At 12:42 PM 2/13/02 -0500, Bradley Flubacher wrote:
>I've been considering going out to my local home improvement store to buy
>some under-counter low voltage lighting.  As you probably know, they're 12v
>lights.  I thought it might be a nice addition to my poorly lit westy.  I'm
>not sure how many amps each light draws, but if I can get them on a 10-15
>amp circuit, would there be any reason NOT to use this kind of lighting?

To find out the draw of each lamp simply divide the wattage by
12(volts).  this will give you the amperage that they draw when
running.  Remember that incandescent lamps draw more when being turned
on.  15 amps of lamps will pop a 15 amp fuse if they all get turned on at
the same time.  Most of the lamps you'll find are probably 20 watt fixtures.

20(W) divided by 12(v) = ~1.67(A)

This should add a nice touch to the interior but will drain a battery if
left on too long.

The set I found was a pack of 5 undercabinet 20W halogen lamps.  total draw
is just over 8 amps, or about 5 hours on a standard small car battery.  The
TURD is using about 5 times as much battery storage so I can get a couple
of nights on the lights between charges.

Your results may vary, please do not try this at home, if the is not what
you expected, please alter your expectations.

Unemployed Bum