puck lights (surface mount because of the heat) that are 20 watts at 12v.  The lines from Home Depot have a 120 to 12v transformer.  I just ordered replacement pucks (12 of them) and run them on straight 12v, and very happily so.  Good Luck, TomC

[JerryH]

I "think" some of these bulbs are 12 VAC rather than 12 VDC.
Jerry H.

Just for some info-I bought puck lights (surface mount because of the heat) that are 20 watts at 12v.  The lines from Home Depot have a 120 to 12v transformer.  I just ordered replacement pucks (12 of them) and run them on straight 12v, and very happily so.  Good Luck, TomC

[JackConrad]

Ace,
  Between our house and our bus, we have used quite a few of the puck lights. We have both 12 volt and 120 volt styles (the 120 volt have a wider spacing between the wires that you plug into the base). As Jerry said, there are different types of bulbs. Ours came with Halogen, but we changed them to Xenon. The Xenon semm brighter than the halogen and are definately cooler. I just looked at one of the 120 to 12 volt converters that came with a set we purchased ot HD. The output is 12 volt AC. The bulbs to seem to care as we have these installed in the bus on 12 volt DC and see no difference in brightness or intensity.  When used in the bus are you using the 120 to 12 converter or running straight off the batteries?  Jack

[Ace]

Jack the 3 pucks we have in the BR under the cabinet were the first we got and they use a transformer and are very bright. The second three we got (from the same place) are exactly the same but they don't use a transformer and are just as bright as the first three. Now I purchased a set of 5 off e-bay, same color, same look, only glass is frosted and they use NO transformer. These 5 are very yellow. I tried to see if taking two or three of them off the line would increase brightness but it doesn't matter if it's one, or two, or five, they are still dim. I am not running these off the house batteries. The first two sets are hard wired in the coach and the third set, THIS dim set,  would eventually be but for now is just plugged into an outlet. We have the coach hooked up to 50 amp service here at the house!
Oh and the first two sets came from HD. I also changed the glass from frosted to clear by interchanging them and there is still no difference in breightness. I did notice that the new set doesn't get quite as hot as the older two sets but does get warm.

Ace

[Len Silva]

I noticed the other day that Lowes had LED puck lights as well.  There were none lit up in the display so I don't know how bright they would be.

Len

[WEC4104]

The set of puck lights I have (20 watt halogen) came with a "wall wart" type transformer that states an output of 11.5 VAC.

I currently have these installed over the kitchen counter and they are very nice when I have AC power available.

I am considering adding a few more in another area, and have been kicking around an idea to see if I could rig a set to run off my choice of either AC or DC.    I'd like to take a set of 2 or 3 lights and wire them back to a three position switch  (AC - OFF - DC).   In the AC position, it would connect the lights to the output of a hardwired AC transformer. I would use this when I had campground power, to save batteries.  When boondocking, I would throw the switch to DC, and run off the house batteries.   I know these are a little power hungry, but I would not be using them for extended periods.

So the question to the group is:  Can I find a puck/bulb style (halogen, incandescent, etc.) that will be happy with either 12VAC and 12VDC, possibly with dropping resistors if necessary?   [In case anyone wonders, I do not have an inverter.]

[DrivingMissLazy]

Do you have an inverter/charger or just a plain battery charger while you are plugged in at the campground?

If so, then what you are planning is kinda an exercise in futility. The lights woiuld be running off AC campground power, thru the charger when you are plugged in. 

If you do not have a charger of any kind is the only time something like you propose would be feasable, in my opinion.

Richard

The set of puck lights I have (20 watt halogen) came with a "wall wart" type transformer that states an output of 11.5 VAC.

I currently have these installed over the kitchen counter and they are very nice when I have AC power available.

I am considering adding a few more in another area, and have been kicking around an idea to see if I could rig a set to run off my choice of either AC or DC.    I'd like to take a set of 2 or 3 lights and wire them back to a three position switch  (AC - OFF - DC).   In the AC position, it would connect the lights to the output of a hardwired AC transformer. I would use this when I had campground power, to save batteries.  When boondocking, I would throw the switch to DC, and run off the house batteries.   I know these are a little power hungry, but I would not be using them for extended periods.

So the question to the group is:  Can I find a puck/bulb style (halogen, incandescent, etc.) that will be happy with either 12VAC and 12VDC, possibly with dropping resistors if necessary?   [In case anyone wonders, I do not have an inverter.]

[TomC]

It seems to me that I heard somewhere that filament type lights (incandescent, Halogen, etc) don't care whether it be A/C or D/C, just that it is the correct voltage.  Gaseous lights (flourescent, Xenon, neon) are another story.  Good Luck, TomC

[Busted Knuckle]

OK just what in the world are "puck lites?" BK

[WEC4104]

Futility is about the only exercise I get these days. .  

As mentioned in the original post, I do not have an inverter (to make AC from DC).   I do have a converter/charger which makes DC while I am plugged into AC.  I could go the purely DC approach, but was considering the AC because the converter is not large and I have several other DC loads (roof fans, stereo system, water pump, other lights, etc.)

My impression is that filament lights, unlike motors and electronics, can run off AC or DC if the proper voltage is used. What I am not sure about is whether a given bulb designed for 12 VAC would also be happy at 12 VDC, or would it need the DC voltage level "adjusted".  With AC, the bulb is only getting 12 volts at the peaks/valleys of the sine wave, whereas the DC would be at 12 volts continuously.  Would this over drive the bulb, causing it to fail quickly?  Would something like the RMS value of the sine wave give a better indication of the proper DC voltage?  

I was considering playing with resistor values, gradually lowering the resistance until the brightness was about equal to an AC light.  But I've seen the electronics talent we have gracing this board. and they probably have my answers at their fingertips.    

[DrivingMissLazy]

The AC voltage that you get from the transformer or from an ac outlet and measure with a standard AC meter is the RMS value. That average 12 volt AC voltage is very similar to the 12 volt  DC voltage.  I do not think it really makes much difference to the light. These lights will not make a significant difference in your DC load and I really think you would be wasting your time and money to do what you propose.
Richard

Futility is about the only exercise I get these days. .  

As mentioned in the original post, I do not have an inverter (to make AC from DC).   I do have a converter/charger which makes DC while I am plugged into AC.  I could go the purely DC approach, but was considering the AC because the converter is not large and I have several other DC loads (roof fans, stereo system, water pump, other lights, etc.)

My impression is that filament lights, unlike motors and electronics, can run off AC or DC if the proper voltage is used. What I am not sure about is whether a given bulb designed for 12 VAC would also be happy at 12 VDC, or would it need the DC voltage level "adjusted".  With AC, the bulb is only getting 12 volts at the peaks/valleys of the sine wave, whereas the DC would be at 12 volts continuously.  Would this over drive the bulb, causing it to fail quickly?  Would something like the RMS value of the sine wave give a better indication of the proper DC voltage?  

I was considering playing with resistor values, gradually lowering the resistance until the brightness was about equal to an AC light.  But I've seen the electronics talent we have gracing this board. and they probably have my answers at their fingertips.    

[WEC4104]

So the stated AC voltages are already the RMS value for the sine wave.  Hmm, learned something today. (Or more likely re-learned something I had forgotten.) Thanks Richard.

BK:   Puck lights are small lights about the size and shape of a hockey puck. They are often mounted under cabinets, where their low profile is a plus. Many are halogen, quite bright, but also can produce a lot of heat.  Have also seen them used for bus/RV ceiling lights.

[coachcrazy]

i saw puck style LED lights at a light shop i was at last week and they are really bright.  in my opinion LED lighting seems to be the smart chioce for a coach