I am in the process of converting my cabin lights with LED bulbs. The only one that works is the one next to the Elec. Panel. The other cabin lights don't come on and I am thinking is is due to reverse polarities. By the way I have an 80 E25+. How is the best way to change the polarity? Can I do it in the Elec. Panel? Thanks for your responses.
LED Light Polarity
- Thread starter Jdoyel
- Start date
exoduse35
Sustaining Member
First are they still working with the old lights? Next, will the working LED bulb work in the other sockets and the non working bulbs work in the working outlet? If all is yes then the answer to your question is yes, maybe. It depends on how the boat was wired. If done properly, there is a ground buss at the panel that all the loads grounds are run to. and power ran from the various breakers to the loads. When a new load is added one wire from each is ran to the load. If this is the case, then trading those two wires at the panel will reverse the polarity and you are done. However, it is often the case that the ground wires come from a variety of "convenient Places" and this will make the switch at the panel difficult or impossible. It is probably easiest to switch the wires at each outlet as then it will not matter where the wires connect at the other end. Edd
Thanks Edd for the response. All of the lights work with the incandescent bulbs. The fixture next to the Elec. Panel is on a different circuit and is the only one that works with the LED light bulb. The other cabin light fixtures are on a different circuit labeled Cabin Lights. Looking forward to getting them operating.
Jerry
Fresno, CA
Jerry
Fresno, CA
Greg Ross
Not the newest member
What type bases do you have
When I did my conversion I wanted to retain the existing fixtures and was using socket adaptors that converted the old stock bayonet "two contact" socket for the new LED "two pin" base. With that arrangement you can reverse polarity right at each socket by turning the adaptor 180 degrees. I used the "Sensibulb" and they were polarity sensative too. Nice warm white color light and equal brightness to the incadescents.
If you're using LEDs that come fitted with the bayonet base you can test one by rotating it 180 deg in the socket. This would at least establish that you need to reverse your polarity.
Hope that helps.
When I did my conversion I wanted to retain the existing fixtures and was using socket adaptors that converted the old stock bayonet "two contact" socket for the new LED "two pin" base. With that arrangement you can reverse polarity right at each socket by turning the adaptor 180 degrees. I used the "Sensibulb" and they were polarity sensative too. Nice warm white color light and equal brightness to the incadescents.
If you're using LEDs that come fitted with the bayonet base you can test one by rotating it 180 deg in the socket. This would at least establish that you need to reverse your polarity.
Hope that helps.
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mherrcat
Contributing Partner
Marine Beam sells a bayonet/G4 adapter that might help. I don't know if it rotates 180-degrees, but it might be enough that you can flip the LED over and thereby reverse the polarity. It might be worth a call to them to find out if that would work.
http://store.marinebeam.com/adapters.html
Edit:
Ooops. Should have re-read your last post! Not sure why reversing the pins on your LED would not reverse the polarity, unless there is some kind of diode circuitry in your LED that protects it for some reason from reversal. In that case it would seem that in one position it would work and in the other position it would not.
I replaced most of my incandescent bulbs with Marine Beam LEDs. Next time I am on the boat I am going to try reversing the pins to see if it works one way and not the other...
http://store.marinebeam.com/adapters.html
Edit:
Ooops. Should have re-read your last post! Not sure why reversing the pins on your LED would not reverse the polarity, unless there is some kind of diode circuitry in your LED that protects it for some reason from reversal. In that case it would seem that in one position it would work and in the other position it would not.
I replaced most of my incandescent bulbs with Marine Beam LEDs. Next time I am on the boat I am going to try reversing the pins to see if it works one way and not the other...
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Greg Ross
Not the newest member
Reversing polarity
It would seem like a path of least resistance to swap wires at each fixture but with wiring buried behind falsework and not having much if any slack to work with it might be cleanest to identify the conductors at the panel/ bussbar end and swap there.
It would seem like a path of least resistance to swap wires at each fixture but with wiring buried behind falsework and not having much if any slack to work with it might be cleanest to identify the conductors at the panel/ bussbar end and swap there.
Tom Metzger
Sustaining Partner
Good practice requires that the positive voltage be on the center terminal of a single contact lamp assembly. The black wire from the lamp should be connected to the positive wire coming from the panel breaker. The wire from the panel breaker, if original, should be pink according to the color code.
A voltmeter should tell the tale.
If you wire it incorrectly the next owner will talk badly of you.
A voltmeter should tell the tale.
If you wire it incorrectly the next owner will talk badly of you.
I have tried turning the LED bulb 180 degrees and does not have any effect because there is only one contact at the bottom of the bulb and also only one contact at the base of the light fixture. Therefore, turning the LED bulb 180 degrees does not work. The only thing I can think of is either switching the wires at each fixture, which is very tight and no extra wire or making a switch at the Elec. Panel. Thanks for all the responses and I plan on working on it this weekend. Will post the results. The volt meter idea sounds good.
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Dave N
Member III
LEDs
I couldn't really find a better place to put this...we replaced all of our interior lights. These are from MarineBeam. They have a bayonet that fits into the bulb socket. The plastic light cover fits over them very nicely. They are brighter than the original bulbs, do not get warm, and use about 1/8th the power. They sell a dimmer which I will probably add for "mood" lighting times.
I couldn't really find a better place to put this...we replaced all of our interior lights. These are from MarineBeam. They have a bayonet that fits into the bulb socket. The plastic light cover fits over them very nicely. They are brighter than the original bulbs, do not get warm, and use about 1/8th the power. They sell a dimmer which I will probably add for "mood" lighting times.
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