Cheap way to convert to LED Dome lights

I have the delusions that I will do some dry camping (no hookups) and that conserving battery power will be important. Still, I find the prices of 12-volt LED bulbs that will go into the 1156 socket in my dome lights to be way too high.

I picked up a LED array in Lowes (in the light bulb isle) for $8.99 plust tax. It is designed to replace a halogen bulb in landscape lighting. It is 12-volt, though the package doesn't say so.

I took the old 1156 bulb down to just the brass, and did a little engineering to create a two-prong socket within it. I put the base in, and the LED array plugs right in. Almost as much nice white light, and no heat. I love it.

Here's the engineering. I had a female CATV outlet in my junk box. This one wasn't a double female, but instead had a lead in the center to attach the center wire of the coax. I trimmed this down to a small nub. I covered the bottom with a disc of electrical tape, with the nub sticking through the center. I reamed out the hole in the bottom of the 1156 brass and inserted the female CATV outlet end. The nut that came with it went on inside the brass to hold everything tight.

One leg of the LED bulb/Array plugs into the center hole, and the other rubs against the threads of the female end. It works great and stays in place.

pictures, please!

I am a visual learner and reading that had my brain going in circles - now, if I see it, that is a different story.

OK, the simple version. I jerry-rigged a way to make the LED bulb plug into the old bulb base, then plugged all that into the 12-volt socket.

Nice white light and no heat.

Cool... I need to change mine but I too was not enjoying the prices that I was seeing.

TEllis wrote:Cool... I need to change mine but I too was not enjoying the prices that I was seeing.

Maybe the prices will come down. One cannot really justify switching out all of their lights in their RV. Maybe when the RV manufactures start using led's in their new product lines the prices may drop.

I'm not going to change out the tail-lights, but if the experiment holds up for a road trip or two, I'll change out my two other dome lights, the porch light, and the bunk end fan that Mr. Trimmer and Crawford gave me.