Bruce S asked if Command’s LED upgrade kit would fit a Bargman 30-92-XXX surface mount tail light or what options were available.

Your options are a bit limited.  Bargman does not currently offer an LED upgrade for this light and I cannot recommend the "bulb" type replacement LEDs as these are often not bright enough and the optics of the standard lens are not designed to meet DOT requirements with LEDs.

I would suggest that you look at our 003-81BM1 and 003-81LBM1 (black base) or the 003-81M1 & 003-81LM1 (white base).  These are a bit wider than your Bargman lights but not as tall.  This would expose two of the mounting holes below the lights, but on the driver's side the extra holes would be covered by the license plate. In any case, all unused holes should still be sealed, of course.  You might be able to easily fill these with just a small bit of RTV silicone adhesive.

If you choose to replace your lights with the Command model 003-81’s in LED, I personally prefer the black base version as I think it looks much richer.  Only a small bit of the base is visible around the light, I doubt anyone would notice the black base vs the white base you probably have now.  Take a look at the pictures here:

http://www.commandelectronics.com/led-tail-lights.html

RD in Canada asked about replacement lens options available for his 007-60W light…

We manufacture several versions of this lens that you could install onto your light.  Each has its own benefits and trade-offs.  Here are your choices:

89-189 is a clear, acrylic lens.  Acrylic can break but is less apt to be harmed by chemicals.  It is also less likely to scratch or develop small environmental stress cracks (crazing). 

89-184A is the same part molded in amber.

89-184PC is a clear lens molded of Lexan (polycarbonate)  This is the version of the lens that many OEMs have been buying most recently.  It is very difficult or impossible to break, but is more likely to scratch or develop crazing from UV exposure.  It is also easier to damage this lens with harsh chemical cleaning agents.  But for OEMs using air guns for installation, this lens is hard to damage.

Pricing is the same for any of these.

Personally, I would go with one of the acrylic lenses.  Since you would be  installing this by hand with a screw driver I would not expect you to have problems.  If you feel that breakage is a concern, then you might consider the PC lens.

If you'd like to order these, just call our order entry department at 269-679-4011 and give them the part number that you need.

 

Command Electronics is proud to announce a new version of our "hot-line" white LED light fixture. The 003-6017W has been re-designed to use 12 high power, cool white, LEDs and delivers 204 Lumens of light. The housing is sealed so it is suitable for interior or exterior 12 volt applications and draws 0.30 amps of power.

When comparing this light to other Command LED lights, this light focuses it's light in a circular pattern with relatively little light being projected out to the sides.  This means in the target lighting area, it will be brighter than you might expect for only 204 Lumens.  Additionally, since the housing is sealed it can be used in outside applications without concern.

The light measures 15.25" x 1.25" and is about 1/2 inch tall.  The 2 seven inch lead wires exit from the center of the back of the light.

More information is available at: 003-6017W Product Info

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Can I Install the Command Electronics 30 LED Upgrade into a Bargman 76 Series Light?

This installation is not a problem.  Bargman's 76 series light is available in double or single versions.  This modification applies to both.

After removing the lens and bulb you must remove the small aluminum reflector. 


The reflector is held in place by a small plastic rib shown below.  To remove the lens, push the rib down, then slide the reflector about 1/8 of an inch away from the rib.  (up in the photo) This releases the rib side of the reflector.  Lift the reflector up slightly to clear the locking rib then slide the reflector toward the rib (down in the photo) to release it fully.  The reflector is not used in the LED conversion.




It may be helpful to insert the plug from the LED board into the socket as you perform the rest of the installation.

Slide the board into position.  It's a tight fit, but the board will fit or may require some very minor modification of the white plastic base.  Due to the reflector retention system, the board will not sit flat in the light so the double faced tape pre-installed on the LED board cannot be used.  Instead, the board will be held in place by the socket and a bit of clear RTV adhesive.

A number of customers have contacted us about problems they have when installing LED third brake lights in trailers or custom applications using a logic module.  Symptoms usually are all or some or all of the LEDs glow dimly when a turn signal is applied.  Other strange behavior can be seen, but it always involves a logic module and LED third brake lights.

Why you may need a logic module-

A logic module is required when installing a third brake light in a trailer or towed RV.  This is because neither the 4 flat connectors nor the 7 way RV plugs have a separate wire for a “brake” signal.  Rather, they use the same signal wire to indicate a turn or stop.  The logic module connects to the left turn/brake and to the right turn/brake and has an output wire that goes to the newly installed third brake light.

Why do they do this?

Most of the third brake logic modules were designed for use with incandescent bulbs.  These bulbs take a significant amount of current to light up.  Small amounts of current bleeding through the logic module caused no issues with incandescent bulbs.  But LEDs require such a small amount of current to operate, that even the small amount of bleed through is enough to get some of the LEDs to glow.

How to Fix:

Connect a 1 watt, 330 Ohm resistor between the ground wire and the hot wire (from the logic module) close to the third brake light may fix your problem.  When small amounts of current trickle through the logic module, they will move through the resistor, bypassing the LEDs entirely.  When the full rush of current arrives when you are really stopping, the majority of the current will be forced through the third brake light as expected. 

Depending on what your local electronics store has in stock, you should look for a 330 ohm resistor (I’ve had some customers use a 400 Ohm resistor successfully) but it needs to be rated for at least 1 watt.

Problems with your ballast?  Or time to replace your bulbs again?  Or just can't get those fluorescent lights to start in cold weather?  The solution maybe LEDs.  But what if you've got fluorescent lights in place and don't want to change fixtures?  I may have the solution.

I was asked recently to help a customer convert a Command 005-395 Fluorescent light to LED.  The 395 is a 30 watt fixture about 2 foot long.  It uses two 15"F15T5 bulbs ordinarily.  (this conversion should work just as well with other brands of lights, but check for available space for the modules.  You'll need a flat mounting space for each 2.8" x 3.1" board) These Fluorescent lights put out a lot of light and it will take three of our 30 LED boards to make the conversion and provide enough light output.

The project was pretty easy.  First, take off the lens and remove the bulbs and save or discard them properly.  Remember, fluorescent bulbs contain mercury and should not be just thrown in the trash.  Disconnect the fixture from the power.  Clean the inside surface of the light fixture with some glass cleaner to remove any dirt or oil residue so the LED modules will stick well.

I drilled a small hole about 1/4" (big enough to feed two 18 gage wires through) from the bulb area into the side of the housing containing the switch. 

There are two wires feeding into the light fixture, one goes directly to the ballast (that is the white wire in the photo below), the second goes through the off/on switch and then to the ballast.  In the photo below this wire is black leading to the switch, and red leaving the switch, heading toward the ballast. 

Cut the two wires going to the ballast, leaving yourself enough wire to work with comfortably. 

These two wires are routed through the 1/4" hole that you drilled in step2.

 

Connect these two wires to the special 3 socket harness supplied by Command Electronics.  Plug each of the 30 LED boards into the harness and position the boards where you would like them.  I used small pieces of tape to temporarily hold the wires in place.  Remove the 3M VHB tape from each LED module and press into place.  After the boards were in their final position, I replaced my tape used to hold the wires temporarily with small pieces of white duct tape that I picked up at the hardware store.

 

Connect the two lead wires back up to the 12 volt supply in your RV.  It doesn't matter which is hot and which is ground as the LED boards correct polarity automatically.  Re-attach the fixture to the mounting surface and enjoy.

This light using three 30 LED modules draws 1.41 amps compared to the fluorescent bulb version which draws 1.85 amps.  But fluorescent lights have a much higher current draw when first turning on.  The LED light will not produce any significant heat, has no bulbs to burn out and no ballast to fail.  It is not affected by cold weather in any way. 

So how bright is it?  Fluorescent lights start out at one brightness level and over a 15 minute warm up period they get brighter.  The 3 LED conversion we did is brighter than the fluorescent light starting cold, but not as bright as the fluorescent light fully warmed up.  It's difficult to get a good photo of LED lights and the photo appears much yellower than the LEDs are in real life.  

If you'd like to do this conversion on your fluorescent lights, order kit number K-395L.  It includes three 30 warm white LED modules and the 3 socket harness assembly.  For ordering information, click Here.