scud24 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Hi all, Iam now thinking about replacing my Halogen spot lights on the interior of my Autosleeper Ravenna with slow draw LED replacements..I have pulled one of the Existing halogen bulbs out and from the looks of it,it is a G4 halogen(it has two small pins that just push up into two small holes in the socket).My question is...are all G4 lights the same ie the two pins are the same length etc?and can anybody recommend a particular G4 LED light,there are so many different sizes and shapes(i was looking at the 15LED tower bulb from Aten lighting).I have had no luck at the local caravan shop so iam going to have to buy them off the net hence i want to know iam buying the correct type.Any advise as always is gratefully received.Thankyou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 You might want to look at this current thread on the "Hints and Tips" forum http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=28544&posts=4 As far the connecting 'pins' are concerned, as far as I'm aware the length of the pins of any LED bulb suitable for replacing a G4 halogen bulb will be much the same, as will the pins' diameter and distance apart. HOWEVER (as you've discovered) LED bulbs designed for the G4 connector come in a variety of designs, and light/colour outputs. It's possible that the design of the your Ravenna's light-fittings will force you to use a particular design of LED replacement bulb. For example, if the original halogen G4 bulb is vertical and in the centre of the light-fitting (eg. if the fitting is the traditional 'spotlight' type), you may be compelled to use the 'tower' design of LED bulb you've mentioned. Assuming that there is only one design of LED bulb appropriate for your Ravenna's lights, I suggest you opt for a 'warm white' colour (if there's a choice between 'warm white' or 'cool white') and with an output 'wattage' at least equivalent to that of the halogen G4 bulb being replaced. I note that Aten Lighting's 15 LED bulb's output is said to be close to that of 10W G4 halogen, whereas the Aten 18 LED bulb's output is said to be equivalent to that of a 20W G4 halogen. Me, I'd err on the side of more output than less, but (as I suggested before) your Ravenna's light-fittings may limit you dimensionally regarding replacement bulb suitability. Aten Lighting has a good reputation, but, if you intend to replace a significant number of halogen bulbs, you might want to consider purchasing a small sample of LED bulbs before committing to buying, say, ten identical LED bulbs only to discover subsequently that you dislike their colour and/or their light-output (or, even worse, that they won't fit!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T8LEY Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 scud24 - 2012-08-10 12:46 PM Hi all, Iam now thinking about replacing my Halogen spot lights on the interior of my Autosleeper Ravenna with slow draw LED replacements..I have pulled one of the Existing halogen bulbs out and from the looks of it,it is a G4 halogen(it has two small pins that just push up into two small holes in the socket).My question is...are all G4 lights the same ie the two pins are the same length etc?and can anybody recommend a particular G4 LED light,there are so many different sizes and shapes(i was looking at the 15LED tower bulb from Aten lighting).I have had no luck at the local caravan shop so iam going to have to buy them off the net hence i want to know iam buying the correct type.Any advise as always is gratefully received.Thankyou You may find this link useful: http://www.ledlightingexplained.com/led-lighting-suppliers/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Remove one of the halogen light fittings from your motorhome and take it to any of the stands at a show and they will find you the correct LED replacement for it. Its only a very few screws if not just a clip to remove it! C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 Clive - 2012-08-10 4:23 PM Remove one of the halogen light fittings from your motorhome and take it to any of the stands at a show and they will find you the correct LED replacement for it. Its only a very few screws if not just a clip to remove it! C. Potential snags with that suggestion are a) the motorhome may have several different light-fittings, b) it won't be relevant if on-line purchase is being planned (as it is here) and c) although an LED bulb suitable for each light-fitting could be obtained at a Show, that bulb won't necessarily be the ideal one for the motorhome. (I seem to recall that your initial foray into LED bulb replacement resulted in you opting for a batch of 'cool white' LED bulbs that you rapidly regretted purchasing.) I don't think there should be much difficulty deciding which BASIC design of LED bulb will be suitable for a motorhome light-fitting that carries a G4 halogen bulb. If the light-fitting is this type: http://www.thecaravanshop.co.uk/12-volt-lighting/spot-lights/lumo-halogen-mini-spotlight-brass/prod_262.html then a 'tower' design of LED bulb like this will probably be needed: http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/acdc-warm-white-bulb-1w18w-p-2087.html If the light-fitting is this type: http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/interior-light-fittings/108212440 then a 'side-pin' design of LED bulb like this example is probably the only choice: http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/warm-white-bulb-13w12w-p-1456.html Even when the BASIC design of the replacement LED bulb has been established, there's still the matter of the practicability of fitting it into the light unit. My Hobby has 6 lights originally fitted with 12V MR16 halogen bulbs and 9 lights originally fitted with sideways-mounted 12V G4 halogen bulbs, with 3 of the latter lights being larger diameter than the others. The MR16 halogen bulbs have been replaced by MR16 LED equivalents (because that's the only choice), while the other 9 lights have been replaced with this design of LED bulb http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/warm-white-bulb-13w12w-p-1456.html With the smaller diameter Hobby G4-bulb lights, the LED bulb only just goes in and a similar design, but larger diameter, LED bulb would not fit. My G4-bulb lights have protective glass covers above the halogen bulb. I've been able to retain these covers after the LED replacement bulb has been fitted, but it's worth being aware that this is not always possible. A light-fitting with a G4 halogen bulb commonly includes a reflector to direct the bulb's light-output. Replacing the halogen bulb with an LED bulb having the design I chose means that the light-fitting's reflector becomes redundant and the angle of the beam the light-fitting now produces is down to the angle the LED bulb provides. There will be a degree of pot-luck in how close the performance of light-fittings fitted with LED replacement bulbs come to the performance provided by their original halogen bulbs. The performance may be equivalent, or better, or a lot worse. That's why I suggested that, once the basic design of the LED replacement bulb has been selected, it might be wise to get samples to confirm that you will be happy with the replacements. There's a good deal of earlier forum discussion on this. Picking the bones from the relevant following threads may be useful http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/search/query.asp?action=search&searchforumid=all&keywords=bulb+replacement&author=derek+uzzell&days=&Submit=Search Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 My original suggestion still stands. However I would add that the brightest whitest LEDS were a bit harsh for us and we subsequently changed them at no cost at a subsequent show with the same vendor to warm white. But there are loads of words on this subject in the various motorhome mags or on-line. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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