When LEDs Die - How To Diagnose Bad Bulbs

    I am a HUGE fan of LED lighting. If you choose the right bulbs (I prefer Warm White) you can substantially reduce your energy use. If you boondock a lot, like me, this is a blessing. Use less power...stay longer without using your generator. If you have Solar Charging, you can design a system that will allow you to stay indefinitely. Well, as long as your water and black tanks hold out! I had replaced all my incandescent light bulbs a couple of years ago, the other day I noticed that the one in the bathroom dual fixture was not turning on reliably. Hmmm, now what?

Failed LED Light Array

First, open the fixture. The one I have simply has a plastic translucent cover over the bulbs. Squeeze it a bit at the edge and it pops out quite easily. Since the light needed to go all in one direction, I chose the LED bulb style that has 42 LEDs facing the same direction mounted on a plate. Wires run from the plate to a bulb base that replaces your existing bulb. You then peel the sticky tape on the back of the plate and adhere it to the fixture. Tuck the wires out of the way (I used a piece of Gaffer's tape to stick it to the reflector) and you're all set. Of course, test the light placement first! (Don't ask how I know...)

LED Array Light With Circuit Board Transformer

I turned the light on (of course it worked fine now!) then wiggled the socket a bit. It turned off and on! AHA!! found you! I removed the bulb base piece, cleaned the socket with some sand paper and re-inserted the base. Still intermittent...hmmm...Why? It then occurred to me that the tape had let go and the LED array (the thing on the plate) was just wedged between the reflector and  and the bulb cover. When I opened the fixture it fell out, tugging on the two VERY small gauge wires. When I played with the wires a bit, the light turned on. AHA, Again! I would just remove the base completely and wire it directly into the socket. Bad move. Once I cut the base off and then stripped and connected the wires, the light looked "wrong" it was much brighter and had an odd color. It also heated up FAST! Soon a bunch of the LEDs were flickering and going out. I shut it off immediately, but the damage had been done.

I've managed to cook a 20 dollar light bulb, "Oh Goody."

Look! NOW They Have A Warning!!

I have no one to blame but myself. "Haste makes Waste!" Nothing said could be truer. If I had bothered to look IN the base, I would have noticed that under the epoxy filler, there is a tiny circuit board. This device regulates the amount of power going to the LEDs. Without it, whatever comes out of your RV 12V power system goes into the bulb. My batteries were charging, to almost 15V scorched through the LEDs and caused them to overheat and fail. I probably could have simply removed the epoxy and re-soldered the wires and all would have been well. Live and Learn. I have a replacement coming from the dealer. It's an exact match...I hope. I also ordered some cheap ones that are similar off e-bay. Just in case! All of them say they can run on 8-30 volts. Perfect for RV use. Of course, if you hit 30 volts on a 12 volt RV system you have other issues! (FYI: The 30 volts is typically used on a 24 Volt system)


After receiving the replacement, I re-installed it using the basic idea. The new one has the peel and stick tape on the back, PLUS 4 pads of 3M VHB backed velcro. Obviously, I am NOT the only one that had heat related sticking problems! There is also now a warning on the bag telling you NOT to wire it directly. Sure, NOW they tell me! I also noticed the wires are slightly heavier duty. Hey, being an early adopter has its' downsides. No worries, all fixed now AND I've learned an important lesson (Again!) Look before you leap. Observe, Analyze, THEN Act!)

Moral of the story? Just because something appears to be broken one way....it may be broken in another. LEDs are fantastic additions to the RV universe. They work very well most times. Just like anything else....you've got to know its (and your) limitations!

Be Seeing You...Down The Road,
Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com

Ditch The Dongle! - Easier Internet Access On The Road

    A few years ago I had to figure out how to have reasonable internet access speeds while traveling on the road. I mean...I HAD to make sure I could write these articles no matter where I was! At that point the best bet was a USB "dongle" from Sprint with a portable router that was compatible with it. That gave me 4G speeds for every device within the tiny router's range. But the router was power hungry and need recharging quite often.That limited the amount of use pretty dramatically.

Now...there is a better way.

The "Dongle"

I used to have a Sprint data plan only. This just meant I had no voice calling and for the USB dongle I didn't have the ability to use it anyway. The best part about it? It was unlimited. No caps on data at all. It was an "all you can eat" plan, grandfathered in from a few years ago. Mainly I did this since my Verizon phone, at the time, wasn't capable of being a "hotspot" for WiFi. What's all that mean? Simply, I couldn't use my phone as a router so that all my devices that needed internet access could get online at the same time. I could "tether" the phone via USB to a laptop, but that didn't work with my ultra-lite android based tablet/netbook from Asus. When I finally was forced into getting a new phone. (Yes, I had a Motorola StarTac forever! Sue me...it worked GREAT!) The new phone had WiFi hotspot capability AND a great data plan. So I could ditch 2 pieces of equipment (one that required frequent charging!)  for just my phone!

The "Dongle" Connected To The Router

Be aware, if you have a phone with a limited data plan, it is very easy to go above those limits when using it for internet access. Take a look at your plan and figure out how much you use on a regular, monthly basis. Usually, you can set your phone to alert you when you get to a set amount...so you don't go over.

I haven't tried using the phone...as a phone...when accessing the internet. So I am unsure whether that will work. It's rare I have to be on the phone AND go online at the same time, so it may not come up at all. The downside? Well, I used to have the Sprint dongle and a Verizon phone so I had two different networks to choose from. Sometimes one will work when the other doesn't. Now I am down to one network. Depending where you travel, this may or may not be an issue at all. I tend to be "off the beaten path" so good signal can be hard to come by.

As always...Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV) so test it out for yourself before taking the plunge. What works for me..MAY NOT work for you. Probably will be fine, but Who Knows?

Be Seeing You...Down The Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com

Short Trips Can Be Fun - Where to Go? And How To Do It!

    I bought my RV so when I had 2 or more days to string together into an mini-vacation, I could just go. No reservations, no packing. Just pick a direction and set off for parts unknown. After trying that for a while, it became obvious that a tiny bit of pre-planning would be beneficial. Having a destination, even a few choices, makes the road travel section of a short trip more efficient. Besides, I've found more cool places to visit that are relatively close by, simply by doing the trip research. Believe me, on a short trip it's better to maximize the relaxation and minimize the rushing around!

Begin by figuring out how much time you have in total. For example, let's say I just found out that I will have a Saturday and a Sunday off. (Not that this really ever happens! but...you get the idea) On a two day jaunt I try and limit travel time to 4 hours total. At an average speed of 60MPH (obviously put in you own speeds here!) you can go 240 Miles in that time. That's a decent range. Now look for interesting things within a 240 mile circle from your home base. Look online and/or at your past trips to see what's in easy driving range.  You'll be VERY surprised at how much there is to do close by.

So figure you work Friday until....whatever time. The way I do it? I get home, turn on the RV fridge to cool down overnight. Make sure I have all the perishables ready to go stored in my home fridge. Pack any last minute essentials, with the exception of things like milk, meat, etc. I try and figure out what kinds of fresh food I'm going to cook while away. Sometimes, if there's time, I pre-cut and/or clean vegetables or even pre-cook some pasta to use in a recipe. Anything to make the trip less work and more relaxing. Not that I find cooking like work! Cleaning up on the other hand... My RV stands fully ready to go, so I don't have much to pack. Sometimes some odds and ends, clothing wise and a few pieces of electronics. The laptop...you get the idea. Next, get a good night's sleep! This is critical. You'll want to leave early in the AM to beat any traffic, have a pleasant relaxed drive, and maximize your time at your destination. Sometimes I leave the night before, get to my destination and make a quick meal. Then I relax and sleep. I do agree that the journey is often just as fun!

Now let's talk about where to go. I prefer (almost exclusively) to boondock. My RV is fully self sufficient for up to 14 days by myself and around 10 days with a passenger. Seeing that these trips are much less that that...I can camp almost anywhere. I look for off the beaten path places, ideally next to a lake or stream. MAKE SURE YOU ARE ALLOWED TO BE THERE!!!!! There are plenty of Federal, State, County, Town , Village, etc. parks that you can easily get permission to be at for a couple of days. I'm fortunate that I have many friends with property all around the state. Not only do I get a nice place to stay, I get to visit with them, cook a meal, laugh...well, you get the idea! It's supposed to be a relaxing vacation.

In addition to plain old beautiful places, I've gone to Aviation museums, Giant outdoor sports mega-stores, balloon launches, historic places, you name it...I'll try it. Always looking for something new.

All in all...I'd like to have more time to Wander. Eventually, I'll be able to retire and travel the highways and byways of this great country. But for now, I'll take what I can get!

Be Seeing You... Down The Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com

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