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1 Site Search - Quick Index | 2 The Realities of Purchasing On-Line | 3 Why Do Business With Us? | 4 Distributor of IOTA Engineering, Quick Cable and Anderson SB products | 5 Photovoltaics,Batteries, Cable and Wire | 6 Lumen Outputs of Compact Flurescent and Incandescent Lights | 7 DC Halogen Lights and Adapters - Low Voltage | 8 DC Lights | 9 DC Fluorescent Lights | 10 DC Fluorescent Outdoor Floodlights | 11 DC Screw-in Compact Fluorescent Ballasts & Tubes | 12 DC Screw-in One Piece Compact Fluorescent Lights | 13 DC Indoor Flood, Ceiling and Cabinet Fluorescent Lights | 14 Portable & Emergency Fluorescent Light by Flexcharge | 15 DC Fluorescent Ballasts by LIT and IOTA | 16 Charge Controller Musings | 17 DC LED Lights | 18 Light Bulb Socket Adapters | 19 Thinlite Indoor Lights | 19 A - Thin-Lite Heavy Duty Truck Dome Lights - Fluorescent | 20 Thinlite Outdoor Lights | 21 Thinlite Replacement Ballasts | 22 Thinlite Replacement Lens - Diffusers | 23 Thinlite DC Lighting Products | 24 DC Lighting | Glossary of Alternative Energy Terms | 25 Parallel Battery Bank Information | 26 What we sell and why. | 27 Amps Volts and Watts | CHARGE CONTROLLERS | 28 Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Notes | 29 Photovoltaic Module & System Wiring Layout | 30 Wind - Hydro - Solar Charge Controllers by Flexcharge | 31 Water and Air Heating Diversion Loads for Charge Controllers | 32 Maximum Power Point Tracking Charge Controllers | 33 Solar Converters, Inc. Charge & Lighting Controllers | 34 SES Flexcharge Charge Controllers | 35 Flexcharge Charge & Lighting - Load Controllers | 36 Solar Converters Special Solar and Battery Charging Equipment | 37 TriMetric , Flexcharge and Solar Converters Battery System Monitors | 38 Timers,Linear Current Boosters,Photoswitch,Relay,Switches | 39 Battery Desulphator | 40 Solar Converters, Inc. Products | 41 Flexcharge Products | 42 DC Circuit Breakers | 43 DC Circuit Breakers to 80 volts | 44 DC Fuse & Circuit Breaker Types & Installation | 45 UL Listed DC Breakers up to 125 volts | 46 Cathodic Protection Controllers by Solar Converters | 47 Our own alternative energy systems | 48 DC Fuses, Holders & Fuse Blocks | 49 Class T- DC Fuses & Fuse Blocks | 50 ANN - ANL - CNL DC Fuses & Fuse Blocks | 51 Inverter Cable and Overcurrent Protection Guide | 52 Adapter Bushings for Lugs and Battery Connectors | 53 Copper Buss Bars by Deltec Co. | 54 Low Voltage D.C. Lighting Tips | 55 Your On-Line Privacy | 56 Electric Vehicle and Alternative Energy Battery Disconnects | 57 Power Distribution & Splicer Blocks | 58 Cable and Butt Splices & Connectors | BATTERY POST & TERMINAL CONNECTIONS, ADAPTERS AND BATTERY ACCESSORIES | 59 Battery Post Marine Conversions & Terminal Extensions | 60 Battery Post Connectors Conversions Adapters Repair | 61 Battery Terminal - Cable Lug Covers & Protectors | 62 QuickCable Cable Lugs & Heat Shrink Tubing | 63 Compression Connectors - Lugs | 64 Heavy Duty Cast Copper Connectors - Lugs | 65 Copper Connectors - Lugs by Quick Cable - MAXX | 66 Magna Lug Heavy Duty & Fusion Lugs by QuickCable | 67 Anderson SB Connector quick connects | 68 Anderson SB Accessories | 69 Anderson SB Parts | 70 Anderson SB Connector IndustraCrimp tool by QuickCable | 71 Overview of Our Photovoltaic Systems | 72 Iota Engineering Battery Chargers / Converters | 73 Adapters, Plugs, Sockets, Cords, SAE connectors & Extensions | 74 Electric Vehicle Power Supplies Converters by IOTA Engineering | 75 DC to DC Voltage Converters & Dimmers by Solar Converters | 76 Transfer & Generator Start Switches, Distribution Panels | 77 Stranded vs Solid Wire in low voltage systems | 78 IOTA Engineering power products | 79 QuickCable Tools, Cable Crimper, Cutter & Stripper | 80 Battery Boxes | 81 Power Vent Battery Box Fans by Zephyr Industries | 82 DC to DC Voltage Converters | 83 IOTA Transfer Switch & TriMetric 2020 Features | 84 IOTA Engineering DLS Battery Charger Features | 85 Lighting Systems | 86 Practical Alternative Energy Applications | 87 Portable and Emergency Power Systems | 88 Custom Cables | 89 Our Customers Systems | 90 Resources for Disaster & Emergency Preparedness | 91 IOTA Transfer Switch Views and Schematics | 93 | 94 Battery Wiring Diagrams | 95 Battery Condition and State of Charge Charts | 96 Order Form | 97 Backup Power? | 98 Energy Expectations | 99 Power Needs Worksheet | 100 Efficiency | 101 Wire Loss Chart | 102 Solar Insolation Map / Chart | 103 Utility Inter-tie | 104 About Us | 105 Statement of Policy & Warranty/Returns | Contact Us | MPPT Charge Controllers - FAQ | Battery Equalizer/DC Autotransformers - FAQ | Constant Voltage Pump Drivers - FAQ | Linear Current Boosters - FAQ | Information | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | NEWS-info links | Home Power Articles | R | P | A | B | C | D
(562) 423-48796
DC Lighting Information and Run Times of Electrical
Loads Powered By Batteries:
DC LIGHTING INFO:
We are all concerned with getting the most light from the amount of power
used, especially in a solar powered system.
> Our first recommendation would be to use fluorescent lamps. They are the
most energy efficient, have the longest life and produce the least amount of
heat (except for L.E.D. lamps.) The major drawbacks are that some types
will not work in very cold climates and they all need a minimum voltage
to start. When using a light sensor (on at dusk, off at dawn) they require a
solenoid or relay to fire up. Current fluorescent light fixtures have excellent
light color characteristics. NOTE: d.c. flourescent light fixtures use the same
tubes as found in a.c. fluorescent fixtures. It is the electronics, not the voltage,
that allows these tubes to be used in a low voltage d.c. light fixture.
> Our second recommendation would be quartz halogen lamps. They are
the most energy efficient incandescent (heat into light) lamps and have the
best light color quality. The downside is that they can produce a great deal of
heat and should only be used in an open fixture.
> Our third recommendation would be LED (light emitting diode) lamps. They
do not produce a great deal of light (except for the expensive multi-LED
units) but they are the most energy efficient and their lifespans can easily run
over 50,000 hours.
In an application where total reliability or the utmost efficiency is required,
the l.e.d. lamps are truly worth the money.
We can not recommend 12 volt incandescent RV and Auto types of bulbs.
These screw in or bayonet style bulbs use a lot of power and produce very
little light.
You will see lights commonly rated at 27K or 41K.
This refers to the color temperature of the tube or lamp in degrees
Kelvin.
The higher the number, the cooler (or closer to sunlight which has a
color temperature of 5500 degrees Kelvin at noon) the color.
Most people prefer the cooler temperature (which is why we only
stock cool tubes and lamps) as they "appear" to put out more light.
A cooler light will also have less influence on the color its
surroundings.
copyright John Drake Services, Inc.
RUN TIMES OF ELECTRICAL LOADS POWERED BY BATTERIES:
A simple and realistic way to determine the run time is to take the battery amp hour rating, deduct 20% and divide the remainder by the amp hour rating of the light or electrical load. EXAMPLE: a 100 amp hour battery running a 13 watt fluorescent lamp: 100 less 20 (20%) = 80, divide by 1.08 (the load amp hour usage) = 74 hours approximate run time. This is only a guide as the battery condition, temperature and on/off cycles can affect these times. The more often you let a battery rest, the more power you will be able to pull from it.
copyright by John Drake Services, Inc.