Lighting Instrument Bezel

NotEEBen

Nov 25, 2024
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Newbie here. I'm making a night light out of a vintage instrument cluster. I acquired new bulb seats and new bulbs. Bulbs are 7V (DC), 2.9W, 0.41 amp each. Two are powered by a single AC DC Adapter with 12VDC output, 3 amp capacity. I let the unit run for a few days and it seemed fine. It then stopped working and upon inspection, the bulbs are burnt out, silver/black. See photo.

What do I have wrong?

Kindest,
NotEEBen

IMG_0102.jpg
 

Bluejets

Oct 5, 2014
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7v seems an odd voltage to run dash lamps, however your 12v supply will pop them every time.
 

NotEEBen

Nov 25, 2024
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I was wondering but figured 12V car ... 12V supply. Shrugged and moved forward. They must step it down somewhere or my info on the bulbs is bad.

Thanks for the reply!

Kindest,
Ben.
 

NotEEBen

Nov 25, 2024
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I was wondering but figured 12V car ... 12V supply. Shrugged and moved forward. They must step it down somewhere or my info on the bulbs is bad.

Thanks for the reply!

Kindest,
Ben.
Yeah … there is a 12v version of the 55 light bulb on vintage auto sites … right next to the 7v version.
 

Bluejets

Oct 5, 2014
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Why...?? I have a 1978 Celica that has done over 500,000klm with original dash incandescent lamps.
 

Martaine2005

May 12, 2015
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Why...?? I have a 1978 Celica that has done over 500,000klm with original dash incandescent lamps.
I doubt his ‘night light’ in the house requires power hungry incandescent bulbs. Warm white would give a nice original looking glow.
 

NotEEBen

Nov 25, 2024
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I'm changing to LED's from the incandescent. I did not initially find LED's that lined up with the base, desired color and power supply. Since that time, I found these. Thanks guys!

1732639996757.png
 

RW74_Valiant

Nov 15, 2024
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I doubt his ‘night light’ in the house requires power hungry incandescent bulbs. Warm white would give a nice original looking glow.
Some people are OCD, purists, or just don't want to change something from how it originally was.

In my case, I'm extremely OCD about originality. Aesthetics isn't good enough.

My brother though that I wouldn't notice that he'd swapped the bulbs in my tail lights with LEDs.

One thing that I love about incandescent light is actual warmth, not just "warm white."

As to the "power hungry" part.

LED bulbs may run cooler but, in a house, you end up paying for the difference either way, in the winter, with your heating bill.

I tested it.

2022-23, I ran 100% LED bulbs from November to March.

Then, I ran 100% incandescent bulbs from November 2023 to March of this year.

The electric bills were the same amount, exactly.

All of the lights were on timers, set to turn on at 04:30, shut off at 08:30, turn on at 16:30 and turn off at 21:30.

There was no difference in power usage, the meter showed the same data between LED and incandescent bulbs.

The lower heat of the LED bulbs made the heater run just that much longer.

Considering that the house is foam insulated, it was a fairly accurate test with me gone for 6-9 months as an OTR truck driver.

No one went in or out of the house.
 

RW74_Valiant

Nov 15, 2024
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What meter....?
The power meter on my house.

It's wireless, right? I found out how to get the readings on my laptop and, while it's neat and all.

It'll be pretty useless once I go to using 100% hydroelectric for my shop and house.

I've already told the electric company to remove the meter and disconnect my home from county power grid or I can do it for them.

I don't live in a forced utility area so, they have no fallback or recourse.
 

PennyErvin

Dec 26, 2024
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Dec 26, 2024
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Newbie here. I'm making a night light out of a vintage instrument cluster. I acquired new bulb seats and new bulbs. Bulbs are 7V (DC), 2.9W, 0.41 amp each. Two are powered by a single AC DC Adapter with 12VDC output, 3 amp capacity. I let the unit run for a few days and it seemed fine. It then stopped working and upon inspection, the bulbs are burnt out, silver/black. See photo.

What do I have wrong?

Kindest,
NotEEBen
It sounds like your 12V adapter might be supplying too much voltage for your 7V bulbs, which could be causing them to burn out. You might want to check the voltage and current requirements again. Since you're using 12V, the bulbs are likely being overdriven, especially if the power supply doesn’t regulate the output well. Consider using a 7V power supply or adding a resistor to reduce the voltage to the bulbs. Another option is a constant current driver designed for these types of bulbs.
 
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