Hi guys, Way off topic, but you guys have been so helpful in the past, and i KNOW you know the answers, so one cant but ask!
We are doing a camper van conversion, and i have found some sweet "decking lights" for internal lighting.
They are sealed, "3LEDs and a resistor", units, designed to run at 12V (off a transformer, the junction box is a simple parrallel arrangement)
Problem is, the vehicle battery will produced between 11 and 14V depending on charge condition and if the alternator is running.
What would the panel suggest is the best way to protect the LEDs from over driving and burning out? My limited electronics knowledge indicates that a resistor would limit the current provided, and dim them down a notch, reducing the "overdrive" current down to regular current. This would also dim them down over ALL voltage ranges i guess?
Could i use a variable resistor, which is left in a posion of "higher" resistance for the majority of the time, but should the LEDs prove to be too dim, lower the resistance to bring the brightness back up, or does it not work like that?
the other option is a voltage regulator, which doesnt actuallly affect the current drawn(?) but would prevent these 14v peaks?
For your information, i have measured the current drawn over 8 lighting units, as 0.11A by connecting the junction box up to a 12v drill battery. (the battery was recorded as giving out 12.6V, but had been used quite hard today, so does that limit the availible current?)
a little clarification would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all.
O