• If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership  The benefits pay for the membership many times over.

LED 12v battery lighting for gun safe. Battery selection and switches

M

mac1911

NES Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2008
Messages
42,391
Likes
23,289
Feedback: 77 / 0 / 0
So I need to up grade my safe lights currently I have the old led rope light wrapped up and around the inner edge its DC powered and I have needed to go in my safe with loss of power. These old lights suck they got that 40w dull yellow hue. I want WHITE and BRIGHT and run off 12v battery. I have a few 12v sealed lead batteries 1 4Ah and one 7Ah I figure the battery will age and die before it discharges.
I want to run a new strip with the brightest whitest light
For those that have DIY or those who know electronics might answer a few questions.
1. Switches: Contact (door jamb_style) motion or magnetic?
2. Should I bother with the small 12battery (back up for alarm system style) or just run a small rechargeable that gives about 1 hr run time.
As always a bit over loaded with options and supplier's
 
In my old safe I lined the inside edges of the door frame with PVC 'L' trim, and stuck adhesive LED strip material to the full perimeter. The 'L' worked to provide a nice, smooth surface to mount the LED strip to, and being bright white it reflects the light very well.
I used velcro dots to stick the whole to the carpeting inside the door opening, the "stiff" side of the velcro was all that was required to hold the PVC strip in place.
I basically lined both sides and the top with 1" PVC 'L' this way, plenty of light.

As for battery versus other power source, if you have AC in the safe then a small always-on trickle charger and a gel battery from a UPS, motorcycle starter battery, or kids toy will provide hours of light.


upload_2018-1-28_10-58-49.png
 
I did some research on switch options, I found an LED light controller that is actually light sensing. It was intended for cabinet lighting... open the door, sensor sees an ambient light change, and it brings up the cabinet lights.
I didn't know how this would work in a blackout situation.
Let me see if I can find it again.
 
I have the LED adhesive strips in both of my safes. I believe they’re SMD LEDs.
Forget the battery. If you have a newer safe you can easily drill a hole in the back
of it and run a wire for an AC power supply. That’s what I did for both of mine.
My safes are daylight bright. Every inch including the bottom shelf.
The item shown has its own power supply. I recommend upgrading that one.

If you do go this way you must know how to solder and have a working knowledge
of DC power. You must have soldering iron. No more that 100w. If you use a 100w
iron you must use a light touch. 60w would be better. .030 electronic solder, flux
24ga wire etc...

Amazon product ASIN B00MHLIFO8View: https://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Waterproof-Kitchen-Adapter-Included/dp/B00MHLIFO8/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1517157907&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=2835%2Bsmd%2Bled%2Bstrip&th=1
 
Just get one or two of these, about $10 at a hardware store, won't require wiring, and will last years, plus it is very bright:

light-switch cordless light led promier - Google Search
71bvX18bVEL._SL1200_.jpg
 
jayhitek said:
You like these and they work?
I'll give them a shot.

I bought other small motion light tubes similar to this for the bed of my pickup truck so I could see in at night. Never worked like I hoped.
Click to expand...

Yup, I have one on each side of my mid-size safe. They are as advertised and have turned out to be a perfect solution for me. Your needs and expectations may differ but even if they don’t work out for you, you’re not out a whole lot of time and money.
 
I would use either a micro-switch (positioned so that when you open the door it turns the LEDs on) or a simply push-button switch to turn them on/off. Zero power draw that way (from sensors). Also, depending on the power NEEDS of the LEDs would determine what battery I would use. I've run some 23A (or 2/3 AA size, 12v) batteries to power LEDs before. The trick there is wiring up enough to provide the power need of the LEDs. I've bought both the batteries and holders form Amazon before. so easy to get/find. Plus, they're very small.

If you want to go with a larger, gel type battery, then you'll want to at least have a way to keep it charged up. As already mentioned, either a trickle charger (fed inside the safe) or have two where you can swap them around from time to time. But, IMO, that's more hassle than it's worth. I'd just use an AC/DC power supply to feed the LEDs and simply use a flashlight (or head mounted light) when you're without power. If you lose power often enough to warrant needing batteries to power your safe lights, then you should probably have a generator setup to the house.

BTW, I have LEDs setup in one of my night stand drawers, where I keep a pistol, powered by one of the 23A batteries and a micro-switch. When I open the drawer, the lights go on. Close it and they get turned off. Plenty of light and the battery lasts a long time. Of course, we're only talking about maybe 2-3' of LEDs here. Enough to be plenty of light at any time (day or night) and not harsh enough to be an issue when waking up.
 
Last edited:
radioman said:
I have the LED adhesive strips in both of my safes. I believe they’re SMD LEDs.
Forget the battery. If you have a newer safe you can easily drill a hole in the back
of it and run a wire for an AC power supply. That’s what I did for both of mine.
My safes are daylight bright. Every inch including the bottom shelf.
The item shown has its own power supply. I recommend upgrading that one.

If you do go this way you must know how to solder and have a working knowledge
of DC power. You must have soldering iron. No more that 100w. If you use a 100w
iron you must use a light touch. 60w would be better. .030 electronic solder, flux
24ga wire etc...

Amazon product ASIN B00MHLIFO8View: https://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Waterproof-Kitchen-Adapter-Included/dp/B00MHLIFO8/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1517157907&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=2835%2Bsmd%2Bled%2Bstrip&th=1
Click to expand...
I want to get the AC power out of my safe. I might salvage the power assembly from the LED rope light for another project.
I don't mind building stuff and so far every small battery powered LED I have seen and touched does not meet my needs. The stick on lights are no better than my flash light hanging in the safe now.
Poking around with some of the numbers it looks like a 12v 7.2Ah battery will give off something like 150hrs of use on a 16' led strip light ? I could be way off also.? Short time reading says a 250mha will power a 5m single strip for about 5min?
At that rate like I said the battery fail from age quicker than draw.
 
Last edited:
mac1911 said:
I want to get the AC power out of my safe. I might salvage the power assembly from the LED rope light for another project.
I don't mind building stuff and so far every small battery powered LED I have seen and touched does not meet my needs. The stick on lights are no better than my flash light hanging in the safe now.
Click to expand...

I wish I could show you my safe. Bright as day.
I’ve tried to photograph it but trying to shoot a lighted safe doesn’t do it justice.
If you go with my setup you’ll have no regrets!
 
You guys are WAY overcomplicating it. 4 AA batteries will last you a couple years, cost 10 bucks, and be less than 3 minutes to "install" (included magnetic, 2-way tape, or screws).
 
Coyote33 said:
You guys are WAY overcomplicating it. 4 AA batteries will last you a couple years, cost 10 bucks, and be less than 3 minutes to "install" (included magnetic, 2-way tape, or screws).
Click to expand...
Right now all I need are the lights, found a switch and already have several batteries.
 
The thing I posted above has lights, switch, and batteries, as well as 3 ways to mount it, all included in each individual unit. It cannot get any simpler or less expensive. Plus it is bright as heck!
 
I tried the stick-on light in my old safe - Six AA batteries lasted only a few months of sparse use. This was a much older unit and technology, so I can't really speak to the longevity of newer stuff.
 
jtnf said:
I tried the stick-on light in my old safe - Six AA batteries lasted only a few months of sparse use. This was a much older unit and technology, so I can't really speak to the longevity of newer stuff.
Click to expand...
I,might try the AA battery thing for my crony.
That's still in planning .
 
Evtide said:
Yup, I have one on each side of my mid-size safe. They are as advertised and have turned out to be a perfect solution for me. Your needs and expectations may differ but even if they don’t work out for you, you’re not out a whole lot of time and money.
Click to expand...
Excellent. I'm going to buy them.
 
IMPORTANT: DON'T use alkaline AA or AAA batteries for anything in your safe! Duracell and Energizer over the last decade have ruined far more of my electronics for no reason than I can remember. I had a spare battery sitting on the shelf in my safe next to the steel clip that hold the shelf up. The battery (which had an expiration date >10 years from then...) leaked and corroded the steel clip and the track it attaches to. It happened very quickly! I'm in an out of the safe several times a week (it's a fire safe, so we keep all sorts of things in it like paperwork and computer backup drives), so it's not like I missed it for months on end. If you MUST use AA/AAA batteries, may I suggest rechargeable ones, and still check them often...
 
My last safe (sold it to my neighbor and am just trying to decide what to get to replace it) has the power block outside of it. I used an existing hole to feed the wire into it. IF you already have any holes in the safe (anywhere) you COULD run the power feed to the LEDs into it that way. Keep either the battery (or batteries) or power adapter outside the safe and not worry.

You could also get a small UPS to provide power to the adapter in the event of an outage. Even a small one there will give you plenty of power.

In that previous safe, I used the LEDs on a roll to make up panels that I then mounted inside. I put one inside the very top, and then under a couple of the shelves. Don't remember how much of a 5m roll I used, but I don't think it was all of one. The 5m roll wants about 60W of power to fully power the LEDs. Those adapters are cheap (can be found for under $15 on Amazon all day long). If you want to use batteries, two (or three) of the 23A batteries (wired properly) will provide plenty of power to those lights too.
 
Well I ordered a 16' 300 light 6000k bright white strip
I plugged it into my freshly slow charged 12v 7h hour battery
It was bright and white. I left the 16' strip attached directly to the battery 7 hrs later it was still going , not as bright but I did not really notice a change in brightness until 5hrs passed.
So all I need to do is run a switch and I'm good to go. Should last long enough for my needs. I do have a 120/12v thing from the old light if I go that route.
battery at full charge
CM9uNhX.jpg

5plus hourd later
QDpOy3p.jpg
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Modifying preban uzi mags for AR9 colt lower
Replies
15
Views
110
Marty McFly
Marty McFly
Colt magazine adapter for AR9?
Replies
12
Views
251
BREWINZ
BREWINZ
Pin and weld
Replies
6
Views
685
5f18
5
Magazine Base Plates for Mantis X10
Replies
5
Views
222
Mesatchornug
Mesatchornug
Airsoft Gunsmithing help
Replies
4
Views
452
Fixxah
Fixxah
Back
Top Bottom