How do Luxeons do in the refrigerator?

Yes the refrigerator! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I have a mini bar sized fridge in my bedroom that I like to get into in the middle of the night, but it doesn't have a light in it. I would like to rig up a luxeon inside to turn on when the door opens. It would be just fine in there right?

how do you energize the luxeon then? you are not gonna put your battery in the fridge, are you?

You gotta run it off of lithiums, and I hope that it isn't a freezer, just a fridge... And even at that, it's still frisky with humidity because of your exposed circuitry and the battery... Alkalines in the fridge will be beggin' for mercy if they're not warmed up first...

Will alkalines really do that bad? That's what I was hoping to use...they would probably only be running a total of about a minute a week...

Your best bet's to house the power source outside the fridge, and maybe wire it into the fridge through the front or something... Alkalines won't do well when they're cold and inside... And at 350ma+, I actually would not be surprised if the LS doesn't even light up at all because of coughing alkalines...

There's a very good reason why lithiums are always recommended for cold weather performance. Alkalines just can't take the ice...

just drill a hole through the side or top or bottom or back of the fridge and run the wires through. afterwards, use the insulating putty that you can purchase at home depot or any other hardware store.

i've actually though about modding my fridge and freezer lights to led. i would use red/orange though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

red/orange is much brighter than the other 1watts, and especially when it is run cooler. take a look at the lumiled datasheets (forgot exactly which one), and you will find that the light output increases 200% at lower temps /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif (at least that's what my memory tells me... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

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zmoz said:
Will alkalines really do that bad? That's what I was hoping to use...they would probably only be running a total of about a minute a week...

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For your intended usage, alkalines will do fine at refrigerator temperatures. The Luxeons, BTW, are actually *more* efficient at lower temps.

I'll just test it later today. I don't need it to be very bright, I'll probably just use two AAs. Do you think I'll need a heat sink?

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zmoz said:
I'll just test it later today. I don't need it to be very bright, I'll probably just use two AAs. Do you think I'll need a heat sink?

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I suggest a minimum of 3 AA cells plus a bit of resistance. W.r.t. heatsink, if you are using a star version or a /O version which is already on a small heatsink [either 20mm hex or 25mm square] you will be fine without a heatsink as long as you are not driving it hard.

all you really need in a heatsink is a thin disc to create more surface area for the fridge to suck up the heat with than just the emitter slug. mass (and even a lot of surface area) isn't needed in a fridge.

i think mounting the luxeon emitter (emitters work better when used with heatsinks than stars) to a copper pluming pipe endcap should privide plenty of heatsinking.

ideally of course, you would have around 50 luxeons mounted around the entire opening of your fridge on a aluminum or copper strip, facing backwards /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Ah, yes! A rainbow colored refrigerator... Not only do you go there to get the beer, you also go there to get blinded.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Why not just store a PAL light in there and use the constant on mode? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Chris /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Or if you're comfortable enough, stick an Eternalight in there with rechargeable NiMHs and set it to strobe... 1000+ hours in this mode is quite /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif...

no! it's all about modding /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

you can't just stick a light somewhere permanantly...what happens when you need to use it? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

i suggest a red/orange luxeon /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Actually...I'm already using a green one. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif No...it's not suppost to be green...

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Be careful with using a LS in there, especially the Red-Orange one. If you want this for nighttime--where it's completely dark--and you walk to the fridge, open it, and 52 lumens hit your retnas, you'll be trying to reattach them with a laser pointer next.

At night, very little light is necessary for good vision. I'd suggest one or two wide angle red 3mm or 5mm normal LEDs. Well, the high brightness kind, at least, but an LS? Are you kidding me? You'll melt your optic nerve.

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Willmore said:
Be careful with using a LS in there, especially the Red-Orange one. If you want this for nighttime--where it's completely dark--and you walk to the fridge, open it, and 52 lumens hit your retnas, you'll be trying to reattach them with a laser pointer next.

At night, very little light is necessary for good vision. I'd suggest one or two wide angle red 3mm or 5mm normal LEDs. Well, the high brightness kind, at least, but an LS? Are you kidding me? You'll melt your optic nerve.

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That's why I'm going for the greenie with 2 AAs. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif The only reason I'm using a luxeon and not something else is because I have a cheap one that I'm not using...

ahh...come on /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

you want bright!

just aim it backwards /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I've been wanting to see one of you inventors *cough* maniacs *cough* use a quarter or 50 cent piece as a heat sink. Would this be a good place to use one? I like Rothrandir's idea of backward mounting, IOW on the inside of the door. Wiring could go through the fridge seal via grommet to an ugly Rat Shack Batt Pak w/ switch outside the door of the fridge.

As was confirmed, LSs, and for that matter LEDs in general like cool environments. These 5mm Nichias seemed to like it.

<font color="blue"> Photo by Stainless </font>