Does a 1993 Trident use Labcraft lights?

Hi all,

Me again. I've been reading the threads on converting fluorescent lights into LEDs using the strips from Aten Lighting. This seems simple enough, but one thing that doesn't solve is the yellowing of the fixtures and covers. 

I've noticed that Labcraft sell complete LED units which have exactly the same fittings as their fluoro units. However, I'm not sure if the 1993 Trident uses Labcraft lights. Does anyone happen to know? If not, I'll drop AS an email.

Thanks in advance.

Chris

Not intending to be obtuse but, are you intending to purchase complete LED units to replace the old and yellowed ones?

If so, the old lights will probably be screwed to the ceiling with two self tappers and just have a small hole in the ceiling underneath the fitting for the wires to pass through.
There shouldn't be any reason why even a different fitting wouldn't do the job.

Sorry if I've missed the point.

EDIT: ISTR looking at the yellowing issue when I converted our old lights, the squarish Labcraft ones I think, some of them cleaned up very well with a good wash and then some T-Cut to polish the surfaces (works well on scratched and yellowed van windows too).

meanchris wrote:Not intending to be obtuse but, are you intending to purchase complete LED units to replace the old and yellowed ones?

If so, the old lights will probably be screwed to the ceiling with two self tappers and just have a small hole in the ceiling underneath the fitting for the wires to pass through.
There shouldn't be any reason why even a different fitting wouldn't do the job.

Sorry if I've missed the point.

Yeah, that was what I was pondering. I'm looking for the easiest option possible, so swapping an old Labcraft fluoro unit for a new Labcraft LED unit seems as simple as it gets.

Maybe have a look at how the old ones are mounted, the only issue even with different shaped fittings, might be covering one or more small screw holes.

Only my own (opinionated as usual ) thought but, I've found that we use the spotlights far more than the fluoros anyway, and the spots are less efficient as they're G4 halogens.

I feel that it's more cost and power effective to change the halogens than the fluorescents. Those Labcraft LED fittings are flipping expensive.

Alas there aren't any spots in the Trident. Fluoro only! There are 4 x units so at £30 a pop, a complete overhaul of the lighting is £120 which isn't too painful.

All is clear now thanks.

That's not such a huge cost for what will probably feel like a big improvement then.



For soft ambience, how about a strip of remote control colour changing LEDs under the cupboards or window pelmets?

SWMBO loves ours.  

meanchris wrote:All is clear now thanks.

That's not such a huge cost for what will probably feel like a big improvement then.



For soft ambience, how about a strip of remote control colour changing LEDs under the cupboards or window pelmets?

SWMBO loves ours.  

That sounds like it'd need someone vaguely competent to fit!

The appeal (to me) of the conversion of LabCraft lights yourself is that it can be done at relatively low cost, and it doesn't need to be complicated. If you look at some of the older threads here on this there are lots of ways to do it - some simple and some not so simple. I've made mine rather complicated, but others have taken a much simpler approach - e.g. Dutto (IIRC) just used simple stick-on LED strips to replace the tubes in a Labcraft Trilite.

I don't recall even the most complex of the conversions that I've done costing more than £5 in parts, so there's a potential to save maybe £100, which would appeal to some...

-mojo- wrote:The appeal (to me) of the conversion of LabCraft lights yourself is that it can be done at relatively low cost, and it doesn't need to be complicated. If you look at some of the older threads here on this there are lots of ways to do it - some simple and some not so simple. I've made mine rather complicated, but others have taken a much simpler approach - e.g. Dutto (IIRC) just used simple stick-on LED strips to replace the tubes in a Labcraft Trilite.

I don't recall even the most complex of the conversions that I've done costing more than £5 in parts, so there's a potential to save maybe £100, which would appeal to some...

I'd most likely take Dutto's approach. But that doesn't solve the problem of the yellowed fixtures, hence the temptation to replace the whole lot. Plus I have no faith in my DIY skills!

Are they Trilites? If so I've got some "new old stock" lenses that I would only want back what I paid for them (£6 each). They are new, but have very minor abrasion marks (I think from where they had been carried around for months to boot sales by the seller!).

The actual lights themselves are 24 volt, but that's irrelevant if you are going to convert to LED (because you remove or otherwise disable the inverter/control board).

-mojo- wrote:Are they Trilites? If so I've got some "new old stock" lenses that I would only want back what I paid for them (£6 each). They are new, but have very minor abrasion marks (I think from where they had been carried around for months to boot sales by the seller!).

The actual lights themselves are 24 volt, but that's irrelevant if you are going to convert to LED (because you remove or otherwise disable the inverter/control board).

I'm not sure. That's what I'm hoping someone might know. Have emailed AS but not sure how long they typically take to reply to queries relating to 24yr old vans!

If you put "labcraft trilite photo" into your favourite search tool, it will find you photos that will help you to identify them.

Found this by looking for Labcraft Autosleeper on eBay... looks identical: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/js0AAOSwZ4dZJFxf/s-l1600.jpg

I don't believe that is a trilite. The "tri" in the name refers to the fact that it can take 1, 2 or 3 tubes. The one in the photo looks as though it is designed for two tubes only.

-mojo- wrote:I don't believe that is a trilite. The "tri" in the name refers to the fact that it can take 1, 2 or 3 tubes. The one in the photo looks as though it is designed for two tubes only.

Yeah, I suspected that might be the case too. Why call it a Trilite if it only takes two tubes?! I've emailed Labcraft to see if that helps them recommend a modern LED equivalent.

Ta!

If your existing ones are all surface mounted I doubt you will have much of an issue - the differences in size are not great enough (typically) to cause any problems, and electrically they are all compatible. If they are partially or fully recessed it may be a bit more difficult, of course.