$6 LED Interior Light Conversion 12V DC Car/Boat/RV

This instructable might give you some ideas of how you can use inexpensive, off the shelf, LED lights to convert your car, boat or RV, interior lighting system.  For about $5 US, you can buy a ready to use 12V LED light.  I started with an amber side marker light, which included three bright amber LEDs in a ready to use device.  My ten year old Suzuki/Chevy's interior light had been on the fritz for almost a year.  Replacing the bulb didn't work; the time delay pwb (shown later) was bad, so I had a good excuse to do the LED conversion.  The completed light is really nice.  The amber light is easy on the eyes, and yet there's plenty of light to fill the car's cabin.

A few assorted observations...

Current draw of old incandescent bulb = 0.8 amps
Current draw of new LED conversion = 0.05 amps
LED Side Marker = Blazer International #CW1586A  $4.97 USD*
*These lights sealed, which adds a few minutes to the job.  If a suitable unsealed light is available, the unit will be easier to take apart.
Many people will have the odds and ends on hand to complete the job, but I threw in an extra dollar for solder, wire, etc...

Step 1 Harvesting the old/existing 12V fixture...

Disconnect NEG battery terminal or pull the appropriate fuse and remove the lighting fixture from the vehicle.

Remove old bulb & holder, but take a look at the wiring and contacts; they  may come in handy.

With my car, the dome light was a bit more complex than some.  When the light was working, it had a time delay and fade-out which I actually found annoying.  This added feature required a small circuit board, which had to be removed. 

The sliding switch was still good and allowed the typical DOOR/ON/OFF choices.

Comments

[jayhawk67]

I am skeered

[l8nite]

nicely done ! I didn't realize that the leds were colored in the marker lights

[cheapchuck]

Thanks,  I was surprised to find amber LEDs inside as well.  At first I was concerned about how well the amber light would work, but it really works well and it doesn't blind you at night like the white light does.