It's time to sort out & renew the lighting in Bernie's Bus. At the mo, it's all very dim & dull but this is all about to change. Mrs Fishtrousers says what I would like is; Clever colour changing strips along each side and across the front or back. Coupled with four, that's one on each corner of the pop top opening, adjustable spot light type things that can be angled down for reading & generally doing stuff in the back or angled upwards to shine into the Dormobile roof from where the light will diffuse and come back down in a more gentle fashion as well as obviously illuminating it. Apparently we also need two flush fitting but slightly adjustable lamps to fit into the interior tailgate panel, when the boot is open, these will be able to shine down to illuminate an area behind the bus for late night outdoor party style fun or be swivelled a little bit to help me to find stuff in the back. I do not have a mains hook up, just a leisure battery. So obviously I don't want a millionty candlepower, but I do want LED stuff that is bright enough to see by, yet not going to sap all my juice the picosecond I fire it all up. So, I would welcome the opinions and suggestions of the fair folk of this parish please. Types to buy, where to buy, what to pay, alternative suggestions and of course, ridicule.
http://m.tinydeal.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQ...fjgj7k2AX_GhjQ0IJEW-LyBltfvokAd8ZEaAuF_8P8HAQ Cheeper than evilbay just have to wait a bit to arrive
You will be surprised how bright LED stuff is ! I purchase a retro style lamp for inside mine , with a line of LEDs in there , its like a football stadium flood lamp! So you dont need many which is good as you want to save your lecckie in the leisure battery! http://www.magnummotorhomes.co.uk/view_product.asp?productID=290&catID=314&subcatID= (bit pricey but good) these are neat and surprisingly bright http://www.magnummotorhomes.co.uk/view_product.asp?productID=1769&catID=314&subcatID= Check fleabay for cheaper versions
Ikea worked for me. Colour changing, strips, directional - all boxes ticked. You just ditch the transformer they provide and use the lights.
my suggestion is to uplight into the roof where possible....on my late style devon poptop, I fitted warm white LED strips along the front and back end....these throw light upwards and reflect off the white headlining without any glare whatsoever... a light in the tailgate is a good idea, but if you have an overhead locker in the rear, it would be easier to fit adjustable spots here that can be angled into the living area or out back (thus saving the extra hassle of additional spots) a strip light above the kitchen unit is a nice addition.... Not entirely sure how the Dormi roof mates with the aperture when closed, but there should be enough of a recess or channel (front and rear) to lose the strip LEDs altogether...they're only about 2mm height..... I used these to control the LEDs....very unobtrusive and easy to fit http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-In-L...4149?pt=UK_Light_Fittings&hash=item5658d7f005 and this type of flexible strip light http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5M-300-LE..._Lights_Fairy_Lights&var=&hash=item234085fbae comes with a self adhesive backing but I'd use a bit of clear silicone or gorilla glue on the ends.... Cool white looks like a clinic......
Pair up your LED lighting with this funky remote controller, it's wot I used & very handy! http://r.ebay.com/j4ZEvw I have the holder mounted just inside the slider & Velcro to attach near my noggin once safely tucked up in bed
4-zone WiFi 2.4G RF Touch Remote wireless Phone MiLight RGBW RGB led Controller Dimmer Control System. What on earth is all that about? I have an on/off switch for mine, works perfectly.
I'd definitely go for Warm White (ideally about 3000k) & indirect lighting as @vanorak suggests. Ideally avoid the LEDs with lots of lenses as they can be very glarie. If you're using spots as you suggest try to find some with a diffusing lens or a single lens on the front. A controller for the RGB lighting as @Robo suggests would be a good idea but bear in mind that people like the idea of colour changing before-hand but often don't use it after the first couple of times. I've made a note of your idea to put a light at the back, I like that. As others have said the draw on an LED these days is really low so don't worry about your LB.
I've gone for indirect lighting almost exactly as @vanorak suggests - I put a strip of leds all round the pop top opening (mine's just a devon pop, not a sleeper up there as well), and created the uplighting effect by putting right angled plastic trim round the edge so I don't get blinded by it. When it's built I'm also putting more strips of concealed led lights under narrow cupboard above the worktops (with a small "window" running just behind and above them so the cupboards are lit as well), and around the bottoms of the cupboards and the seats. I'm hoping it will put a smile on my face each time I look at it The led lights en masse are much brighter than you expect, especially at night when everything outside is dark, with almost no drain on the battery, so I prefer the slightly dimmer feel to the uplighting ones. I've also gone for the colour-changing ones from fleabay so I can pick a hue to suit me when I want, but like @Robo and @SeanOC say, I'm not expecting to use it all the time and have gone for plain warm white where I think it won't need to change (under the cupboards and inside the cupboards on opening). Small edit - the pop top is just over 5m all round... mine's 5m40cm, but you can attach the led strips together with a bit of soldering nous and some heat shrink wrap sleeving
I ran my LED strips in a low profile ally trim that came with a plastic cover/diffuser so my lighting isn't at all harsh, it's the stuff they use on the underside of kitchen cupboards bought off ebob!
