Author Topic: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements  (Read 21855 times)

Dulcinea

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OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« on: August 22, 2011, 12:51:05 PM »
Hi Guys - Dulcinea is a 1978 boat and one of the original cabin light bulbs is out.  (Guess it's amazing that after 33+ years only one is out.)  I've looked on Defender and they didn't seem to have anything close.  Any one know a vendor for these bulbs?
Dennis
« Last Edit: January 01, 2013, 02:55:06 AM by SeaFever »

Rusty Pelican

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2011, 09:10:23 AM »
I have burnt out about three over the years.
The bulb is a standard single contact bayonet bulb.
I have switched burnt outs to LED, the larger the LED cluster the more light.
Some LED are too white, so beware

Dolce_Vita

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2011, 11:08:57 AM »
These are 20W, single-contact, 15mm, bayonet-base bulbs (base style BA15S).  West Marine carries them.

I've been replacing mine with LED units.  They produce somewhat less light, but consume much less power,
typically 1 - 3 watts.  They also run much cooler so there's no danger of burning your fingers as
you reach for the rocker switch.

There are two different color ranges: blue-white and warm-white.  You want warm white.

There are also two different styles: flood and spot.  I've been using the flood type at the
nav station and in the two in the V-berth, and spots in the four in the main cabin.

The flood type bulbs are the "six pack", available from MarineBeam:
http://store.marinebeam.com/ba6smdpoclis.html

The spot type bulbe are BA15S-WLX1, available from SuperBrightLEDs:
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&category=OTHER&Page2Disp=%2Fspecs%2FBA15S-WLX.htm#photos

Both of these units use an internal buck-boost regulator to maintain constant brightness and
prolong life in the constantly varying voltages that are typical in a marine environment.
It makes them pricy, but well worth it.
« Last Edit: August 23, 2011, 11:53:10 AM by Dolce_Vita »
@(^.^)@  Ed
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with rebuilt Atomic-4

selene

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2011, 10:16:22 PM »
Useful info, thanks Ed. I was tempted to buy the SuperBright spots; good to hear they worked out for you. I have just ordered 4!

BTW, I also have the MarineBeam floods in the v-berth; they work well there, and use very little energy.

Libations Too

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2013, 02:20:32 PM »
I'm thinking of replacing the cabin bulbs with LED before this coming cruising season. These earlier suggestions look good to me. Does anyone have updated comments or performance reviews that I should consider before ordering?

When I clicked on the MarineBeam link it redirected me to a different bulb for "eyeball" fixtures...Item BA-01. Are these the ones others have used? The BA-01 bulbs are rated at 250mA and 180 lumen rather than the 120 mA and 72 lumen for the "six-gun" bulbs and are presumably brighter. The Super Brights are only 110 mA and 55 lumen.

Any thoughts?

Thanks
Richard

GusF16

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #5 on: February 07, 2013, 11:05:18 PM »
I just started down this path too. I bought a couple similar to those mentioned in earlier posts, but they are shorter and sit well up inside the eyeball.  I'd like to find ones similar to the ones you mentioned (item ba-01 at marinebeam.com) since their website is showing that item sold out. No luck finding them on any other site, yet.  Marinebeam does also have ba-9 size LEDs that I have ordered to replace other lights in the galley and head.

Ryan

Dolce_Vita

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2013, 10:17:38 AM »
When I clicked on the MarineBeam link it redirected me to a different bulb for "eyeball" fixtures...Item BA-01. Are these the ones others have used? The BA-01 bulbs are rated at 250mA and 180 lumen rather than the 120 mA and 72 lumen for the "six-gun" bulbs and are presumably brighter. The Super Brights are only 110 mA and 55 lumen.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Hi Richard,

  These look really interesting.  The two bulbs I used (referenced above) are a bit tricky to get into the OEM fixtures becaues they fully fill it and you can't grasp the bulb from the sides while installing them.  You have to sort of lay your thumb across the face and apply pressure while twisting.

If you're at all concerned with a daily power budget while cruising, I'd use the BA-01s sparingly, as they consume more than twice the power of the ones I used (But still about a third of the OEM halogens!).   I would consider them for places where you could use the extra brightness, such as the two fixtures on the stbd side behind the settee.

The other thing I did was to replace the GE 90 in the dome light in the galley area with one of these:

http://store.marinebeam.com/ba9smdpomaar.html  (double contact BA15D)

About three times the light for one third the power.  Just stick it to the reflector with double-sided foam tape.
@(^.^)@  Ed
1977 P-323 #42 "Dolce Vita"
with rebuilt Atomic-4

selene

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2013, 11:11:51 AM »
Ed, thanks for the tip on the kitchen dome - I was wondering how to convert it - I'll have to do that!

For cabin lights, after a load of research I also ended up between MarineBeam and Superbright.

I ended up with the MarineBeam "6 Gun" (Item# BA-1156-1142-06) which seem to work fine.  I did not see the BA-1 when I ordered these - about a year ago - and I must admit a bit brighter than 72 lumens would be nice, but with "night vision" I can still read a book with them.

I did try the SuperBright LEDs, but did not like the light output or color, and returned them (I ordered from both MarineBeam and SuperBright at the same time to do a comparison).  Probably a personal thing. However, I did keep some of the SuperBright red clusters for my courtesy lights (I have two at floor level in the main cabin).

Dolce_Vita

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #8 on: February 08, 2013, 01:55:59 PM »
I'm surprised at your comment on the Superbright LED's color.   I've found them pretty much the same color as the Marine Beam 6-guns.

Are you sure you received the warm-white (BA15S-WWLX1) and not the "natural white" (BA15S-NWLX1)?  The "natural white" ones are quite blue to my eye, and create a ghastly lighting in the cabin.

Although the BA15S-WWLX1 only has a 55 lumen output, its narrow 30-degree spot beam has a greater brightness within the "spot" than the 72-lumen/120-degree 6-gun, as the 55 lumens are concentrated into a smaller area. 

The BA-01 advertizes  a 100-degree beam and a 180 lumen output, so it may be perceived as brighter than the BA15S-WWLX1, as it's spreading out its 180 lumens over about 3 times the area of the BA15S-WWLX1 (Don't remember enough spherical trigonometry to do the exact number!).  In any event,  it will cover a wider area than the BA15S-WWLX1, and will at least be brighter than the Marine-Beam six-gun.  I'll probably try them  by the settee when they're back in stock.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2013, 03:12:24 PM by Dolce_Vita »
@(^.^)@  Ed
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selene

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #9 on: February 08, 2013, 07:32:32 PM »
Yeah, it was the "Warm White" (BA15S-WWLX1). In my very subjective side by side comparison I preferred the MarineBeam.  Maybe it was the 120 degree vs the 30 degree which effected my assessment.  Do let us know how the BA-01 works out; I still have a couple of old lights left to upgrade, and the BA-01 may be a better option for reading lights (e.g. v-berth), with the 6-gun providing better diffuse light (due to its increased angle) in the main cabin.  Anyhow, a productive discussion - thank you.

Libations Too

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #10 on: February 08, 2013, 08:16:05 PM »
I have contacted MarineBeam asking when item BA-01 will again be available. No response yet....
Richard

Libations Too

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #11 on: February 26, 2013, 01:34:21 PM »
Just got a response from Jeff at MarineBeam. Item BA-01 should be restocked and available in two weeks.

Interestingly, I sent him a photo of the 323 cabin light fixture (the swivel ones where it is easy to burn ones fingers while changing the position) and he suggested another bulb: BA 1383-08 http://store.marinebeam.com/ba-1383-08.html

The 1383 appears to be very similar to the "6 gun" bulb referenced earlier but with 8 LEDs. The specs say 130 lumens, 120mA, and 120 degree beam spread. The 1383 comes in two lengths. I now need to get to the boat to determine the length of the incandescents....unless anyone here has that information. This bulb sounds pretty good to me...about 1/10th energy use compared to the incandescent. Does anyone have this bulb installed? How does it compare to the incandescent?
« Last Edit: February 28, 2013, 10:12:58 AM by Libations Too »
Richard

selene

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #12 on: February 26, 2013, 06:25:17 PM »
The incandescent bulbs are 64.28mm (2.53") high, from dome to tip of contact, and 37.97mm (1.495") at the widest.

As I mentioned I have the BA-1156-06 "six gun", warm white, for the main cabin.   I like the color and spread; I would have preferred more light output but at the time the 9-LEDs were either too expensive or unavailable, can't remember.  LED technology is improving so fast!  If I had to do it again, I would use the 9 LED bulbs.  With their low power consumption they are awesome replacements for the incandescents.

FYI, I also installed the BA-1156-1142-04, which I think may have been replaced by the BA-01, as v-berth reading lights. Narrower beam, but more lumens.

The only disadvantage is that the LED bulbs are a bit short for our swivel fixtures, and so it can be difficult to get the bulbs in and out.

MarineBeam were good to work with, and as I recall had a good return policy, so you may want to consider one of each to try out before you make a full order....let us know how it works out!


Libations Too

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #13 on: March 13, 2013, 08:27:48 PM »
Thanks Selene for the measurements!

I ordered four of the 2-inch 1383 "8 gun" LEDs...and they arrived today. BTW...I asked Jeff at MarineBeam if he had special boat show pricing or any discounts and he gave me a 10% discount....pretty nice!. Jeff was also very helpful and courteous as I continued to ask questions and gather more details. I originally asked if the Item BA-1 would be a good fit for our fixtures (I sent him a photo) and he steered me toward the 1383 instead. Then, when I realized that the 2-inch bulb would not protrude from our fixtures and that the bulb would require "fingers on the LEDs" pressure and twist to get it into the socket, Jeff assured me that it would be difficult to damage the bulb during installation.

I have an overnight at anchor planned for this weekend and will have a chance to evaluate these new LEDs. I'll post my review as soon as I have time after returning.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2013, 08:29:24 PM by Libations Too »
Richard

Alma

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Re: OEM Cabin Light Bulb Replacements
« Reply #14 on: March 16, 2013, 12:27:59 PM »
I have some of the original bulbs. I installed LED lighting behind the wooden panels that access the fasteners for the rigging and sheet tracks. PM me if you want new old stock lightbulbs.

You can see the installation details in Cruising World Magazine June 2012