Save This LED Install!

I'm wiring a series of 10 LED overhead lights in a modified camper/RV. I've already run all the wiring and installed wooden ceiling and wall panels with holes cut out for the lights. For this reason, it will be very very difficult to modify my wiring in major ways (hot linked image removed) I'm trying to install 10 of these LED lights in a van - with 6 of them wired in parallel to one string (with its own on/off switch) and 4 of them wired in parallel on a separate string and switch. I cut off the AC wires and the included AC Driver box, and I had originally connected them directly to a 12v auxiliary RV battery with their red and black wires. This worked at first, but later caused the lights to flicker/flash and burn out. I now learned that I need to use a special DC LED driver or resistor. My question:

What can I install and splice into my wiring (ideally not at every LED) to make sure I don't supply too much current to these lights, but keep them on?

I'm having a hard time finding the exact specs and forward voltage (Vf) of these lights, but they are made by CREE and their little built in plastic AC driver box shows an input current of 300mA and 3-13V.

1. Can I wire an LED driver into my common 12v DC power supply which goes to both strands and all 10 lights? If so, do I size it for 10 lights even though there will be times when there are 0, 4, 6, or 10 lights in use?
2. It will be much harder, for wiring reasons (no access to my "NEG-") to wire an LED Driver after the wiring splits and has the 2 individual switches for the 2 strands, but this might be possible as a last resort. If so, what type of driver or resistor can be wired in?

Since my lights are in parallel and not series, and they (seem to) call for an input voltage in the range of 3-13V, I should have adequate voltage with my 12V system. But for regulating the current, do I need a driver that provides a constant current of 3000mA (300 x 10?) even though there will be times with just 4 lights on? They don't even seem to make these. Could I wire multiple smaller drivers in parallel?

Thanks

There are a number of issues here. The 300ma/ 3-13V is not the input to the leds, but the output of the AC/DC driver module that has been adapted to these COB lights. Not knowing the specific Cree model for these COBs makes it a bit difficult to determine how to drive them. If you still have one of the AC driver modules attached to one of the lights, I would connect the AC supply to the module and then measure the dc voltage across the led (red and black leads). I would then insert an ammeter in the leads going to the led (the red and black leads, not the ac leads) and measure the current going to the led. This information will give you a starting point for driving the leds. Another issue is running them in parallel. LEDs are rarely exactly the same, so wiring them in parallel can give some really screwy results as some can end up being much brighter than others without designing in equalizing resistors for each led.
With all that said, if these are already installed and wired in parallel one option would be to find an adjustable DC power supply; one where you can adjust the current and the voltage. For the branch that has the six leds in parallel, assuming 300ma each, you will need to set the supply current upper level at around 1.8 amps. Then start slowly ramping up the voltage until the current gets to about 1.8 amps. At this point, if you are lucky, most of the leds should be about the same brightness level and the voltage should be 13.8 volts or below. You now will know both the voltage and the current from which you can determine the value of a dropping resistor if needed. i.e. if the measured voltage is 10 volts and the current is 1.8 amps then the dropping resistor would need to be about 2 ohms and 7 watts (minimum).

Thank you

I was able to re-route the negative wiring so that I now have a convenient location where I can wire in something like an LED Driver (constant current, I assume?) in to the string of 6 lights, and 1 into the string of 4 lights.

Any idea which LED Driver you'd suggest?


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As far as testing the built-in AC Driver in order to determine the ideal requirements:

Great idea! I'm not sure how to wire or connect these to an AC power source - any help or advice there?

Thank you

Hot linked image removed.