A low cost LED lamp for your anchor light - some test results

nigelmercier said:
As an electronics engineer, I fully agree with what Adrian has said in this forum.
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And as a business man I am entirely cynical about comments like "I don't actually give a stuff about whether people buy my products or my competitors".:) Adrian wont be in business long if he really holds that view.

I have a physics degree and am a radio ham so I can well understand and accept that resistor control is not ideal with a variable voltage supply, apart from wasting as heat lots of the leccy you hoped you would be saving with the LEDs. I do wonder, however, if having current control multiplies the cost by almost 10 fold. Perhaps you would comment on that.

To be fair, Adrian deserves our thanks for raising a real problem that most people wont have been aware of. So thank you Adrian!:)
 
William_H said:
A simple LED with resistive current limiting will in fact be very resistant to transient high voltages. Indeed many LED circuits pulse a high current for various reasons while maintaining average current hence heating is within specs. So transients I don't think will hurt an LED. However the transients can hurt electronics especially the current control circuit of a sophisticated LED driver. Or other electronics. There may be a case for a supression device ina boat but then if you havn't already had a failure why worry. I suspect the article's figure are worst case or even exagerated for effect. olewill
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It was enough of a worry for bedazzled to send a resettable fuse and suppressor with the led's I bought off them a while ago, think they were in the process of building them into the driver circuits at the time. I really don't mind paying extra for that kind of protection. It would be interesting to see how many failed units they get back.
 
Conachair said:
It was enough of a worry for bedazzled to send a resettable fuse and suppressor with the led's I bought off them a while ago, think they were in the process of building them into the driver circuits at the time. I really don't mind paying extra for that kind of protection. It would be interesting to see how many failed units they get back.
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I agree that extra cost for extra protection which is tangible is wholly justifiable, but expecting people to pay more for look alike products on the basis of an easily faked U tube video is perhaps streching credibilty a trifle too far. The burning lamp video could be faked so easily it is worthless.
 
Bosun Higgs said:
And as a business man I am entirely cynical about comments like "I don't actually give a stuff about whether people buy my products or my competitors".:) Adrian wont be in business long if he really holds that view.

I have a physics degree and am a radio ham so I can well understand and accept that resistor control is not ideal with a variable voltage supply, apart from wasting as heat lots of the leccy you hoped you would be saving with the LEDs. I do wonder, however, if having current control multiplies the cost by almost 10 fold. Perhaps you would comment on that.

To be fair, Adrian deserves our thanks for raising a real problem that most people wont have been aware of. So thank you Adrian!:)
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Congratulations on your physics degree.

You may not be aware of the costs involved in relatively small volume product development. My LED products are actually designed here in the UK, a lot of time money and energy is taken developing, testing, modifying and committing to manufacture, regulatory compliant products. Add to these up front costs, the cost of manufacture, delivery and 20% import VAT. £6.50 I suggest, is a fair price. Most business people would consider me mad for trying to compete in this market, whilst offering a two year material warranty and a 50,000 hour service life!

If you find an equivalent functioning product selling for less, then simply buy it and I wish you well. If you know what you buying that fine and an informed decision.

I actually don't seek to compete with 50p replacement vehicle lamps nor do I seek to impinge on the garden fairy-light market. Further, I have no wish to use string in my shoes instead of shoelaces.

I see other posts on this tread, where, for some obscure reason, individuals suggest that Marinebeam may be producing fake videos to further their own interests. I suggest caution, as this is a public forum, viewed internationally, Defamatory remarks could land someone in some legal trouble. I would suggest individuals either put up evidence that supports their views or withdraw the comment.

Sensible people, I'm sure, will draw their own conclusions.
 
I too have ordered a pair of the ebay ones .....simply to play with. I am at a total loss how anyone can build them, market them, and ship them to UK for £1.59. However it would not be the first time I have been amazed.

Should get interesting when we all get playing :)

FWIW, the LIDL MR16 LED's I have in the cabin have survived 3 years, frequently at 14.8v.

Vic
 
Adrian Jones said:
Congratulations on your physics degree.



I see other posts on this tread, where, for some obscure reason, individuals suggest that Marinebeam may be producing fake videos to further their own interests. I suggest caution, as this is a public forum, viewed internationally, Defamatory remarks could land someone in some legal trouble. I would suggest individuals either put up evidence that supports their views or withdraw the comment.
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Just to be quite clear unlike you I did not say they were faked rather make the perfectly legitimate observation they could be faked. Perhaps you may to revised your comment.
 
Bosun Higgs said:
I do wonder, however, if having current control multiplies the cost by almost 10 fold...
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Ten fold and then some. Cheap LEDs are what, a couple of pence each? So perhaps a couple of dozen or more for a quid. A constant current IC is in itself more than twice this, plus you need other components such as coils, capacitors, circuit boards ...

As I said in my last post, for my interior light it was was cheaper to put 10 times as many LEDs in the circuit (it has 60) than it was to do it properly. In this case it didn't matter, but a navigation or anchor light, no way.
 
Adrian Jones said:
I really don't understand what your point is about my website that's clearly troubling you. Please spell it out so we all can understand.

Yes my lamps are produced in the far east, as are probably, most electronic devices in your own home. Again what is your point Steve?
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Your website information does not comply with UK legal standards
 
What would be really, really useful would be an anchor light, with a light sensitive switch (so only on when dark) but powered by a solar panel - like the patio lights but brighter.

I appreciate that there are not enough photons collected by the small solar panel on the patio lights during one normal day to give the output required to last a normal night. But how far short? How big would the solar panel need to be? Has anyone looked at this? I am also a physicist, so given the specs of the best current devices, and some time, I am quite capable of doing the sum. But i'm interested if someone else has designed something similar.
 
AliM said:
What would be really, really useful would be an anchor light, with a light sensitive switch (so only on when dark) but powered by a solar panel - like the patio lights but brighter.

I appreciate that there are not enough photons collected by the small solar panel on the patio lights during one normal day to give the output required to last a normal night. But how far short? How big would the solar panel need to be? Has anyone looked at this? I am also a physicist, so given the specs of the best current devices, and some time, I am quite capable of doing the sum. But i'm interested if someone else has designed something similar.
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I only know of one 12V LED lamp with an integral light sensor. This is rated at 3W with a 240 Lumen Output. It's widely used to convert standard anchor lights into dusk to dawn fixtures without any modification to wiring.
 
AliM said:
What would be really, really useful would be an anchor light, with a light sensitive switch (so only on when dark) but powered by a solar panel - like the patio lights but brighter.

I appreciate that there are not enough photons collected by the small solar panel on the patio lights during one normal day to give the output required to last a normal night. But how far short? How big would the solar panel need to be? Has anyone looked at this? I am also a physicist, so given the specs of the best current devices, and some time, I am quite capable of doing the sum. But i'm interested if someone else has designed something similar.
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They are widely used for marking hazards, buoys, barges and so on. A company called Sealite makes them and they are superb bits of kit, but very expensive and probably bulkier than would be acceptable to yachties.
They do a 2nm, Colreg72 approved light that would be perfect if it were more compact. They even have one for the the 'lower light conditions' encountered in Europe!

So, the technology is available but I suspect the recreational boating market is too small to tempt Sealite or others into making a yacht version.

http://sealite.com/products/product.php?prod_code=SL60
 
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nigelmercier said:
Indeed. In fact doesn't the CE mark mean Chinese Export :rolleyes:
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Not really my last employer applied the same mark to our products made and designed in the UK from components primarily sourced from Europe and the USA, though some did come from other countries but rarely China.

The interesting guess now really is where will take over from China as the low cost manufacturing centre. Back when I was a kid it was Japan, but they are now almost the most expensive, then it was Taiwan and Korea. Now it is China but their standards of living and salaries are rising and will soon make finding another low labour cost country appear attractive.

Perhaps some where in sub Saharan Africa may be the place to be investing now.
 
nigelmercier said:
Indeed. In fact doesn't the CE mark mean Chinese Export :rolleyes:
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maxi77 said:
Not really my last employer applied the same mark to our products made and designed in the UK from components primarily sourced from Europe and the USA, though some did come from other countries but rarely China.
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Errr ... shall I tell him, or will someone else do it :D
 
nigelmercier said:
Ten fold and then some. Cheap LEDs are what, a couple of pence each? So perhaps a couple of dozen or more for a quid. A constant current IC is in itself more than twice this, plus you need other components such as coils, capacitors, circuit boards ...
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Are you sure ? A couple of 5p transistors rigged as a constant current source will drive a short string of LEDs, independently of voltage (within reason, certainly in the range 10-16V) - no need for any coils or voltage regulation etc.
 
electrosys said:
Are you sure ? A couple of 5p transistors rigged as a constant current source will drive a short string of LEDs, independently of voltage (within reason, certainly in the range 10-16V) - no need for any coils or voltage regulation etc.
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I wish.........this is the back of a red/white constant current LED lamp....where am I going wrong....... Maybe you can design me an equivalent with 4/5 transistors?
 
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