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Fluorescent lighting is used extensively in many motorcoaches and trailers. Ten years ago it was the best choice to replace the hot incandescent bulbs. It reduces the power consumption by a factor of two or three to produce the same amount of light, and the expected lifetime of the tubes is about five times as long.

LEDs have become more advanced, and now offer a better alternative to the fluorescent light, reducing power consumption by another factor of three, and extending the lifetime another twenty times as long.

The market has consolidated, and the primary supplier today is ThinLite Corporation out of Camarillo, CA. Their 600 series and 700 series of fixtures is the most commonly used. 

This store offers two solutions to using LEDs instead of fluorescents. The fLEDescent™ modification kits use zipLED™ connectivity to convert standard 12-volt ThinLite fluorescent fixtures into LED fixtures in RVs and Boats. The other solution is to use LightStrips to replace the tubes in a fluorescent.

The fLEDescent modification for fluorescent fixtures requires removing the ballast and tubes before installing the mounting plate and zipLEDs. LightStrips can be mounted in the the space used by the tubes, but should be protected by a voltage regulator. You will find these products here:

fLEDescent™ Kits
LightStrips for Fluorescent Fixtures

The fLEDescent product comes as a kit for modifying an existing fluorescent fixture. The kit contains instructions and templates, an aluminum mounting plate to go inside the fixture, zipLED LightSticks to mount onto the plate, and a zipLED wiring harnass with mounting hardware.

You can download the Instructions here to preview the process. The Adobe PDF Reader is required to read the instructions.

The different kits have different sized mounting plates and different quantities of LightSticks, keyed to the following set of the ThinLite fluorescent fixtures:

ThinLite	Tube	Fixture	Tube	Fixture	Fixture	lumen	lumen
model	Length	width	type	amps	watts	rating	useful**
612	12"	5.53"	F8T5-cw	1.4	16	800	500
616	18"	5.53"	F15T8-cw	2.2	30	1650	1100
652	12"	7.3"	F8T5-cw	1.4	16	800	500
656	18"	7.3"	F15T8-cw	2.2	30	1650	1100

**Though fluorescent tubes have a high rated lumenosity, they fail to deliver that mount of useful light because their position in the fixture blocks some of the light getting out and because too much of the measured lumenosity is in the high frequencies, including ultraviolet. The useful lighting is about 65% of the total.

The table shows there are two standard tube lengths, 12" and 18", which determine the length of the mounting plate. The width of the required mounting plate depends upon the width of the fixture. The 652 and 656 are wider to cover the hole in the ceiling left after removing a recessed 700 series ThinLite fixture.

If you do not have one of these ThinLite models, choose the one just a little bigger than what you have and then it can be cut down to size. For instance, some recessed fixtures require that the mounting plate simply lay on the back of the lense cover, rather than fit tightly into the fixture. This is explained in the instructions.
  

per one-foot segment Add to Cart ships from stock	LightStrip SL00: the SL00 spaces 3 white HyBright.3 LEDs over a foot. The SL00 is suitable for installations where very low-level background lighting is required. 3 HyBright.3 LED chips per      one-foot strip 9 LEDs, CW open wiring for connection at one end      up to 50 SL00s can connected in series 60 lumens per foot      wide-angle      all light directed perpendicular to strip 12 volts nominal      11 to 13.8 volt operating range       regulated power required 0.06 amps per foot      3.0 amps for 50 SL00s in series 0.72 watts per foot      36 watts per 50 feet 100,000 hour lifetime Color Options: (C) Cool White (W) Warm White
per one-foot segment Add to Cart ships from stock	LightStrip SL0: the SL0 spaces 6 white HyBright.3 LEDs over a foot. The SL0 is suitable for installations where low- to mid-level lighting is required. 6 HyBright.3 LED chips per      one-foot strip 18 LEDs, CW open wiring for connection at one end      up to 25 SL0s can connected in series 120 lumens per foot      wide-angle      all light directed perpendicular to strip 12 volts nominal      11 to 13.8 volt operating range       regulated power required 0.12 amps per foot      3.0 amps for 25 SL0s in series 1.44 watts per foot      36 watts per 25 feet 100,000 hour lifetime Color Options: (C) Cool White (W) Warm White
per 3-inch increment Add to Cart one-foot lengths ship from stock	LightStrip SL1: the SL1 spaces 12 white HyBright.3 LEDs over a foot. The SL1 is suitable for installations where mid- to hi-level lighting is required. 12 HyBright.3 LED chips per      one-foot strip 36 LEDs, CW open wiring for connection at one end      up to 12 SL1s can connected in series 240 lumens per foot      wide-angle      all light directed perpendicular to strip 12 volts nominal      11 to 13.8 volt operating range       regulated power required 0.24 amps per foot      3.0 amps for 12 SL1s in series 2.88 watts per foot      36 watts per 12 feet 100,000 hour lifetime Color Options: (C) Cool White (W) Warm White
per 5 cm increment Add to Cart up to 5 meter lengths allow three weeks to ship	TapeLight TL1: the TL1 TapeLight (sometimes called RibbonLight) spaces three HyBright.1 LED chips over each 5 centimeter segment of a flexible, peel-and-stick tape, suitable for modest intensity lighting requirements. Note that these LED chips are one third the lumenosity of the HyBright.3 LED chips. Use for innovative indirect or linear lighting along irregular lines. Up to twenty-meters (~65 feet) of TapeLight Strip Lighting (requiring 3 Amps) can be wired in series without excessive voltage degradation. 3 HyBright.1 LED chips in each      5-centimeter (~ 2-inch) segment      (~6 segments per foot) Reels of TapeLight are 5-meters long      cuttable in 5-centimeter increments ~18 LEDs per foot Cool or Warm White plus      other native LED colors      RGB cycling colors w/controller open wiring for connection at one end up to 20 meters (~65 feet) of TapeLight     can be connected in series 400 lumens per meter, 120 lumens per foot      unidirectional, 120 degree 12 volts nominal      11 to 13.8 volt operating range 0.125 amps per foot 1.5 watts per foot 100,000 hour lifetime Length Options (in 5-cm increments): cut to order custom lengths      from 5 cm to 5 meters Color Options: (CW) Cool White, (WW) Warm White, (R) Red, (G) Green, (B) Blue, (RGB) R-G-B cycling      (requires controller, call for quote)
Add to Cart ships from stock	SEW1-10A ON/OFF and Dimmer: Tap the SWE1 to turn power ON or OFF, or hold to vary the power pulse width modulation (PWM) from 0% to 100% and back, effectively dimming the LEDs The module handles up to 10-amps of 12-volt DC and comes with adhesive backing.
Add to Cart ships from stock	VR12-3A Inline Voltage Regulator: This in-line 12-volt, 3amp regulator keeps the 12-volt line voltage to LED appliances in an operating range that will not damage the LEDs, even while working with resistive and electronic dimmers. It comes with built-in polarity, thermal, and short circuit protection. It has double-stick adhesive tape on the back for mounting on a heat-sink surface.
Add to Cart ships in 2-3 weeks	PS1.2A12V Regulated Power Supply: The PS1.2A12V power supply accessory provides 1.5 watts of regulated 12-volt power for LightBlasters' LightStrips and other LED appliances. It converts 120vac to 12vdc, providing up to 1.2 amps. It plugs into standard 15-amp AC wall receptacle with a 6 foot pigtail providing the ground and +12v. The key issue is voltage regulation. certain LED devices, like the LightStrips, can be damaged by the voltage variations found in some RVs. Using a regulated supply protects them from damage. This power supply can also be used in a residential home to service up to LED clusters up to 15 watts.